Retired 'Simpsons' Characters, Ranked By How Much You Miss Them

Who He Was:He operated the Springfield Kwik-E Mart. He was Manjula's husband and a former member of the Be Sharps.

Last Seen: Apu's last voice appearance occurred in the Season 29 premiere, “The Serfsons,” which aired in 2017. He has appeared as a background character since then.

Why He (Likely) Was Retired: This is one instance where we know exactly whythe character was discontinued. Apu has always been a stereotypical Southeast Asian character that made many audience members uncomfortable. Comedian Hari Kondabalu’s 2017 documentary showed this.The Problem with Apu that The SimpsonsHank Azaria, who is not Southeast Asian, regretted playing Apu in a 2020 interview. He also confirmed he would not voice Apu again. Creator Matt Groening planned to revive Apu, maybe with a different actor, but it did not happen and probably will not.

Why We Miss Him: Many fans loved Apu. He was a fixture in the Springfield community and the center of some classic episodes.. But as Kondabalu argues in his documentary, the problem was not the voice actor's ethnicity. The whole character, though written with some feeling, remains a stereotype. (Simpsons producers knew this and occasionally made fun of it.) Bringing Apu back would likely mean rewriting the character entirely, making him a new character.. But as Kondabalu argues in his documentary, the problem was not the voice actor's ethnicity. The whole character, though written with some feeling, remains a stereotype. (Simpsons producers knew this and occasionally made fun of it.) Bringing Apu back would likely mean rewriting the character entirely, making him a new character.occasionally lampshaded it.) Bringing Apu back would likely mean completely changing the character. Then, he would be a new character.

Who He Was:He was a washed-up B-list actor with many ridiculous credits. He was also the former husband of Selma Bouvier (yes, like Lionel Hutz). McClure often narrates educational videos, introducing himself with the line, “You may remember me from…”

Last Seen: His last speaking role was in the Season 10 episode “Bart the Mother,” which aired in 1998. Bart accidentally killed a mother bird and promised to hatch her eggs, which turned out to be lizards. McClure hosts a nature video that Bart watches at the library to learn about birds.

Why He (Likely) Was Retired: Troy McClureHe was one of two recurring characters retired after Phil Hartman’s death; the other was Lionel Hutz.

Why We Miss Him: McClure offered a laugh or three. He played an active role in that episode's story or appeared in a cameo, like in “Bart the Mother.” How many other obscure and silly credits does his resume hold that we never heard about?

Who He Was: He was a shady lawyer who often hired the Simpson family. He was also Marge's former brother-in-law.

Last Seen: His last speaking role was in the Season 9 episode “Reality Bites,” which aired in 1997. Marge met him when she got a job at Red Blazer Realty, which he owned.

Why He (Likely) Was Retired: After Phil Hartman’s1998 murder by his third wife Brynn, The Simpsonsofficially retired the character. Dan Castelanetta voiced the hapless salesman Gil Gunderson, who replaced him on the show.

Why We Miss Him: Lionel Hutz brought a good time to the audience each time he appeared, even if he usually lost the Simpson family's cases. Phil Hartman played "smarmy desperation" perfectly. Hutz became the poster-boy for shameless, incompetent "law-talkin'-guys."

Who She Was: She was Apu's wife, a Kwik-E Mart employee sometimes, and mother to octuplets. Her first voice appearance was in the Season 9 episode, "The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons," which aired in 1997.

Last Seen: The character left in 2014. Jan Hooks, her original voice actress, died then. Hooks had not voiced the character since 2002; Tress MacNellie voiced her from then on. Still, she appeared in episodes up to 2024.

Why They (Likely) Were Retired: This one is a bit messy. Manjula Manjula was already semi-officially retired in 2014, but in 2020The Simpsons confirmedthat white performers would stop voicing characters of color. This left Manjula in limbo. She is still alive, but she has not been recast. Like Apu, her future is unclear.

Why We Miss Her: While The Simpsonswriters tried to give Manjula and Apu depth. It is hard to separate Manjula and Apu from their stereotypical origins. Still, Manjula feels like a part of Springfield. Her relationship with Marge was well-developed.

Who He Was: He was a psychiatrist and health guru. He treated the Simpson family in the Season 1 episode "There’s No Disgrace Like Home." Since then, he appeared in scenes needing a doctor, like the Season 1 episode where Homer was mistaken for Bigfoot.

Last Seen: Dr. MonroeDr. Monroe appeared many times until Season 7, when he was thought dead on the show. The "Marvin Monroe Memorial Hospital" took his name. He returned in 2004 for the Season 15 episode "Diatribe of a Mad Housewife" and has appeared in non-speaking roles since.

Why He (Likely) Was Retired: In the Season 7 DVD commentary, Al Jean said the character strained Harry Shearer’s voice too much.

Why We Miss Him: Although it is hard to imagine a scene needing Dr. Monroe in the current Simpsons era (Dr. Hibbert handles most normal medical issues, and Dr. Nick shows up for jokes about quackery), seeing Dr. Monroe host a Dr. Phil-type talk show.

Who He Was: He ran a souvenir shop. He was the illegitimate son of Monty Burns and a temporary employee at the Springfield Power Plant. He was Homer's friend. Rodney Dangerfield voiced him.

