10 TV Shows That Went Too Far (In Completely Unexpected Ways)

There’s no denying that The Simpsons is, unlike some of the shows included on the list, a genuine masterpiece and one of the defining cultural documents of an era.

Hilarious, heart-breaking, and often surprisingly cerebral, at its best The Simpsons can stand toe-to-toe with any cinematic or literary achievement of the twentieth century and claim a place at the table as one of the greatest pieces of art made in the last four decades.

So how does a show this great manage to go too far?

Well, the fifth episode of the show’s twelfth season didn’t have much of the magic which used to make America’s first family so beloved, and the instalment contributed to its gradual decline as it saw the writers plum darker depths than usual for laughs and come up a cropper in the process.

As Homer becomes Burns’ prank monkey and partakes in an escalating series of public practical jokes which put his dignity on the line, the episode eventually culminates in an implied assault which didn’t earn much mirth from the audience at home. The shocking scene feels out of place at best and horribly misjudged at worst, whilst the rest of the episode does little to ameliorate this sour taste, making a point of “ironically” recycling old jokes and bits from other, better episodes