14 DAY TRIAL // Taking a hint from their direct rival, animated series “Family Guy” over on Fox, the creators of “The Simpsons” plan a radical start to their 26th season this year by killing off a major character from their show. Before you bombard us with comments expressing your anger, let's get one thing straight: it's not going to be one of the Simpsons.
The news that the Simpsons cast is going to lose one character was made at the TCA summer tour. While there, the executive producer for the show, Al Jean, made the surprise announcement, but wouldn't specifically mention which of the characters was going to bite the bullet.
He did give out some clues as to who it might be. His first clue, according to The Hollywood Reporter, was that the voice actor for the character has already won an Emmy award for their contribution to the show but people in the audience pushed for more details. Voice actor Dan Castellaneta, who also voices Homer, took home an Emmy for his part in “The Simpsons.”
His second “obvious” clue was that the episode was going to be called “A Clown in the Dumps.” This revelation was met with gasps from the audience who put two and two together and figured that Krusty the Clown was now the front runner for the Simpsons “big” death.
The producers also mentioned that “It turned out bigger than we thought it was going to be” but also “It's not going to be this blood bath where they all get murdered.”
Some of you out there might remember that “Family Guy” pulled a similar stunt with their Christmas special when they killed off Brian the Dog, only to bring him back a few episodes later, at the pressure of the public who seemed very affected by the loss.
As for Krusty, it's still not yet clear if he's the one who's going to be killed in the animated series and if his death is going to be permanent. There have been some rumors that Krusty could be returning to the series in flashbacks, as well as a ghost. Al Jean made this announcement, presumably in an effort to soothe the people in the audience and make the news of Krusty's passing easier for everyone.
Apart from the major killing, the producers of “The Simpsons” are also planning a crossover episode with “Futurama” that is slated to air on November 9 and that is going to be called “Simpsorama.” In the special, Bender has to travel back to the past to kill Bart because he does something that turns out to have awful consequences for the future.
Season 26 of “the Simpsons” is going to premiere on Sunday, September 28.