After 32 seasons, The Simpsons' supporting character Dr. Hibbert will be getting a new voice actor this year, but why is this development great news for fans of the long-running series? Beginning in 1989 with the crude, crass, but ultimately heart-warming Christmas special “Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire,” The Simpsons soon transformed from a satirical family sitcom into an epochal piece of television history.
In its first ten seasons, The Simpsons grew from a familiar, funny character comedy into a wildly ambitious subversion of sitcom tropes, television conventions, and Americana at large. At its peak, The Simpsons enjoyed critical acclaim and widespread global popularity for its freewheeling, surreal writing, sharp wit, madcap pace, and inventive plotting.
However, all good things must come to an end, and by the twelfth season of The Simpsons, the show’s relevance (and, according to many critics, quality of writing) had begun to decline. Ever since this point, The Simpsons has struggled to win back the influence it once had in the television landscape, which is what makes one recent hiring by the show so exciting for longtime fans. One of The Simpsons' many recurring supporting characters, Dr. Hibbert is the Springfield doctor whose trademark chuckle made him an enduringly popular figure, and he will now be played by animated voice acting icon Kevin Michael Richardson. The casting change came about due to understandable criticisms of the series’ decision to voice a recurring black character with a white voice actor, This Is Spinal Tap’s Harry Shearer, thus leading the creators of The Simpsons to offer the role to Richardson.
An animated comedy legend, Kevin Michael Richardson will be familiar to viewers from his recurring roles on everything from American Dad to The Cleveland Show, to Family Guy, and from his contributions to animated media that ranges from Spongebob Squarepants to The Batman. Even for a show as iconic as The Simpsons, which has never struggled to net big-name guest stars (except some former US presidents), Richardson is a long-proven talent and exciting addition to the show’s regular stable of voice talent. Meanwhile, the fact that Richardson has appeared in not one or two, but three of The Simpsons’ biggest animated family sitcom competitors proves he could bring a vital fresh perspective to the series.
Only time will tell how big a role Richardson’s new Dr. Hibbert will play on The Simpsons, and how much the actor will reinvent or leave untouched the instantly familiar original Dr. Hibbert voice made famous by Harry Shearer. But for a show whose relevance has been in steady decline according to critical consensus for longer than its bygone heyday lasted, gaining a star with experience in many of the series’ most notable competitors as well as animation at large can only spell good news for The Simpsons.