A Fan-Favorite Guest Star Is Finally Returning To 'The Simpsons'

By Andrew Sanford | TV | August 9, 2024 |

By Andrew Sanford | TV | August 9, 2024 |

The Simpsons has been on the air for almost 35 years. It has seen its ups, its downs, its ups again. Different writers and showrunners have come and gone. The animation has changed so many times that there are times when it feels like a completely different show (for better and for worse). It has evolved and grown. Most shows that stick around for this long do. There have been some constants, though.

The cast has mostly stayed the same, save for those who have tragically left us over the years. It helps that the characters we follow haven’t changed much either. The show has often joked about how the characters, particularly Bart, Lisa, and Maggie, never age. Springfield should be the size of several states at this point, given all the locations it adds, but we still see a lot of the same, familiar locations. Yes, a lot about The Simpsons has remained unchanged over the years, like the fact that they feature a f*** ton of guest stars.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, The Simpsons set the record for more featured guest stars than any other television show in history. 810 people guest starred on the show up to that point, April 22, 2020. Who knows what it’s at now? It’s been 17 years since then. The show has had so many guest stars, often playing themselves, that it’s less likely a celebrity would not play themselves on the show (that’s an assumption on my part, but it feels right).

When a celebrity doesn’t play themselves, it seems more likely that they are to return as well. Kelsey Grammar has terrorized Bart as Sideshow Bob off and on for most of the show’s run. Glenn Close returned to the show several times as Homer’s mother, Mona. Phil Hartman, one of the greatest comedic actors ever to grace this Earth with their presence, recurred as Lionel Hutz, Troy McClure, and a host of other towns folk until his tragic murder. The show has featured giants! But one giant, who did not play themselves, and has only (really) returned once, is Danny DeVito.

DeVito played Herb Powell, Homer’s long-lost and much more successful half-brother. Through some classic Simpsons shenanigans (Homer stupid), Herb loses his car company and vast wealth. He returned a year later, using Maggie to help him develop a bay translator and regain his riches. In 2013, Herb was heard, briefly, as an answering machine, quickly explaining that he is again broke. Aside from that, we’ve seen little of Herb over the years, despite his meaningful episodes. That is about to change.

Simpsons writer and producer Michael Price recently appeared on the Four Finger Discount podcast. He was promoting the show for Sand Diego Comic-Con. During the interview, price revealed that Danny DeVito would be returning to the show in an episode called Bart’s Birthday. He did not say who DeVito would be playing, only that it would be “a character that he has previously played on the show.” Danny DeVito has played no other character aside from Herb Powell.

Calling this exciting would be an understatement. The Herb Powell episodes are some of the best in the series. There was a time when I’d maybe want the character to remain untouched, but I believe the show has put out some of its best work in recent years. It has found a funny and emotional stride that often evokes some of the earlier seasons. If the show is going to give us a touching (or not so touching) reunion with Homer’s brother once again, now’s the time.