The Simpsons: 10 Classic Characters You’ll Never See Again
It's not just Apu who has been removed from Springfield.
Matt Groening's culture-changing, all-time great animated sitcom was built on the strength of its cast of characters. With a versatile core voiceover team and plenty of guest stars, what made The Simpsons so brilliant was the town of Springfield and everyone that passed through it.
More than just focused on the lives of Homer, Marge and the kids, The Simpsons crafted a believable, mostly yellow town of people from all walks of life.
During the show's golden era, Springfield was bursting at the seams with loveable characters, and choosing your favourite was always a tough one. However, not everybody that has come through the town has stuck around. Whilst there's plenty of jokes to be made about how nobody in Springfield ages, it's not like everything stays the same forever.
It would be cheap to fill a list like this with one-off guest characters who had very minimal impact on the show and its audience, so rest assured that the following characters are all reoccurring residents and major players from the show's 30+-year run.
It just so happens that they all share one thing in common: they're almost certainly gone for good.
10. Herb Powell
Having a famous brother can come with its drawbacks. In the case of Homer Simpson, the drawback is that you almost never see him.
In Brother, Where Are Thou, Homer learns that he has a half-brother. Upon connecting with Herb, the two get along great, despite their differences. Compared to Homer’s lazy nature, Herb has worked all his life for success and is an affluent individual because of it. By the episode’s close, his fortune is squandered by placing his trust in Homer's class and sensibilities.
Herb was so popular with fans and with the producers that he was brought back for an episode one year later. In 1992, Powell returned for Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes to overcome his strained relationship with Homer and regain his riches.
Because Uncy Herb is voiced by Danny DeVito, a world famous actor who can pretty much do what he wants this late into his career, it makes his future on the show questionable.
Despite burying the hatchet, Herb is never seen from and barely mentioned after 1992. As part of a gag in 2011’s Changing of the Guardian, it’s briefly mentioned that Herb is poor again.
He’s more likely toiling away on another get rich scheme and too busy to visit the humble town of Springfield.