Spoilers below for the latest episode of The Simpsons, so be warned if you haven’t yet watched on Fox or with a Hulu subscription.
For anyone who grew up watching The Simpsons, the long-running comedy’s unchanging status quo allows for the kind of comfort viewing that most other shows can’t pull off, which is a big reason why it’s one of the best animated series of all time. But the show does occasionally shake up the norm in big ways, which was the case with the Season 35 installment “Cremains of the Day,” in which the ever-present barfly Larry Dalrymple passed away at the age of [loud truck engine drowns out all other noise], and co-EP Tim Long was happy to see all the fans reactions, even if some of them skewed negatively, which makes total sense.
Despite the fact that The Simpsons has gone most of the way through 35 seasons without killing off more than a small handful of Springfield citizens, some viewers were still plum-shocked over the ep that sent ol’ Larry to that vibrating, cushioned barstool in the sky. Though thankfully without the same heaping vitriol that’s embedded within other posts questioning the creative team’s motivations. Here’s a smattering of reactions from the days after the episode aired:
- why did they have to kill off larry from the simpsons like that??? - @ashleeverma
- Really enjoyed last night's Simpsons episode. But I couldn't stop wondering why there was no mention of Larry's best friend, Sam. - @SimpsonsTheory
- Damn why did the Simpsons kill off Larry? He never hurt nobody - @Corey14K
- Why’d I even get up this morning when The Simpsons killed off Larry Dalrymple after 35 years - @brodie_smiles
- I get it though.. A lot of us are Larry.. - @Hrbngr_of_btfl
- You think this is going to stop with just Larry you fool? Starting now the Simpsons is going to kill off a character every week, going exponentially until the whole town's a wasteland - @IsakGlaser
Though many believe that Larry never had any lines on The Simpsons, there were indeed a few moments were he spoke, with the late, great Phil Hartman being credited as "Barfly" for the Season 2 episode "Bart Gets Hit by a Car," in which Larry and other patrons hoot and wolf-whistle when Marge walks in.
Why Co-EP Tim Long Likes That Fans Got Upset Over Larry's Death
To be sure, The Simpsons' co-executive producer Tim Long likely isn't super-pumped about the selection of fans calling out Larry's death as a ratings grab and/or a cheap stunt, but as he put it to TMZ, he's more genuinely pleased to see and hear from those who were genuinely taken aback by "Cremains of the Day" offering up some backstory for Larry's life.
Long says that the show's writers and producers did expect for there to be some griping and whingeing over the surprising reveal, and that they intended for the episode to hit emotionally in the way it did, despite the fact that the oft-seen character has never been part of any other storylines in years past. The loss of anything so familiar can be discomforting, even an animated drunkard.
To Tim Long, the idea that fans have thoughts at all means they're still invested in the show to a certain degree, which is a huge win for a series that has outlived almsot all of its competition. If nobody was reacting at all, that would be the true sign of a death knell in this capacity. Long likened it to his theory that Flintstones fans wouldn't have batted an eyelash had the Great Gazoo been killed off arbitrarily. Though I personally assume celebrations would have been in order if Scrappy-Doo ate a tainted Scooby Snack or something.
And now let’s brick up that Larry-shaped hole in our hearts with these parting words from Carl, as heard in the episode just before the guys realizing Larry was dead:
I don’t like the sound of that squish.
We at CinemaBlend send our jukebox selections and tip-jar change to the family(?) and friends of Larry Dalrymple during their time of mourning. Here's hoping we can see him again one day, perhaps in a Treehouse of Horror parody or an opening couch gag.
And don’t forget to check out the rest of Season 35 when The Simpsons airs Sundays on Fox at 8:00 p.m. ET, with plenty of other new and returning shows hitting the 2024 TV schedule in the near future.
