"The Simpsons" Killed Off a Longtime Character in its Premiere

"The Simpsons" killed off a regular character in its premiere and had a very weird couch gag.

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The Simpsons premiered for a 26th season tonight on Fox, and while the show was starting yet another cycle, it was the end of the road for Rabbi Hyman Krustofski. 

Yes, that was the "major" character death that the show's producers had been teasing for months. The episode hinted at the possibility of a Homer death (that wasn't happening) and a Krusty death (slightly more believable, but still was never going to happen).

In the end it was Krusty's dad, who'd been voiced by old-school comedian Jackie Mason in occasional episodes since 1992. 

He was definitely a notable character, and funny – Mason even won an Emmy for the role in the episode titled "Like Father Like Clown" – but "major" feels like a stretch. Anyway, he's dead (Mason, 83, remains very much alive). 

The other big news of the premiere: the most insane couch gag ever. It was made by experimental, indie animator Don Hertzfeldt, who has a cult following for his stick figure animations like this. It's not online yet, but you're going to want to check it out when it hits YouTube. 

Here's how the AV Club described it in their review of the premiere: 


Homer whacks the TV remote, he’s sent to “Septembar 36.4, 10,535,” where the Simpsons (or “Sampsans”) have mutated into gelatinous grotesqueries which seemingly retain only their broadest characteristics (and the ability to feel pain).

Yeah, that's about right, although they left out "weird a.f."

 

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