Simpsons producers: “We certainly didn’t kill the character off lightly”

The Simpsons team has responded to viewer reactions following the death of a Springfield character.

Co-executive producer Tim Long has shared his thoughts after social media reacted to the death of Larry, a long-running barfly at Moe’s Tavern.

“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,” Long wrote. “To paraphrase Shakespeare, nothing became Larry’s life like the way he left it: drunk, lonely, and with a butt full of sapphires.”

Larry was a low key character in the abundance of Springfield residents, recognisable, yet without much unique contribution or catchphrases.

“To me, it’s sort of fitting that some fans are taking Larry’s demise as hard as Homer and his friends do,” Long said. “It’s just a measure of how much the show still means to people. I mean, nobody would have been upset if the Flintstones had killed off the Great Gazoo. If anything, they would have been thrilled,” he continued.

“The episode is about a lot of things, but mostly it’s about the fear of death. Simpsons characters have always had unusually rich emotional lives, and this episode is really about their anxiety over ‘what comes next’ (and I don’t mean ‘Krapopolis’),” he added. “What I think is bittersweet about this episode is that it took Larry’s death to make Homer and his friends appreciate him — and each other.

“Again, we’re sorry if anyone is upset about Larry’s demise — we certainly didn’t kill the character off lightly. But I also have to point out that Larry was never really one of the show’s breakout stars. I don’t remember any kids wearing a ‘Larry’ t-shirt, or doing a ‘Larry the drunk lonely barfly’ dance. It would have been cool if they had.”

Source: Variety