Nearly everything The Simpsons does at this point is a TV milestone, since few other series’ characters have similarly remained both present and relevant during that same decades-long stretch. For its gobsmacking 800th episode, the animated comedy pays tribute to Philadelphia-born entertainment icons such as Kevin Bacon, The Roots, and Abbott Elementary’s Quinta Brunson. The ep also honors another huge Pennsylvania-based TV show,The Pitt, with guest stars Taylor Dearden, Noah Wyle and Katherine LaNasa.
Several of The Pitt’s cast members were on-hand for an episode screening, a Q&A, and an award presentation at the 2026 SCAD TVfest, which CinemaBlend’s Laura Hurley was also present for. Amidst focus on the medical drama’s success, Laura excitedly noted Taylor Dearden joining the lengthy list of high-profile Simpsons guest stars for such an iconic episode, and the actress said it was a total pinch-me sitch, saying:
I'm in The Simpsons, I know! That was trippy. I had to read that email like eight times. I'm like, 'Oh my God. Oh my God. I can't believe it.’
Despite already making waves with performances on shows like Sweet/Vicious and American Vandal, Dearden has earned some of the most widespread praise of her career as The Pitt’s neurodivergent practitioner Mel King. And while it’s perhaps not the most specific bar to measure one’s success, being asked to guest-star on The Simpsons is absolutely a general sign that one has “made it,” so to speak. Though not one of this year’s Golden Globe winners alongside Wyle and LaNasa, Dearden remains a definite standout in a series full of powerful performances.
Now, for all the respect and love I have for her, I was (jokingly) less than pleased by how she reacted to the show reaching 800 episodes, since her comment kinda makes me feel as old and decrepit as Mr. Burns. In her words:
It's from before I was born. '89, I think, was the first season.
Dearden's memory there is indeed correct, with the series' debut "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" airing on December 17, 1989, two years after the characters were first introduced on The Tracey Ullman Show. As someone who was born a bit earlier, in 1982, I was indeed part of that initial wave of viewers who watched The Simpsons' early years on a weekly basis while also rocking the early merch.
And wow, does it make me feel old thinking about my bedroom walls being covered in Bart Simpson posters at a time when Taylor Dearden wasn't even a sparkle in Bryan Cranston's eyes yet. I might as well get myself a Smithers and start running a nuclear power plant, I guess. Assuming a strong gust of wind doesn't take me all the way into Shelbyville.
Those aware of Dearden’s entertainment legacy know she’s the daughter of Breaking Bad great Bryan Cranston and actress Robin Dearden. Which makes her the second in the family to get Simpson-ized for TV, as Cranston first appeared as a James Bond-esque spy character in Season 23’s The Spy Who Learned Me, and then later made a rare live-action appearance alongside Aaron Paul for a Season 24 couch gag opener that spoofed Breaking Bad. The father-daughter duo appearing on-screen together in The Pitt is about as likely as him offering her acting tips, but I’m still hopeful.
The Simpsons’ 799th and 800th episodes are airing on Fox on Sunday, February 15, starting at 8:00 p.m. ET. While that season is now wrapped, The Pitt Season 2 continues to drop new eps on Thursdays via HBO Max subscription.
