10 The Simpsons Episodes That PISSED People Off
4. The Principal & The Pauper (S9 E2)
There is some variation depending on who you ask, but generally it is believed that the golden age of The Simpsons ran from season three to season eight. This is when the show was at the top of, not only its own game, but the TV world in general.
Season nine began strong with 'The City of New York Vs. Homer Simpson', but the second episode of the season enraged fans so much so that it is thought to be, by many, the exact moments The Simpsons started to go downhill.
The show took one of its best characters from the previous eight years in Principal Seymour Skinner, and completely retconned his entire character and backstory. No longer was he Seymour Skinner, but Armin Tamzarian, an imposter who stole the identity of his commanding officer in the army. This contradicted Skinner's entire arc in the show, and insulted fans with a ridiculous premise far from the relatable family hijinks that made it so successful.
The fact that Judge Snyder decreed that no one ever mention the events of the episode again shows that even the writers knew it wouldn't go down well. It's no surprise why this was the exact point many fans of the show rage quit and didn't even make it to the evil jockeys of season 11.