Why 'The Simpsons' Stopped Using Apu (& How They Brought Him Back)
The Simpsons (1989) has always benefited from a deep bench of supporting characters to flesh out Springfield. Their specific characteristics make for a flexible and memorable cast of characters beyond the central five members of the family. One of the elements of the show’s long-running nature is how the series has shifted in its supporting focus, with different characters taking prominence at different points in the run of the show.
One of the initial breakout supporting characters was Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, the Kwik-E-Mart owner and friend to the family. However, due to the nature of the character, Apu was phased out of the show and hadn’t had a speaking role for almost a decade before his surprise return in Season 38. Here’s how The Simpsons brought back Apu and how it addressed the issue some fans had with him.
Apu Was One of 'The Simpsons' Most Important Supporting Characters
Apu (played by Hank Azaria) was introduced in The Simpsons Season 1 as a background character but steadily became one of the show’s most consistent supporting fixtures. His interactions with the Simpsons family quickly established him as one of the friendlier citizens of Springfield, albeit while also being one of the cheapest.
Apu was consistently depicted as one of Homer’s closer friends and played supporting roles in plenty of Golden Age episodes. He even got his own spotlight episodes across this period, which largely dealt with Indian heritage and his relationship with Manjula. In fact, the informal multiple-episode arc exploring his efforts to become a citizen, getting a family, and almost losing them after he has an affair is one of the more quietly effective slow-burn stories in The Simpsons. As the show entered its teens and twenties, Apu shifted more into the background, with occasional supporting storylines and a lot more humor directed at his ethnicity, while remaining a fixture character.
Why Apu Hasn't Been on 'The Simpsons' for Almost a Decade
Although Apu would still occasionally pop up in the background of The Simpsons, the character’s last voiced appearance by Azaria was in Season 29’s “The Serfsons.” The pull back of Apu seems to have been spurred on, in part, by the reaction to Hari Kondabolu’s documentary The Problem With Apu (2017). A comedian of South Asian descent, Hari’s documentary saw him reckon with the racial elements of Apu, especially given the character’s status as one of the few Indian characters in mainstream Western media of the era.
While Apu has plenty of fans and the show has actually explored his ethnicity with some tact in episodes like Season 7’s “Much Apu About Nothing,” the broader elements of the characterization (and the impact it had on real life, where it inspired harassment and stereotypes of South Asian people) came under scrutiny. The show referenced the controversy in Season 29’s “No Good Read Goes Unpunished,” while Hank Azaria openly walked away from the character in 2018. Apu (as well as his overall corner of the show’s universe) has been retired ever since. Well, at least until “The Revengening.”
Season 38 Found the Perfect Way to Bring Back Apu
A Treehouse of Horror special episode, “The Revengening,” is a particularly brutal episode of The Simpsons that takes inspiration from I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and runs with it hard. The episode depicts the various citizens of Springfield as all accidentally having killed someone, only for the group to hide the body. As a year passes and various citizens are dispatched in brutal ways, the killer is revealed as Apu. Furious at being ignored and forgotten by the town that almost killed him repeatedly, Apu took his revenge in blood.
The episode ends with the reveal that it was a dream, with a follow-up scene having Homer happily reconnect with his friend and invite him to his Halloween party. Apu is now voiced by Indian-American voice actor Sunil Malhotra, which addresses some of the concerns that came with having the Caucasian Hank Azaria play the character. The setup seems to allow Apu (as well as his family) to return to the show now that they can be more authentic representations of the characters. It’s the best way to approach the complicated legacy of the character and find a solid way for The Simpsons to address concerns with the character while also keeping him in the show.
