Warning: SPOILERS lie ahead for The Simpsons season 37 premiere, “Thrifty Ways to Thieve Your Mother”!The shocking death in The Simpsons season 37 premiere gets a candid explanation from the show’s executive producers. The long-running animated series made headlines by killing off the beloved Marge Simpson in a non-canon episode in season 36. The decision was divisive, with some describing the episode as emotional, while others felt the future storylines were no longer interesting.
The Simpsons’ season 37 premiere features a line in which Mr. Dewey Largo, Lisa’s music teacher, is seemingly confirmed to have died. The episode leaves enough room for doubt, mentioning that it’s possible that Largo might have just been summoned for jury duty instead.
In an interview with TVLine, co-executive producers Cesar Mazariegos and Jessica Conrad clarified that the long-running character is not actually dead. The duo responded with a straightforward “no” when asked for a definitive answer. Conrad, who wrote the premiere episode, dismisses the idea that he’d be killed off-camera. Read their quotes below:
Conrad: For something like this, I would welcome the riling up if you actually believe that would kill him off off-camera.
Mazariegos: When we killed off Larry the Barfly last year, that was a big discussion. ‘How do we do it? Should it be that guy, or should it be trucker hat guy?’ Anything that’s that big, where there’s a whole episode about it, we for sure think about it. But we usually don’t want to get rid of our characters. And it’s such a cartoony world. We know even if Moleman is in a car that explodes, it doesn’t mean he’s dead forever.
What Mr. Dewey Largo Means For The Simpsons
Largo smiling in an episode of The Simpsons
Lisa becomes something of a style icon in The Simpsons season 37 premiere. This leads her to get an invitation to a secret fashion club, located where the music room used to be. This is when Lisa is told by another student that Mr. Largo has died, or he’s simply been called for jury duty. The throwaway line is left without clarification.
Making his debut in the very first episode of The Simpsons, voiced by veteran cast member Harry Shearer, Largo has been a mainstay throughout The Simpsons. He most recently appeared in season 36. Although not a major figure, he is known for his frustration with students and even showed up as part of music class in the comedy’s extended opening sequence.
Despite his relatively minor presence, viewers do know a bit about Largo’s personal life. That includes the fact that he was seemingly in a relationship with Smithers, a much more major supporting character, and the executive producers are correct in mentioning that they could likely get a whole episode out of Largo’s demise if they decided to go in that direction.
Our Take On The Simpsons Killing Off Mr. Largo
Lisa sorting through a cabinet of files and boxes in The Simpsons Lisa Detective
The throwaway line is just a bit of a gag to get across how little the students think of their teachers, and perhaps this teacher, Mr. Largo, in particular. But in a premiere episode that was mostly about Lisa experiencing a change in her social status once again, the brief mention actually does elevate the status of a Springfield resident who has mostly operated in the background of The Simpsons.
The Simpsons season 37 airs Sundays at 8 p.m. EST on Fox.
Release Date
December 17, 1989
Network
FOX
Showrunner
Al Jean
Homer Simpson / Abe Simpson / Barney Gumble / Krusty (voice)
Marge Simpson / Patty Bouvier / Selma Bouvier (voice)