The Simpsons introduced a new member to Burns’ family with a special episode that aired 29 years ago today, and the animated series recruited a major guest star for the occasion. The Simpsons has been running for such a long time that you would think there would be all sorts of new family members for each of the ancillary characters just for the sake of new stories. But surprisingly, not only has this been rarely done over the years, when it happens there’s usually a major guest star from the world of pop culture that the series gets to bring them to life.
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29 years ago today, on November 17, 1996, The Simpsons aired the Season 8 episode, “Burns Baby Burns” which had officially revealed that Burns actually had an illegitimate son. The episode introduced fans to his now adult son, Larry Burns, voiced by the icon Rodney Dangerfield. It was an episode that wasn’t that well received with its initial debut during a season of multiple bangers (like “You Only Move Twice”), but it’s an episode that aged especially well thanks to Dangerfield’s incredible guest performance.
The Simpsons Gave Burns a Son 29 Years Ago Today
“Burns Baby Burns” begins with the very memorable trip to the cider mill. It’s where iconic jokes like Marge’s “foilage” or Homer’s brain leaving his body are, but fans likely won’t remember where the rest of the episode leads. The big reveal comes soon after as Burns finds out that he has a son, who is first introduced selling knick knacks on the side of the road (and is ultimately brought to Springfield by the Simpsons). Burns explains it was the result of a fling a long time ago, and the two quickly try to form a bond.
Although Burns wants his son, Larry, to be a person just like him, Larry doesn’t fit into any of the high society activities that Burns hopes to introduce him to. It’s not long before Homer and Larry end up bonding with one another, and the two stage a fake kidnapping to try and get Burns to admit he actually loves his son. It goes just about as well as you would expect, and it’s not long before there’s an entire standoff on the roof of the movie theater. But it all ends well for everyone.
What Happened to Larry?
The Simpsons has a long history of bringing in characters for a single appearance over the course of its run, and that was true even in the midst of its eighth season. The animated series made a big show of bringing in surprise guest stars for extended family members (like Homer’s half-brother Herbert voiced by Danny DeVito), and that was the same case here. Dangerfield was an almost perfect fit for the franchise as Larry mirrored a lot of the famous comedian’s real world humor and jokes.
But as for Larry’s time in the series, it was limited to just this single episode. The end gag revealed that Larry had a wife and kids at home, and he had been neglecting them this whole time to spend more time with his father. It all ends with just a random party, and that’s just the perfect button on the joke. It was a way for the series to confirm we’d never seen him again, but 29 years later Larry Burns is still a very memorable character.
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