The Simpsons Failed To Commit To Dr. Nick’s Movie Death

The Simpsons looked to have killed Dr. Nick in the 2007 movie, but couldn’t resist bringing the inept physician back to the TV show. The world of The Simpsons is one that very much plays by its own rules, with main characters who not only wear the same clothes each day, but also haven’t aged since the series began in 1989. Nevertheless, The Simpsons has made the bold decision to kill off a few characters for good over the years. Two of the most famous examples include Maude Flanders’ darkly comedic death at a sports game, indirectly caused by Homer, and the demise of Bleeding Gums Murphy, Lisa’s jazz inspiration. Other characters have been retired under tragic real-life circumstances, such as Edna Krabappel, who was retired after the passing of voice actress, Marcia Wallace, in 2013.

Voiced by Hank Azaria, Dr. Nick Riviera debuted in The Simpsons‘ second season as a hilariously under-qualified medical practitioner looking to treat Bart after being run over. Dr. Nick would become a popular recurring character in The Simpsons, famous for his “Hi, everybody! Hi, Dr. Nick!” call and response catchphrase. Despite being a reliable source of gags, the 2007 Simpsons movie appeared to kill off Dr. Nick. When Bart and Homer destroy the giant glass dome covering Springfield, a large shard of the broken shell falls to the ground and impales Dr. Nick right through the road. If the severity of the injury wasn’t enough (this is The Simpsons, after all) Nick delivers a twist on his famous line – “Bye, everybody!” This seemed to confirm that the character had been written out of the series.

A year or so later, however, Dr. Nick is miraculously resurrected in The Simpsons season 20. Dr. Nick returns in “Lost Verizon” and then had a bigger role in “Eeny Teeny Maya Moe,” when Moe is looking to get surgery to make himself shorter and taps up Riviera to conduct the operation. Since then, Dr. Nick has resumed his status as a recurring Simpsons character, last appearing in a late 2019 episode of season 31. The Simpsons‘ showrunner, Al Jean, has since revealed that the falling chunk of glass in the Simpsons movie only knocked Dr. Nick out, and he went on to make a full recovery after the events of “Trappuccino.”

Dr. Nick’s revival isn’t an isolated case in The Simpsons. In season 7, the cartoon’s resident psychologist, Dr. Marvin Monroe, stopped appearing and was later confirmed deceased, with his gravestone being shown on-screen. But later, in season 15’s “Diatribe of a Mad Housewife,” Monroe appears out of the blue at Marge Simpson’s book signing. Marge actually acknowledges the sudden reemergence, to which Monroe replies that he was merely “very sick.” With both Dr. Nick and Dr. Monroe returning from apparent death, it could be that The Simpsons‘ medical experts are so good at their profession, they have hidden powers of regeneration.

Watching Dr. Monroe’s “accident” in The Simpsons movie again, it certainly seems that the intention at the time was for Dr. Nick to be killed, but his surprise return doesn’t negatively impact the show’s approach to death. In the case of Maude Flanders and Bleeding Gums, both exits were major plot points that reverberated through other characters and bled into later episodes; to undo either of those would’ve cheapened the impact of the deaths. With Dr. Nick, however, the “death” was just a brief gag played for laughs, with no wider ramifications for either the story, or the world of The Simpsons. Because of this, The Simpsons can bend its own rules and bring back the likes of Dr. Nick if the writers feel he would be a worthy comic addition to an episode.

About The Author

Craig Elvy
(3624 Articles Published)

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Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig’s interest soon turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own.
Craig has previously been published on sites such as Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work eventually turned into a full-time career covering everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS.

Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but now works predominantly as a features writer.
Jim Carrey is Craig’s top acting pick and favorite topics include superheroes, anime and the unrecognized genius of the High School Musical trilogy.

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