Homer Simpson Dropped A Hint You Likely Missed In His Arrested Development Cameo

For TV fans, there's something about seeing their favorite performer play a different character on another series that offers a certain sense of familiarity that plenty of other viewers aren't privy to. What can heighten it to an even more enjoyable level is when the actor plays that exact same character in a different show, where only fans of both series can genuinely admire the crossover. That wasn't entirely the case when Dan Castellaneta, who voices Homer Simpson on "The Simpsons," stepped into the world of "Arrested Development," as the show crossover was as subtle as they come. So much so that there's a chance that even the most focused of fans may have missed it.

At the time of Castellaneta's cameo, he had done so many episodes of "The Simpsons," there were plenty of TV fans watching who only knew him as Homer. In fact, many may be surprised how many guest starring roles he'd already taken on throughout his career. Castellaneta has shown his non-animated face on series like "The Office," "Reno 911," and "Parks and Recreations." However, his "Arrested Development" role was one to single out, as it allowed the Chicago native to give a quick nod to his most iconic character. And although this episode aired in 2005, there's a chance you missed that one second of dialogue, giving good reason to go back and take a look.

Dan Castellaneta was no stranger to TV before he took on his most well-known role of Homer Simpson on Fox's everlasting series, "The Simpsons." He got fans' attention early on in the late 80s as a regular on "The Tracey Ullman Show," where he first voiced Homer in animated shorts played between sketches. Of course, as we all know, that led to its own series that continues to churn out new episodes after all these years. But Castellaneta didn't settle on his voice gig only, as he has appeared in plenty of series as a guest star throughout "The Simpsons" run. One of them was as Dr. Stein on Season 2, Episode 15 ("Sword of Destiny) of "Arrested Development." The character only showed up this one time in the series when Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman) was hospitalized for appendicitis.

In the episode, Michael Bluth is pulled away from the leadership role of his family business due to a medical emergency, forcing Buster Bluth (Tony Hale) to take on that responsibility. After the surgery, Castellaneta's Dr. Stein explains to Michael that when he cut him open, he found that his appendix was not as inflamed as expected. His reaction to that moment of slight malpractice was a simple "Doh." Of course, this quick shout-out to Homer's every-episode exclamation probably sent some keen-eyed fans into a tizzy. Now, nearly eighteen years later, fans of both shows can happily look back and catch this moment that may have been missed the first time around.