Last Seen: Larry’s episode appeared in the Season 8 episode "Burns, Baby, Burns," which aired in 1996. His picture showed up in the 2000 episode "Behind the Laughter."

Why He (Likely) Was Retired: According to The Simpsons wikiThe show's writers wanted to bring the character back, but Dangerfield’s 2004 death stopped that. Still, it is hard to picture a legendary comedian like Dangerfield agreeing to make a one-off guest spot a recurring character.

Why We Miss Him: Lazy but good-natured, he serves as the perfect buddy for Homer. He also brings new angles to Mr. Burns.

Who He Was: He is Apu’s younger brother and an owner and occasional worker at the Springfield Kwik-E Mart.

Last Seen:Like Apu and Manjula, SanjayHe has not officially retired and appeared on the show as recently as 2024. The last episode he played a major role in was Season 27’s “Much Apu about Something,” where he gave his son Jay a stake in the Kwik-E Mart and watched him turn it into a health food store.

Why He (Likely) Was Retired:Like Apu and Manjula, Hari Kondabalu’s 2017 documentary The Problem with Apu stirred up debate about how stereotypical Sanjay's character was.

Why We Miss Him: Considering there are over 4 million Americans of Indian descent, we would like to see the Nahasapeemapetilon family shown in a less problematic way.

Who He Was: He is the mascot for the Capital City and the baseball team named after it. “Capital City” is the capital of the unnamed state Springfield is in. He also served as a state legislator.

Last Seen: The only episode where the Goofball had multiple speaking lines in Season 2’s “Dancin’ Homer,” when Homer’s alter ego got a chance to hype up the crowd at a big league game. Since then, he appeared many times in non-speaking roles, usually whenever The SimpsonsThe Simpsons shows celebrities like Rainier Wolfcastle and The Bumblebee Man. His last on-screen appearance was in the Season 33 episode “Poorhouse Rock,” which aired in 2022.

Why He (Likely) Was Retired: No reason has ever been given. The Goofball likely only had enough substance for a speaking role once.

Why We Miss Him: Come on, who does not like a copy of the Phillie Phanatic with political goals?

Who He Was: He was a bricklayer from Paterson, NJ. He found that pretending to be Michael Jackson made him less angry and more kind. Homer met him in a mental hospital in the Season 3 episode “Stark Raving Dad.” The real Michael Jackson (credited as John Jay Smith) voiced the character in the lines where he pretended to be the pop singer, although impersonator Kipp Lennon voiced the songs. Hank Azaria performed Kompowsky's “normal” voice, revealed at the episode's end.

Last Seen: During “Treehouse of Horror XXXII,” which aired during the show’s 33rd season in 2021.

Why He (Likely) Was Retired: Due to contract issues getting Jackson to do one appearance, bringing the character back as he was probably did not happen. However, in 2016, producer Al Jean confirmed the show planned to bring KompowskyPrince voiced his alter ego in a follow-up episode. Prince initially agreed to voice the role but quit for unknown reasons; he passed away in 2016.

Why We Miss Him: A Prince episode featuring Leon would have been fun. The character itself shows much more depth that could have been explored.

Who She Was: A thief posed as a babysitter, voiced by Penny Marshall. Her main episode was the Season 1 finale, “Some Enchanted Evening.”

Last Seen: Although Miss Botz She appeared in only one episode. She appeared as a background character in others, the last appearance being in the 2014 Family Guycrossover episode “The Simpsons Guy.”

Why She (Likely) Was Retired:A wanted career criminal could not fit into Springfield without being in jail constantly.

Why We Miss Her:Watching Miss Botz’s bad babysitting methods is fun. She is a good villain for Bart, who is equally tricky but less mean.

Who He Was: An 8-year-old Irish immigrant to Springfield. He was a brief love interest for Lisa, an environmentalist, and possibly the son of U2 singer Bono.

Last Seen: Colin’sclaim to fame is being Lisa’s temporary boyfriend in The Simpsons Movie, released in 2007. Despite his main role in the movie, his presence was temporary. He appeared unvoiced twice on the TV series, the last time in the Season 20 episode “Lisa the Drama Queen.”

Why He (Likely) Was Retired: Like many TV series, The Simpsons has brought in various characters. Colin might have fit Lisa better than Nelson Muntz, but he did not stay because he and Lisa are eight.

Why We Miss Him: Maybe Lisa misses him, but does anyone want Lisa to have a boyfriend?

Who She Was: Bart’s teacher at the Enriched Learning Center for Gifted Children. This appears in the second episode of Season 1, “Bart the Genius.”

Last Seen: That episode is her most prominent appearance.Ms. Mellon She appears in several more as a background character. The last appearance was in “All Singing, All Dancing” in 1998.

Why They (Likely) Were Retired: Bart only got into the school after cheating by swapping Martin’s IQ test for his own. He clearly did not belong and did not stay past one episode.

Why We Miss Her:Seeing Bart’s ongoing mischief at the gifted school would be fun. Even though she sounds like Bart's regular teacher, Mrs. Krabappel, other characters like Martin or Lisa could get into the school on their own merits.