On Sunday (May 15), “The Simpsons” treaded into new territory. The long running animated series used modern motion-capture technology to take the show live. Homer (voiced by Dan Castellaneta) took calls from viewers during the final three minutes of both the East and West Coast airings, and the chancy gamble paid off. While it was far from perfect, both live segments felt like watching a stand-up comedian that you’ve loved for years take time to ad-lib with the audience.
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“It only took us 27 years to do what they could do in 1954,” Lisa Simpson (Yeardley Smith) says.
Sitting at a desk with a banner behind him that read, “Fox Studios Secret Bunker,” Homer announced, “To prove to you that we’re live, Drake was terrible,” in reference to Saturday’s (May 14) episode of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.”
Castellaneta is a stand-up veteran, and Homer was able to answer fan’s questions with ease, undeterred by a few sound glitches that happened here and there. Viewers called in to ask if he likes Lenny or Carl better: “Lenny. Because he’s the black guy, wait … Let me get back to you when I figure out who’s who.” When asked advice on how to make it look like you’re busy at work even when you’re actually napping, Homer hands out sage wisdom: “Always wear glasses with eyes glued on them.”
The entire gimmick was a sure fire way to both bring in viewers who maybe haven’t watched the show in years, and breathe fresh new life into a series for audiences who haven’t missed an episode in nearly three decades. For whoever was watching, it was fascinating to see an animated character we’ve known for so long perform live. The humanly mistakes of talking over a caller’s question, the awkwardness of dead air, or an off-the-cuff joke the didn’t land — all of these snafus actually made Homer seem both endearing and frighteningly real.
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Three hours later, the West Coast was treated to the same episode, but those final minutes were again performed completely live, with a totally new set of fan questions coming in for Homer to answer. Ever wanted to know what Homer’s best cure for a hangover is? “Sleep on the lawn until Marge stops being angry,” is the answer.
While it’s easy to skewer the live segments for having numerous audio bugs, its imperfect moments were what made it so great. Homer’s delivery had jokes reminiscent of the late night opening monologues delivered by the likes of Jimmy Fallon or Jimmy Kimmel. With this live format, and Castellaneta’s quick wit, Homer Simpson could easily be the first animated late-night talk show host.
“The Tonight Show Starring Homer Simpson?” Hey, weirder things have happened.
“The Simpsons” airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.
