If there’s one thingThe Simpsonsis known for, other than being one of the longest-running animated series in history, it’s the showpredicting events before they happen.Whether it’s Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox or the outcome of multiple different Super Bowls,The Simpsons’s accuracy has led many to wonder if the show’s writers are from the future (considering that co-creatorMatt Groeningalso helped developFuturama, this might not be too off base.) However, there’s one episode that actuallydidpredict the future,and it involved a writer on the show. But not just any writer —Conan O’Brienwould make an appearance that foreshadowed his talk show host career.
The Simpsons
The satiric adventures of a working-class family in the misfit city of Springfield.
A ‘Simpsons’ Season 5 Episode Featured Conan O’Brien as a Talk Host
O’Brien guest starred in the Season 5 episode ofThe Simpsons, “Bart Gets Famous.” When Bart (Nancy Cartwright) sneaks onto a TV set, he winds up becoming an assistant for his idol Krusty the Clown (Dan Castellaneta). Eventually, Bart gets to be onThe Krusty Show, but ends up knocking over a bunch of props. When confronted about this, he says “I didn’t do it,” which catapults him into fame overnight. This eventually leads to an appearance on a talk showhosted bynone other than Conan O’Brien, who asks him to say his line (which Bart is getting sick of.) In trueSimpsonsfashion, this leads to a hilarious moment where Bart tries to dance along with O’Brien — only for O’Brien to admonish him: “Sit perfectly still. OnlyImay dance.”
Conan O’Brien Was Auditioning for a Talk Show Host Job During ‘The Simpsons’
Though O’Brien’s appearance onThe Simponswas meant to be satirical,he actually was auditioning for the role of a talk show host at the time.David Lettermanhad just left theLate Nightshow on NBC and the network was scrambling to find a host.The Simpsonswriters decided to insert O’Brien into “Bart Gets Famous” as a joke, not knowing if he’d get the job or not. “Even though the Conan O’Brien show did not exist yet, we decided to put (Bart) on the Conan O’Brien show and make Conan a character,” formerSimpsonsshowrunnerDavid Mirkinsaid on the commentary for “Bart Gets Famous.” “But we were writing this before the information came in, so we actually wrote it in secret, not telling Conan that we had put him in the show, just in case. Although we were confident.”
That confidence paid off,as O’Brien would go on to host theLate Showuntil 2009. He’d actually recorded lines for “Bart Gets Famous” after the premiere ofLate Night With Conan O’Brien, but didn’t feel like he would last very long. “The (Late Night) show was on the air when I did the record, and I remember at the time thinking, ‘This is very optimistic ofThe Simpsons'.It was just after Chevy Chase had been canceled, and people thought I would last about eight weeks. I thought there’s a good chance I won’t be on the air when this airs, and it’ll just be this sad, ironic thing,“O’Brien recollected.
We Have These Sketches To Thank for ‘Conan O’Brien Must Go’
Before Conan had to go, he ventured without borders.
Conan O’Brien Has a Long History With ‘The Simpsons’
Prior to hisLate Nightgig,Conan O’Brienwrote a handful of episodes forThe Simpsons. His first credited episode was Season 4’s “New Kid On The Block,” which happened to be another Bart-centric episode. Bart grows a massive crush on his new next door neighbor Laura (Sara Gilbert), only to find out she’s dating one of his bullies, Jimbo Jones (Pamela Hayden). He’d also write the Season 5 episode “Homer Goes To College” andparts of the “Treehouse of Horror IV” specialwhich featured Bart in a parody ofRod Serling’sNight Gallery. These episodes feature O’Brien’s penchant for well-timed humor; Homer shouting “NERD!” at passersby in “Homer Goes To College” or going to court over an all-you-can-eat buffet in “New Kid On The Block” remain greatSimpsonsmoments.
O’Brien’s biggest contribution toThe Simpsonsis the Season 4 episode “Marge VS The Monorail.” “Marge VS The Monorail” is often considered to be one of the episodes that make up the “Golden Age” ofThe Simpsons, due to a number of elements that O’Brien deploys throughout the episode. There’s a strong focus on Marge (Julie Kavner), who has objections to the monorail project being launched in Springfield; in fact, this is one of the strongest episodes with the Simpsons matriarch at its center. There’s the iconic “Monorail Song,” where Lyle Lanley (Phil Hartman) manages to sway all of Springfield into supporting the monorail. And who could forgetLeonard Nimoy’s incredible cameo? In fact,it was this episode that clued the otherSimpsonswriters into O’Brien’s gift for comedy. “Conan sold three script ideas at that meeting – his first meeting – and I don’t think anyone had ever done that, before or since,” formerSimpsonsshowrunnerMike Reisssaidin an oral historyof “Marge VS The Monorail.”
O’Brien would eventually return to the world ofThe Simpsonsin a roundabout wayduring his exit interviewforConan, the talk show he hosted on TBS. That interview was animated, andfeatured none other than Homer Simpson as the interviewer. In trueSimpsons/O’Brien fashion, it’s full of witty barbs as well as references to Conan’s time writing forThe Simpsons. But it also leads to a surprisingly emotional moment where Homer tells Conan he means the world to him — even if it’s dinged slightly by him calling Conan “Conrad.” SinceThe Simpsonswas a large part of O’Brien finding his comedic voice, and eventually led to his career hosting late night shows on NBC and TBS, it made sense that he’d return to Springfield one last time.
The Simpsonsis available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.
Watch on Disney+
