The Simpsons Brings Back One Of Its Oldest & Most Problematic Gags In Season 36

"The Simpsons" is entering its 36th season this year, and if you're expecting any major changes to the longest running sitcom in television history, you probably aren't a fan of "The Simpsons" because nothing ever changes in Springfield. Aside from killing off a handful of characters (most notably Maude Flanders and Edna Krabappel) and retiring the Kwik-E-Mart proprietor Apu Nahasapeemapetilon (in response to criticism that he'd long been voiced by white actor Hank Azaria), the constantly quarreling middle-class brood and their motley crew of neighbors, coworkers, and classmates are virtually unchanged in appearance and temperament 30-plus years later.

Given how much our world has changed over this time frame, you might expect this to be kind of problematic. Well, it kind of is. When "The Simpsons" dropped Apu, they lost one of their few recurring characters of color, and the series has remained steadfast in its devotion to not creating new regular denizens of Springfield to break up the monotony and/or score a quick ratings spike. After all, one of the show's greatest episodes lampooned this desperate act via the ill-fated introduction of Poochie into the hyper-violent ecosystem of "The Itchy & Scratchy Show." Even if the series' producers and writers wanted to go this route, that classic half-hour of television forever torched that bridge before they could ever cross it.

So, Springfield isn't any more diverse than it ever was (which, to be fair, is more diverse than the vast majority of other classic sitcoms), but what about the attitudes of its characters? Do those need readjusting? It seemed to some like the "Simpsons" writers were on the cusp of making one very big tweak to Homer's parenting skills last season, but the "Simpsons" crew wants viewers to know that, as of 2024, one aspect of the show will never change.

In a chat with TMZ (why give this to TMZ, guys?), the series' current showrunner, Matt Selman, was asked about a moment from an episode last November in which Homer shook the hand of an obedient Bart. "See, Marge, strangling the boy paid off," he said. "Just kidding, I don't do that anymore. Times have changed."

Was this true? Had we seen the last of Homer choking his delinquent son?

According to Selman, hell no.

As viewers witnessed on last Sunday's premiere, "The Simpsons" will proudly continue to wring child abuse for laughs. So, what was the deal with that scene from last season? "It was just a joke," said Selman. "And people took it in the wrong direction." Selman went on to add that the cartoon violence is "in the DNA of the series."

It's such a well-established bit of business on the series that I can't imagine anyone suddenly getting offended over its existence at this late date. And now I'm kidding. Of course, someone could decide Homer shouldn't choke off Bart's air supply anymore on a series that outraged conservative parents for its irreverent attitude toward parenthood and American life in general when it debuted during the George H.W. Bush administration. As Earth, Wind & Fire once sang, that's the way ... of the world.