The Simpsons crossed dark line 30 years ago that changed series forever
Everything was different from this point onwards.
For well over three decades, The Simpsons has been a staple on television around the world.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock with your fingers in your ears, you’ll be well aware of the iconic animated show, which has transcended pop culture and delighted fans with the antics of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie and the rest of Springfield.
The classic episodes still have people howling, but 30 years ago there was a dramatic and dark shift which altered the series forever.
For the first few years, the show wasn’t exactly known for its long character arcs or serious plot development.
That all changed in on April 30, 1995, when Bleeding Gums Murphy was killed off with an unknown illness in season six episode Round Springfield.
Until then, the show hadn’t dared bump off a character like that, particularly not one who’d be so involved in a recurring role over the years.
Bleeding Gums Murphy in the clouds is an iconic image (Picture: Everett Collection) Lisa’s friendship with him – and his death – changed her (Picture: 20thCentFox/Everett/REX/Shutterstock) His death had a huge impact on the series (Picture: 20thCentFox/Everett/REX/Shutterstock)It was a shock for viewers – until then, there’d been no reason to assume that a character could die on a programme where they basically don’t ever age.
The fallout of the devastating moment showed there was more The Simpsons could do as they tackled a serious issue sensitively, rather than as a silly throwaway joke.
It also meant other characters could – and would – follow, with the likes of Frank Grimes, Maude Flanders, Mona Simpson and Larry the Barfly all dying on the show.
The latter was killed off last year, and even prompted an apology from co-executive producer Tim Long.
