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The Simpsons fans have been left blindsided by the sudden return of a character last seen nearly 30 years ago.
One week after viewers were tricked into thinking the show was coming to an end, with an episode deceptively branded its “series finale”, the long-running animated series nostalgically brought back a face familiar to die-hards.
The second episode of season 36, titled “The Yellow Lotus”, saw the Simpson family head to a luxury resort in what was a clear nod to HBO series The White Lotus.
Hammering home the reference was Homer’s discovery of a dead body, an event that leads the Simpsons to come across none other than Sideshow Bob, voiced by Kelsey Grammer.
However, it’s the inclusion of another character that most surprised fans, with some branding the moment “unbelievable”.
*Spoilers follow – you have been warned*
In the episode, it’s explained that the trip was actually orchestrated by someone fans will remember from season nine, which is considered to be a part of the show’s Golden Era: the corrupt salesman Nick Callahan.
Nick Callahan, voiced by Hank Azaria, first showed up in 1998 instalment “Realty Bites”, and the decision to bring him back was revealed to be down to producer Loni Steele Sosthand.
The 36th season of The Simpsons started earlier this month, with a parody episode exploring what makes an effective finale. It was one of the show’s most acclaimed episodes in years, and imagined what the perfect ending of The Simpsons would look like – as written by AI.
Throughout the episode, there were animated recreations of final shots of shows including The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones and Succession.
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But when the title card first appeared on screen announcing the premiere as the “series finale”, viewers quickly jumped to social media to share their surprise at what they believed to have been a well-kept secret.
“IS THIS ACTUALLY THE SIMPSONS SERIES FINALE????” one asked, with another chiming in: “Wait, it’s like not REALLY The Simpsons Series Finale is it!? WTF!”
The meta premiere arrived amid speculation that the series could be preparing for its actual finale. Many believe that the series has outstayed its welcome, and no longer matches the quality upheld from its so-called golden era – from season three to nine.
One viewer theorised that this belief is what might have influenced writers to kickstart the new season with the finale prank, writing: “I love how 20th Century Fox/Disney responded to people complaining about The Simpsons should end and make a parody of a series finale.”
