'Simpsons' Cast and Crew Reveal Their Dream Guest Stars, Spinoff Ideas
"The Simpsons" has had many luminaries as guest stars over its 30 seasons and 660 (and counting) episodes. But there's still one guest they haven't landed: a sitting president of the United States.
Producers Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, Al Jean, and Matt Selman and stars Harry Shearer and Yeardley Smith gathered together at the Tribeca Film Festival for a panel saluting the show’s 30th anniversary. And when asked about their dream guest stars, Brooks picked Donald Trump.
"We’ve never had a president, but I think I’d love to have this president if he’d read the script as written,” Brooks said as the audience laughed.
Smith replied, "He’s not a good reader. Maybe if we just did it in pictures?"
The others chose Tribeca Film Festival founder Robert De Niro (Groening), former MLB pitcher Sandy Koufax (Jean), Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau (Shearer), and "Monty Python's" John Cleese and Michael Palin (Selman).
They also had ideas for potential "Simpsons" spinoffs of characters. Shearer suggested Reverend Lovejoy, "because there’s never been, as far as I know, an American television show about a clergyman."
He continued, "It seems to me we’ve learned a lot about Ned, but Reverend Lovejoy and Helen have adventures still to be explored — you know, like his pre-Bible believing days when you rebel.”
And if that doesn't work? Shearer has another idea: "Otto in rehab."