1 Controversial The Simpsons Episode Ended The Show’s Golden Age (& It Still Hasn’t Recovered)

Although The Simpsons still has its defenders, one infamous episode indicated the end of the show’s famous Golden Age. The Simpsons has been around for 35 years and over 760 episodes, so it is fair to say that the animated family sitcom is doing fine. However, while The Simpsons’ season 36 renewal proves the show will continue for the foreseeable future, there is no denying that its critical reputation took an irreparable hit long ago. The Simpsons season 35 is excellent and, even then, the best new episodes are only a shadow of the show’s former glory. The Simpsons was extraordinary.

In TV: The Book, critic Matthew Zoller Seitz called The Simpsons “Ambitious, intimate, classical, experimental, hip, [and] corny,” and even this sprawling summation struggles to explain the impact of the show’s Golden Age. From seasons 3—9, The Simpsons pioneered an anarchic style of TV comedy writing that went on to influence every subsequent major work in the genre. Without this era, there would be no South Park, no Family Guy, no Bob’s Burgers, no Bojack Horseman, and even no Rick and Morty or Gravity Falls. However, although the Simpsons don’t age, this era eventually had to come to an end.

“The Principal & The Pauper” Signaled The End Of The Simpsons’ Golden Age

The Controversial Episode Started The Show’s Gradual Critical Decline

The Golden Age of The Simpsons began with season 3, episode 17, “Homer at the Bat.” Although the show was already popular with critics and viewers at this stage, this relentlessly funny outing saw the series experiment with a new style of comedy. The jokes flowed faster and grew more surreal, drawing inspiration from sources as diverse as classic Tex Avery and Chuck Jones cartoons, the Marx Brothers, and the movies of Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker. This chaotic style came to dominate the show’s action in the ensuing seasons, with stories growing zanier, more ambitiously weird, and more fast-paced.

Season 9, episode 2, “The Principal and the Pauper,” signalled the end of the Golden Age of The Simpsons only five years after “Homer at the Bat” aired. Ironically, “The Principal and The Pauper” is very funny, and its status as a holdover from season 8 proves that season 9 didn’t herald some abrupt, inexplicable decline for the series. That said, the episode’s cavalier attitude toward the show’s canon and its cynical self-awareness never sat well with viewers or critics. Later episodes that were singled out as the end of the Golden Age were accused of amplifying these same structural faults.

Why “The Principal & The Pauper” Is So Controversial Among Simpsons Fans (& Matt Groening)

The Episode’s Many Major Retcons Didn’t Sit Right With Everyone

“The Principal and the Pauper” revealed Principal Skinner was an impostor when the real Seymour, a Vietnam veteran played by Martin Sheen, returned to Springfield to reclaim his life. Eventually, the townspeople discovered they preferred the impostor and the real Skinner was exiled while the interloper was welcomed back into the community. This grim gag could have been funny since The Simpsons has pulled off dark character arcs before and after this episode. The problem was that viewers had grown attached to Seymour over the years thanks to classic outings like season 5, episode 19, “Sweet Seymour Skinner’s Baadasssss Song.”

In an interview with Rolling Stone, The Simpsons co-creator Matt Groening called the episode a “Mistake” years after he conceded that it was one of his least favorite outings in a season 9 DVD commentary. Fans online and critics echoed similar sentiments, saying that the revelations about Skinner felt like a betrayal of the character. Ultimately, The Simpsons was a victim of its own success as the show’s goofy, no-rules approach to writing backfired when viewers grew unexpectedly attached to Springfield’s citizens. The Simpsons pointedly avoided the sentimentality of most sitcoms, but this episode proved viewers had still gotten invested in Skinner.

The Simpsons Never Properly Recovered After “The Principal & The Pauper”

The Divisive Outing Ushered In A New Era For The Once Universally Acclaimed Show

Although there have been plenty of great episodes since season 9 and The Simpsons season 35 has hugely improved on its predecessors, the series never recaptured the incredible hit rate of its Golden Age after “The Principal and the Pauper.” Although many blame the episode itself, this ignores the bigger issue with the show’s world-building. The show ignored its own canon and rewrote its rules constantly throughout the Golden Age, but “The Principal and the Pauper” proved viewers wanted consistent storytelling from The Simpsons.

It was difficult for the series to balance its wacky comedic instincts and the pre-existing lore of an increasingly elaborate world in the seasons that followed. Critics of The Simpsons frequently complained that the show forgot its established history or characterizations, which is almost inevitable in a show with thousands of characters, hundreds of episodes, and an elastic canon that changes constantly and without explanation. The world of The Simpsons got too big and, as a result, the show’s blasé attitude toward supporting stars ended up annoying viewers who were once amused by this same subversive style.