Uh, Should We Be Worried By The Simpsons Bringing The Pitt's Noah Wyle And More Into Special 800th Episode?

I’d say that every primetime TV show’s 800th episode is a meaningful one, but the number of series to actually hit that mark is pret-ty limited. So it’s indeed extra-special for The Simpsons to be the rare scripted entity to have produced so many installments, and with a truly incomparable group of guest stars coming and going over the years. The latest milestone ep will be no exception, as the Simpson family’s trip to Pennsylvania will feature several guest stars repping Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

In particular, The Simpsons is striking while the iron, er, scalpel is hot, and is bringing in a trio of The Pitt’s most acclaimed stars: Noah Wyle, Katherine LaNasa, and Taylor Dearden. On the one hand, this is obviously a smart movie for Fox’s animated staple, seeing as how The Pitt has been on an awards sweep from the jump — most recently evidenced at the Golden Globes — and its second season (streaming via HBO Max subscription) is currently garnering a similar amount of hype.

In this instance, however, the actors won’t just be joining the show in a random capacity, but will be working in the same circle as their on-screen characters. Wyle won’t be playing "Robby" Robinavitch, but “Doctor,” with LaNasa as “E.R. Nurse” and Dearden as “E.R. Intern.” Check out the first look at the characters below:

Why am I worried, you ask? First, because The Pitt is already well-known for stress-inducing and hyper-dramatic scenes involving authentically portrayed traumas and tragedies, with medical emergencies obviously playing a big role in that respect. (In-fighting amongst characters is also an issue.)

Second, The Simpsons’ creatives have been slightly more willing to kill off characters in recent seasons, as when Larry the Barfly was killed off a couple of years ago, when the show killed off Marge in a flash-forward, or when organ-playing Alice Glick during Season 37’s “Sashes to Sashes.” (We’re not lumping the brilliant Six Feet Under finale parody in here, but it almost counts.)

So the betting-man side of me would be fairly willing to put money on the idea that the Simpson family’s trip to the emergency room will end in someone’s death. (And the Whitaker lookalike getting his scrubs absolutely blasted with blood and goo.) But then again, this emergency room visit is presumably happening in Pittsburgh proper, making it less likely that any potential deaths will involve longtime Springfield regulars. (Unless that character is also taking a road trip, or unless the show finally pulls the trigger and kills Bart off.)

That’s enough time spent worrying about things, though. Let’s slip back into a more celebratory mood to shout out some of the other less ominous guest stars popping in for Episode 800, which centers on the family submitting Santa's Little Helper for the National Dog Show in Philly, where Homer and Marge stumble upon a wide-reaching conspiracy. (Thus the episode's punny title "Irrational Treasure.")

Guest Star #4: Abbott Elementary's Quinta Brunson

Abbott Elementary creator and co-star Quinta Brunson will be portraying a character named Adrienne who clearly loves being kissed by dogs. Don't ruin this, Santa's Little Helper!

Guest Star #5: Kevin Bacon

Kevin Bacon, whose co-directed comedy feature Family Movie will hit the 2026 movie schedule at some point, also joined the hubbub for the milestone episode. He only gets a description instead of a full-on character name, making me think his time on-screen will be limited. But then again, maybe "Philly Concierge" is his actual birth name.

Guest Stars #6+: Questlove & Boyz II Men

On the musical side of things, we have Questlove, who's kept busy along with the rest of The Roots as the house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. It's unclear how he'll play into the episode, but the shot above does imply that the family may take in a concert while in town.

Unseen in any press pics are the members of the Grammy-winning R&B group Boyz II Men, who are confirmed to have recorded alternate versions of The Simpsons' iconic opening and closing themes to mark the occasion. How much that'll go beyond just harmonizing "The Simpsons" over animated clouds is anyone's guess.

Actually, Boyz II Men's cameo lines up with my Pitt-fueled worries, since the group's iconic track "End of the Road" is often used as a mournful tune to reflect on characters dying. JUST SAYING.

The Simpsons' 800th episode is set to air on Sunday, February 15, at 8:00 p.m.