The long-running television series The Simpsons centers on the lives of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie, all of whom reside in the made-up town of Springfield.
The cherished sitcom, which has aired over 700 episodes, is well-known for its witty social satire and scathing humor.
But now that it has killed off one of its long-running characters, it is facing criticism.
One of the sitcom’s producers has apologized and explained the decision’s reasoning in response to the uproar.
People have expressed their outrage over the character’s departure on X, formerly Twitter.
“Disgraceful,” a fan comments. “He carried the show.”
“He was such an amazing character,” another person says.
“I can’t believe they killed off a character who’s been around since the beginning!” comments a third.
Another writes, “This is just heartbreaking, man.”
Many Simpsons characters have vanished from the program over time.
Among the people who have passed away are Rabbi Hyman Krustofsky, Alice Glick, Maude Flanders, Edna Krabappel, Bleeding Gums Murphy, and Fat Tony.
After 35 years on the show, another fan favorite will not be making a comeback.
Matt Selman, the showrunner of The Simpsons, posted a poll on X earlier this year with the title “Who will breathe their last?”
Homer, Bart, Marge, and Larry the Barfly were the choices.
The latter was swiftly surmised by fans, and they were correct.
From ‘Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire,’ the sitcom pilot in 1989, Larry Dalrymple has been a supporting character.
Harry Shearer played the role, who talked very infrequently but was frequently visible in the background of episodes.
Homer and the group watch a sporting event at Moe’s Tavern in the “Cremains of the Day” episode, which chronicles Larry’s death.
When he loses a wager, the bartender tries to eject everyone from the tavern, but when he goes to get rid of Larry, they discover he’s dead.
Although the character’s exact cause of death is unknown, fans of Simpsons Fandom theorize that he “died of alcohol poisoning or a brain aneurysm.”
When the regulars of Moe’s Tavern get together for Larry’s burial in the episode, they all realize how little they knew him.
When the mother of the character asks for anecdotes regarding her son’s love of fishing, the men, feeling unprepared, clumsily make up a story on the fly.
“Why did you never take the time to get to know this man?” Marge queries them.
“Marge, Larry just didn’t fit into our band of bros,” Homer replies.
When Larry’s mother shows them a photo from her son’s book in which they are all together with the caption, “Moe’s Bros,” the group is left feeling guilty.
There has been a great deal of outcry after Larry was killed off the show, which prompted co-executive producer Tim Long to apologize and give an explanation.
He writes in an email obtained by Variety, “I’m sorry if some fans are upset, but we really wanted to use Larry’s death as a way to show that even the most peripheral people in our lives have dignity and worth and that we really shouldn’t take anyone for granted.”
“To paraphrase Shakespeare, nothing became Larry’s life like the way he left it: drunk, lonely, and with a butt full of sapphires.”
He adds: “To me, it’s sort of fitting that some fans are taking Larry’s demise as hard as Homer and his friends do.”
“It’s just a measure of how much the show still means to people.”
