The Simpsons Season 38: Apu's Return And Future Explained
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon debuted on "The Simpsons" during its inaugural season. The operator of the local Kwik-E-Mart was there from the show's get-go and subsequently grew in prominence as the years went by. Eventually, Apu grew so notable that he even anchored several of the best "Simpsons" episodes ever as well as the most rewatchable episodes of "The Simpsons." However, there was always a problem ingrained into his character. Between his occupation, caricatured jokes at the expense of his culture, and white actor Hank Azaria voicing him, Apu was clearly a very familiar and tired South Asian caricature.
In the late 2010s, long-simmering controversy over the character's presence reached new levels of notoriety. By June 2020, Apu had gone MIA from the program as "The Simpsons" shifted away from having white characters voice characters of color. Meanwhile, Azaria offered sincere and heartfelt apologies for having voiced Apu for so long. With that, the saga of Apu on "The Simpsons" seemed to close, and the character firmly retired, save for occasional silent appearances in 2020s episodes like "Night of the Living Wage." Then, a funny thing happened. The Season 38 outing "The Revengening" featured the unexpected return of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon ... and with a new voice actor to boot.
What's going on here? How did Apu come back? And are there long-term future plans for this former "Simpsons" fixture? It's time to break this all down and explore the most unexpected "Simpsons" comeback of the year.
How did Apu come back?
"The Revengening" is a largely non-canon Halloween riff on "I Know What You Did Last Summer." Naturally, it's as violent as the best "Simpsons" "Treehouse of Horror" episodes. Such violence emerges here through Homer, Marge, and countless other Springfieldianites discovering that a person dressed as Daft Monk (Daft Punk but in a monk outfit) that they all had a hand in murdering one Halloween ago has come back for revenge.
Eventually, that costumed individual is revealed to be Apu, now voiced by Sunil Malhotra. While he was seemingly destined for death (after his body had been dumped into the ocean), he eventually washed ashore an island full of things Springfield gave up on, including various trinkets from early "Simpsons" episodes (like Homer's car "The Homer") and controversial characters Dr. Nick Rivera and Leon Kompowsky.
After returning home, Apu discovers nobody remembered or even missed him. Thus, he sought bloody revenge on Springfield's denizens. Eventually, as this scenario escalates in gruesomeness, it's all revealed to be a dream Apu had while snoozing at the Kwik-E-Mart checkout counter. "The Revengening" concludes with Homer inviting Apu over to his place for a BYOB Halloween party and remarking how much everyone values his presence. With that (and one final cheeky tease of the Daft Monk costume hiding under Apu's counter), the episode ends. This tender wrap-up suggest how much fondness "The Simpsons" has for Apu, and also, that he's come back for good.
Where does Apu go from here?
In the past, it was made clear that "The Simpsons" would "definitely" address the controversies around Apu. It took nearly a decade, but that's finally happened with his recasting in "The Revengening." However, the question now becomes if this new performer behind Apu will be a permanent change. In a Variety piece talking about this (as well as the casting of Janina Gavankar as Manjula, Apu's significant other), showrunner Matt Selman confirmed that this would be the start of a new era of Apu rather than a one-off appearance.
"We love this character, and wanted to bring him back in a smart, 'Simpsons'-y way that allowed him to evolve," Selman explained to Variety. "We're excited by what Sunil has already brought to the role, and look forward to seeing more of Apu in the future." Given all the pre-release secrecy over Apu showing up in "The Revengening," there's no word on what specific upcoming "Simpsons" episodes will feature Apu and Manjula. However, this high-concept episode did deliver a creative and meta way of reintegrating Apu back into the world of Springfield.
Such tact was necessary for a divisive character that's simultaneously been received as one of the 50 best "Simpsons" characters of all time and as a racist caricature emblematic of the limited roles available for South Asian individuals in American culture. One thing is for sure: Sunil Malhotra already sounds perfect in the role.