For over three decades, Marge, Homer, Bart, Lisa, Maggie, and the rest of Springfield have showcased simple and satirical life on the Fox network. While it can be argued that the quality of the show isn’t what it used to be when it arrived in 1989, there’s no denying that The Simpsons has crafted an important legacy within the landscape of television and pop culture. With a plethora of unique characters throughout its television span, this list will name five of them who deserve their own spin-off. The new characters in the 2007 feature-length movie will also be considered; however, Marge, Homer, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie will be exempt from the list to give more characters the spotlight.
Sideshow Bob
Is it great to see a crazed clown try to kill a 10-year-old over and over again? Robert Underdunk Terwilliger Jr. has always been one of the favorites in the Simpsons canon and a spin-off with him could end up resulting in some zany fun. Though his backstory of being consistently abused by Krusty the Clown is quite tragic, there’s fun in Sideshow Bob’s past before making it his life mission to kill Krusty and Bart Simpson. Having Bob trying to murder these two each week wouldn’t be ideal because that gimmick will grow tiresome quickly, but a satirical take on his upbringing as Krusty’s sidekick could be a goal mine for entertaining television.
Kang and Kodos
Come on, can you imagine following a pair of drooly and slimy aliens who are hell-bent on taking over Springfield? Focusing on Kang and Kodos would be a major departure for the normal Simpsons universe, but the chance to introduce unique characters and fun stories is endless. What’s great about The Simpsons is that it does more than spotlight the antics of Homer, Bart, Marge, Lisa, Maggie, and the residents of Springfield, but it’s often a satire on real-life and pokes fun at pop culture. The show can easily mock the way aliens are presented in the media while still exploring the world that these two minor characters thrive in. In fact, if the writers wanted to, they could actually make it a weekly horror episode of Kang and Kodos trying to invade earth in a cheeky manner. Whichever direction the writers take for the classic Simpsons characters, it would certainly be a fun ride for a good period of time.
Charles Montgomery Plantagenet Schicklgruber “Monty” Burns
Mr. Burns is the devilish boss you always wanted to punch in the face, yet you always end up giving him/her a hug due to a combination of pity and needing to keep your job secure. The money hungry owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant is a fun jaded representation of corporate America and the spin-off exploring this culture could be a great satire for America’s thirst for power and wealth. It’s great that the writers opted to not make Mr. Burns just a one-dimensional villain that they originally intended to do as it allowed his character to become one of the more popular and well-rounded individuals. Can you imagine if the spin-off became an odd combination of Office Space, Wolf of Wall Street, and American Psycho (at least a PG version)? With clever writing and strong characters, a Mr. Burns spin-off could be legendary.
Herman
One of the best things about The Simpsons is their unique minor characters and Herman fits that bill. Though he isn’t as well-known as most characters on this list, the one-armed military shop owner has some funny quotes throughout his time on the series and his backstory is nevertheless an intriguing one. The Simpsons isn’t particularly the type of show that does weekly character-driven narratives, but the writers have done an excellent job of spotlighting minor and important names throughout the series. There are plenty of directions to go with this odd character: Herman is somewhat of a lunatic who has a good heart overall. It’s a shame that the writers opted to drop the gag on the way he lost his arm because him coming up with different stories every week could’ve been really fun. Either way, this mysterious psychopath could have very interesting stories to tell that would help expand the world of The Simpsons.
Don Marion Anthony D’Amico aka Fat Tony
“I don’t get mad, I get stabby.” Oh Fat Tony, how your wise words of wisdom are sorely missed on The Simpsons. Fat Tony is essentially a stereotypical Italian mafia boss but he’s one of the more memorable characters in the Simpsons canon. There’s plenty of unforgettable gags involving the mafia boss and a spin-off of the original character could be a fun and different take in The Simpsons world through the perspective of Fat Tony. Obviously, this isn’t expected to be some deep and character-driven story, but the writers can cash in on the popular mob boss/gangster cliches in a clever and funny manner. Given his criminal enterprises such as illegal gambling, cigarette and fireworks smuggling, bootlegging, and his secrets deals with the former Mayor Quimby, there’s way too much potential that can come from a show that focuses on Fat Tony.
Follow Us
