The Simpsons" may be going strong in its 25th season, but a major character from the long-running animated series will soon meet his or her maker.

In a conference call with reporters last week, executive producer Al Jean revealed plans to kill off a character in the season ahead.

"We’re actually working on a script where a character will pass away," Jean said. "I’ll give a clue that the actor playing the character won an Emmy for playing that character, but I won’t say who it is."

"Simpsons" fanatics will know that this hint doesn't exactly narrow things down: Nearly every member of the core ensemble of voice-over performers has won an Emmy, including Dan Castellaneta (Homer, Barney, Krusty), Julie Kavner (Marge, Patty, Selma), Hank Azaria (Apu, practically everyone else on the show), Nancy Cartwright (Bart) and Yeardley Smith (Lisa).

Even a few guest stars have picked up Emmys for "Simpsons" appearances, including Anne Hathaway for voicing Princess Penelope and Kelsey Grammer for Sideshow Bob.

In other words, pretty much anyone could go. Death has come to Springfield in the past, most recently with the untimely passing of Maude Flanders, wife of the Simpsons' preternaturally cheerful next-door neighbor Ned, who bit the dust after falling off a grandstand at the racetrack.

The 25th season of "The Simpsons" premiered Sunday night with a "Homeland" spoof guest starring Kristen Wiig. In the press call, Jean also teased some other highlights in the season ahead, including a "Futurama" crossover episode set to air sometime in May and a wedding, officiated by Stan Lee, for Comic Book Guy.

_________________
favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

at some point the real life actors have to start dying off, right? or are they figments of our imagination?

_________________
the world will always the world. your entire existence is defined by your response.

Too bad it's not the show itself. I pretty much watch out of habit, hoping it can hit one out of the park like the good old days. Most times, it's Willie Mays as a Met.

Hmmm...
Will they use... The Dip?

_________________
"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Fare thee well, Disco Stu

_________________
Not a mult.

Well, if you can get rid of Bleedin' Gums Murphy.....

_________________
There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

_________________
"All crowds boycotting football games shouldn't care who sings or takes a knee because they aren't watching." - Nas

I watched 2 older episodes on Fox 32 last night - The one where Bart shoots a bird, and the other where Mel Gibson and Homer came together to make a movie.

_________________

Both great episodes. So sad to watch the shit they are pumping out now.

_________________

Awwww, spin us another yarn! Would ya, Paw!

_________________

So they're finally going to officially kill off Troy McClure?

_________________
Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

_________________

It has been on long enough where I have not watched it for longer than I watched it.

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

_________________
Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

The only thing that needs to die is the show. It's been circling the drain for 10 years.

_________________
I don't mean to sound bitter, cold, or cruel, but I am, so that's how it comes out. - Bill Hicks

Let's do it for Johnny!

http://www.grantland.com/blog/hollywood ... his-season

It's been so long since I watched the show, I had no idea that Dr Nick died and that Edna married Flanders...

_________________

It's because they've abandoned the type of writing that made it a funny animated sitcom and they have decided to write it like a modern live-action sitcom, which doesn't work for this show. That and the fact that the show tries to outsmart itself. Whereas in the prime of the show (1992-2000), the writing was smart and was able to innocently take shots at society and pop culture without actively trying to be 2 kool 4 school, it now tries to be clever and constantly "wink-wink" at its audience and it fails miserably. Also, the de-emphasis of Homer as the main character has also hurt this show. It's not even watchable on a boring day now.

_________________
Kid Cairo's Boers & Bernstein YouTube Channel

Kid Cairo: 2013 March Madness Tournament Winner!

"Cowabunga? Cowa fucking piece of dog shit! This game is diarrhea coming out of my dick!"

I like everything you wrote there, and I almost exclusively default against Simpsons detractors of any variety. Nicely done.

_________________
Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

Thanks Tiny.

_________________
Kid Cairo's Boers & Bernstein YouTube Channel

Kid Cairo: 2013 March Madness Tournament Winner!

"Cowabunga? Cowa fucking piece of dog shit! This game is diarrhea coming out of my dick!"

I was always a big fan of this show, pretty much going back to when I was 6 years old during the Tracy Ullman days. It just pains me to see how horribly bad this show has gotten compared to a time when it was arguably the best show on TV. It needed to be euthanized in 2007. Right now it's just a blind elderly, disease-infested dog wallowing in its own feces.

_________________
Kid Cairo's Boers & Bernstein YouTube Channel

Kid Cairo: 2013 March Madness Tournament Winner!

"Cowabunga? Cowa fucking piece of dog shit! This game is diarrhea coming out of my dick!"

But compared to most of the other alternatives .... aka reality tv or Big Bang Theory .... it's still king of the shit hill in relative terms.

_________________
Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

I'll give you that. The Simpsons is not the worst show on TV.

Sidenote: Currently, I think Bob's Burgers has surpassed all other network animated series in quality. That show hits on everything it tries to do and is one of about four appointment TV shows for me right now.

_________________
Kid Cairo's Boers & Bernstein YouTube Channel

Kid Cairo: 2013 March Madness Tournament Winner!

"Cowabunga? Cowa fucking piece of dog shit! This game is diarrhea coming out of my dick!"

The writing has gotten worse as the animation has gotten more professional.

I used to love the horribly drawn comics and I still love the other Matt Groening comics

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Other than Bloom County and Far Side, nothing beats "Life in Hell" as a body of work.

_________________
Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

_________________

OKC, I'd love to talk about The Simpsons over a beer some time. Your critique is exactly how I feel but I'd go earlier than 2007 for when it started to suck. More like 2002 and maybe even a season or 2 before that.

The show had so much heart and smarts behind it and then it turned crass. I'll never forget the ep when Marge said "penis." It was the one with REM. Terrible. It's not that I'm a prude. I love dick jokes as much as anyone. But The Simpsons were better than that.

Thanks Ed! Very good observation there on the "penis" episode. It was odd for that show, and again speaks to The Simpsons writers attempting to take the animated element out of the writing and simply write as if it's any live action sitcom, dealing with every day "human" situations. Sort of reminds me of King of the Hill in that regard, which I ALWAYS hated.

In terms of guest spots, it was also something they used to do well. The Lady Gaga episode from 2012 was the episode that changed me from a sporadic watcher to a non-watcher. It's the worst episode in the history of the series, IMO. Any episode centered around Lisa is an automatic stinker anyway, but this one far surpassed any of their worst previous efforts.

_________________
Kid Cairo's Boers & Bernstein YouTube Channel

Kid Cairo: 2013 March Madness Tournament Winner!

"Cowabunga? Cowa fucking piece of dog shit! This game is diarrhea coming out of my dick!"

I cant even imagine watching The Simpsons at this point


The Saturation got to me. I wont watch even the old ones now

The old ones have gotten really good to me lately because I went about five years without watching any of them. Every now and then, you kinda have to take a few years off.

I'm approaching that point with The Office now. I loved the show so much and have watched so often that I'm getting to where I'll just need to step away for a good long while.

_________________
Kid Cairo's Boers & Bernstein YouTube Channel

Kid Cairo: 2013 March Madness Tournament Winner!

"Cowabunga? Cowa fucking piece of dog shit! This game is diarrhea coming out of my dick!"