This will be the only episode out of a total of 768, on which Matt Groening will not be credited. If you haven’t missed a single season of Simpson and that you know everything about Homer, Bart, Marge, Lisa and their dog Petit Papa Noël… There is, however, a good chance that you will ignore this anecdote from the series. It took place in 1995 when season six was then broadcast on the Fox channel in the United States, and which she knew a huge success. An event occurred at this time and it greatly displeased the creator of the Simpson…We’ll explain.
The famous episode 18, “A Star Is Burns”
What happened to make Matt Groening refuse to have his name appear in episode 18 of season 6? For those who have an excellent memory, or who have watched the series on repeat, you may remember the pitch of this one. Called “A Star Is Burns”, it takes place in the small town of Springfield, where a film festival is organized. Some Jay Sherman decides to be part of the jury. But, this character, who intervenes in the episode of Simpsonalready exists in another animated series…
And that’s the problem… Jay Sherman is the protagonist of The Critic, a television program, created by Al Jean, Mike Reiss (a former Simpsons writer) and James L. Brooks (who still serves as executive producer of the Simpson has the time). As The Critic is in bad shape and unable to attract viewers, James L. Brooks had the idea of making a crossover episode with the aim of gaining visibility thanks to the resounding success of Simpson. This is therefore the reason why Jay Sherman’s character intervenes in episode 18. For Matt Groening, it is the straw that broke the camel’s back. It refuses to be used as a simple springboard for a series that does not work, and what’s more, created by a former scriptwriter for Simpson.
