Just to put The Simpsons in perspective; I am 33 years old. The Simpsons began its historic run on FOX in 1989, spun off from the Tracey Ullman Show when I was 7! As in starting second grade! So when my generation speaks of The Simpsons we aren’t just mentioning one of many quality shows on television. We literally grew up with these characters. Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie aren’t characters; they’re our neighbors, classmates, and friends. “DOH” and “Cowabunga Dude” are parts of American history and culture. Co-creator Matt Groening and friends greeted fans at San Diego Comic-Con with a panel that discussed the future of the series as it enters it 27th (!) season, and the all-things Simpsons FXX universe.
A couple of months ago news broke which shocked the longtime fans of The Simpsons: Harry Shearer, the voice of many of the hit animated show’s characters including Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, Principle Skinner, and many others, would not be returning after 26 seasons on the job.
Back then we said it was really hard to believe Shearer was actually leaving and this wasn’t just one of those disputes that would eventually be worked out. And as it turns out, much to the delight of said fans, that’s exactly what was going on as it’s now being reported that Shearer has officially signed on to return with the other voice actors.
While it’s not the full resurrection fans are hoping will one day happen again, and it’s not that 3D remake we saw recently, it has been announced that Futurama will indeed live again…for at least one day.
In something you’d think would have happened a long, long time ago, the characters of Futurama will appear in a crossover episode of The Simpsons this November 9th. Both series were created by Matt Groening, so it makes all the sense in the world to have the two animated worlds meet up; it just took a while.
The Simpsons are set to go full-LEGO next month with the announcement of a LEGO episode titled “Brick Like Me” that will air on May the 4th.
In the episode the characters will begin in the world of LEGO thinking that it’s normal, when Homer gets the feeling that something isn’t right and begins trying to figure out what’s going on.
You can read more about the episode and see the first image of Homer in LEGO form from the episode below.
Usually when characters die on an animated comedy series, they’re back and perfectly fine by the next episode. But sometimes an animated series kills off a character permanently, whether it be because the actor who voices the character has to leave the show, there’s a dispute between actor and producers, or maybe because the show’s makers just don’t like that character anymore.
The last time The Simpsons killed off a character—or “did it,” as some like to say—was back in the year 2000 when Ned Flanders’ wife Maude fell to her death. Now executive producer Al Jean has revealed that another character will soon meet their demise.
Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press