In a new interview, co-executive producer Tim Long addresses the death of Larry 'The Barfly' Dalrymple and how fans' reactions show how beloved the series is.
- Apr 26, 2024
AceShowbiz - "The Simpsons" shocked fans when a longtime character was killed off in a new episode, titled "Cremains of the Day". In a new interview, one of the show's producers talked about fans mourning the death of Larry "The Barfly" Dalrymple.
When speaking to TMZ, co-executive producer Tim Long admitted that The Barfly's death was meant to make an impact on the fans. He pointed out that the show rarely kills someone off permanently.
Long also shared that he's "sorry" to those fans who were upset about the death as well as the sad episode in general. He, however, liked it that fans seemed to take The Barfly's demise as hard as Homer and the gang did which only showed how big they're attached to the long-running comedy series.
" 'Flintstones' fans wouldn't have flinched if the show killed off the reviled character, The Great Gazoo ... so, it's nice to know fans care about all the characters who make Springfield what it is," Long added.
Following the episode, which aired on Sunday, April 21, fans quickly took to social media to mourn the death of The Barfly. "The Simpsons killed off a fan favorite character after nearly 35 years on the show. Last weekend's episode, titled Cremains Of The Day, viewers saw the death of Larry the barfly, a regular at Moe's Tavern, where he eventually dropped dead. Raise your glasses to Larry the Barfly," one wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Someone else, meanwhile, created a compilation video in honor of the background character. "Every speaking appearance of Larry the barfly who was recently killed off on The Simpsons," the fan captioned the clip.
Prior to the episode, Matt Selman, executive producer and showrunner for "The Simpsons", took to X to hint at an impending death. "Someone will die in this Sunday's all-new episode of @TheSimpsons! Who will breathe their last?" he wrote on the app.
Larry is the latest memorable character who has been killed off over the course of the show's 35 seasons. Others include Bleeding Gums Murphy, Maude Flanders, Edna Krabappel and the original Snowball.
