'The Simpsons' gives fan-favorite character his voice back after almost a decade
'The Simpsons' has welcomed back one of its OGs. In its most recent episode titled 'Treehouse of Horror Presents: The Revengening,' the long-running show brought back a fan favorite after his controversial departure in 2017. The episode deals with a man in a 'Daft Monk' Halloween costume who is accidentally killed again and again by Springfield residents. A year later, he returns for revenge. The man summons everyone to Springfield City Hall and reveals himself to be Apu, now voiced by Indian-American actor Sunil Malhotra. “I am the man you left for dead. I am the one you pretended never existed!” he said.
Apu shares that after being repeatedly killed, he found himself at 'The Island of Forgotten Garbage.' Dr. Nick helps him recover, but the ordeal doesn't end here. “It would have been so easy to bring me back. I immediately ran home to my family, but they were gone. Then I went to the Kwik-E-Mart, and was shocked to find it abandoned. As I wandered aimlessly through town, no one even noticed me. It was as if I was invisible. That was when I vowed to take my revenge on Springfield,” he explained.
Apu now wants revenge on everyone who forgot him. As he is about to light City Hall on fire, Marge Simpson chimes in. “Apu, we’re so sorry we left you for dead. Believe me, we wanted to do the right thing.” Bart then adds, “But we were so scared, and just didn’t know what to do.” “If it’s any consolation, we had so many internal conversations about it,” Lenny then says to Apu and the fans.
Homer then offers himself as a sacrifice. “I’m just doing what the old Apu would have done. The guy who loved this town and everyone in it. You were on our bowling teams, our barbershop quartets, our dad rock cover bands. We took you for granted. I took you for granted,” he says, reiterating Apu's importance to the show. Before Apu can decide what to do, he wakes up. Turns out it was all a dream. His beloved Kwik-E-Mart is still thriving, and he is still with Manjula. Later, Homer invites him to a Halloween party. Just as he is preparing to go, he finds a 'Daft Monk' costume, which raises the question of whether all of it was indeed a dream.
Apu was last heard in the October 2017 episode 'The Serfsons.' Hank Azaria voiced him from his debut to his 2017 departure. In 2020, Azaria announced he had resigned over issues highlighted in Hari Kondabolu's documentary 'The Problem with Apu.' Apu and 'The Simpsons' writers were criticized for promoting South Asian stereotypes. Since then, Apu has mostly been seen in the show, but never heard.
All this changed in the October 18 episode. “We love this character, and wanted to bring him back in a smart, ‘Simpsons’-y way that allowed him to evolve,” executive producer Matt Selman said to Variety. “We’re excited by what Sunil has already brought to the role, and look forward to seeing more of Apu in the future.” The return was kept top secret, with NDAs for many involved. Malhotra shared he agreed to step into the role after he was sure the character would be culturally appropriate. “My callback was the first of many times that no one at ‘The Simpsons’ let me down,” he told the publication. “I told casting that I’d only consider an offer if I could meet showrunner Matt Selman and co-executive producer Cesar Mazariegos, both of whom gladly did so. It was the beginning of a deeply collaborative experience that I hope is equally satisfying for longtime fans of ‘The Simpsons’ and for other South Asian kids who, like me, stopped watching at some point along the way.” To find out how Apu's story unfolds, tune in to 'The Simpsons' every Sunday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.
