The Simpsons producers speak out after they ‘killed off’ popular character
Fans thought a popular character was 'killed off' during the season 37 premiere on Sunday
The Simpsons fans were left stunned after it appeared that the long-running sitcom killed off yet another popular character.
It's been on the air for some 35 years and 37 seasons, and throughout that time, there have been a number of cartoon deaths on the show.
Bart's teacher, Edna Krabappel, played by Marcia Wallace, departed in season 25 after she decided to retire from voice acting.
Fans will also remember Ned Flanders' wife, Maude Flanders, in season 11 when she was hit by a barrage of t-shirts from a cannon at the Springfield Speedway and fell from the grandstand.
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Her death was written in after actor Maggie Roswell left due to an apparent dispute.
And then you've got Larry 'The Barfly' Dalrymple, who was introduced way back in season 1 and died in season 35.
But during the season 37 premiere of The Simpsons on Sunday, it seemed that the creators may have taken out music teacher Dewey Largo.
He has been a key feature in the intro for years, as well as appearing on the show many times.
In the episode, Lisa becomes a member of Springfield Elementary’s fashion club, and is left surprised when the group is in Mr Largo’s old room.
“We took it over when Mr. Largo died,” her classmate Deavin told her, before adding: “Or he has jury duty. It was something dumb.”
Fans were stunned, as one viewer said on X: “Mr. Largo Died?! Good Lord! His hatred for music finally did him in!”
“I didn’t see this coming but did Mr. Largo passed away…” another tweeted.
“Mr. Largo died?! Or he had jury duty,” a third said.
Well, thankfully, co-executive producers Cesar Mazariegos and Jessica Conrad have since been able to clear up the confusion.
“For something like this, I would welcome the riling up if you actually believe that would kill him off-camera,” Conrad told TVLine.
Mazariegos chimed in: “When we killed off Larry the Barfly last year, that was a big discussion. ‘How do we do it? Should it be that guy, or should it be trucker hat guy?’
“Anything that’s that big, where there’s a whole episode about it, we for sure think about it.
“But we usually don’t want to get rid of our characters. And it’s such a cartoony world.
“We know even if Moleman is in a car that explodes, it doesn’t mean he’s dead forever.”
Topics: The Simpsons, TV
Anish Vij