“The Simpsons” co-executive producer Tim Long apologized to fans last week for a death on the show. In the episode “Cremains of the Day”, which aired on the 21st, fans were surprised by the loss of Larry Dalrymple, a frequent customer at Moe’s Bar (who is in the featured image of this post).
In an email sent to Variety, Long explained why the animation decided to kill off Larry. “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,” he wrote.
“The episode is about many things, but mainly about the fear of death. The Simpsons characters have always had extraordinarily rich emotional lives, and this episode is really about their anxiety about ‘what’s next,” he said elsewhere. “What I find bittersweet about this episode is that it took Larry’s death for Homer and his friends to appreciate him – and each other.”
In his statement, the producer once again lamented the fans’ sadness, but assured that the character’s fate was not in vain. Furthermore, he stated that audience reaction “is just a measure of how much the show still means to people”, and that Larry was not a favorite with viewers. “I don’t remember any kid wearing a ‘Larry’ t-shirt,” he added. “It would have been cool if they had done that.”
Who was Larry who died in “The Simpsons”?
Despite not being one of the main characters of The Simpsons – he rarely had lines –, Larry appeared for the first time in the program’s pilot, in 1989. His surname, in fact, was only discovered after his death.
In the episode, Moe discovers Larry dead in the bar. So, Homer, Lenny, Carl and Moe are in charge of scattering his ashes. However, after the incident, they realize that they know little about their friend. At his wake, Larry’s mother says that he “always talked about his best friends, the guys at Moe’s Bar”.
Watch a scene from the episode, in English, below:
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