The Simpsons crossed dark line 30 years ago that changed series forever

For well over three decades, The Simpsons has been a staple on television around the world.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock with your fingers in your ears, you’ll be well aware of the iconic animated show, which has transcended pop culture and delighted fans with the antics of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie and the rest of Springfield.

The classic episodes still have people howling, but 30 years ago there was a dramatic and dark shift which altered the series forever.

For the first few years, the show wasn’t exactly known for its long character arcs or serious plot development.

That all changed in on April 30, 1995, when Bleeding Gums Murphy was killed off with an unknown illness in season six episode Round Springfield.

Until then, the show hadn’t dared bump off a character like that, particularly not one who’d be so involved in a recurring role over the years.

It was a shock for viewers – until then, there’d been no reason to assume that a character could die on a programme where they basically don’t ever age.

The fallout of the devastating moment showed there was more The Simpsons could do as they tackled a serious issue sensitively, rather than as a silly throwaway joke.

It also meant other characters could – and would – follow, with the likes of Frank Grimes, Maude Flanders, Mona Simpson and Larry the Barfly all dying on the show.

The latter was killed off last year, and even prompted an apology from co-executive producer Tim Long.

Fans still bring up Bleeding Gums Murphy’s last episode, with a few people mentioning it on a Reddit post about the ‘saddest death in the series’.

Another user, @Manyarethestrange, wrote on a different post: ‘This is the episode I always think about when I remember the old days when the Simpsons made you shed a tear more often than not.

And @johnsack69 replied: ‘Yeah the writing wasn’t just the funniest it was the smartest and most heartfelt.’

The death of Murphy also had a profound impact on Lisa, as the show saw her trying to deal with the loss of her mentor saxophonist and friend.

‘I really love this episode, it makes me so sad as Lisa tries to navigate through grief,’ wrote @Radnucmedtech.

In a different thread asking why they killed him off, fan @HouseProudTownMouse pointed out: ‘It made for a great story about the growth of Lisa’s character.’

Others have pointed out how the death also brought Bart and Lisa together and gave them more depth as a sibling duo, as he secretly bought her a copy of Bleeding Gums Murphy’s one and only album, Sax o the Beach.

‘This has my favorite moment between Bart and Lisa as siblings,’ wrote another Reddit user. ‘I found it so touching that Bart chose to buy the record for Lisa bc she believed him earlier.

‘Like yeah, he’s a pain in the ass and wants to annoy Lisa but when she’s genuinely hurt, he just wanted to protect his little sister. It just makes me happy.’

The Simpsons is available to stream on Disney+.

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