The Simpsons Season 37 Has Retired (But Not Killed) A Classic Character

This article contains spoilers for "The Simpsons" season 37, episode 13, "Seperance."

One of the benefits of being an animated television series like "The Simpsons" is that you don't need to have your characters grow across with each new season. Bart (Nancy Cartwright) and Lisa (Yeardley Smith) Simpson are still children being educated at Springfield Elementary, while Homer (Dan Castellaneta) is still the Safety Inspector of Sector 7-G at the nuclear power plant. The major changes are largely relegated to cultural reference points as the series enters a brand new decade. Continuity doesn't really matter in a series where no one truly ages. But every now and then, "The Simpsons" will make bold decisions that stay in place moving forward. Think of when the show killed off Maude Flanders in a mean-spirited T-shirt cannon accident in season 11 ("Alone Again, Natura-Diddily") and stuck to it. These kinds of events are usually spaced out, but season 37 has been making one significant change after another.

Earlier in the season, church organist Alice Glick dropped dead before an audience of Springfield's holy patrons ('Sashes to Sashes"). Last week's episode ("¡The Fall Guy-Yi-Yi!") not only made Bumblebee Man (Humberto Vélez) an actual character, but showed his origins in great detail. This week's episode ("Seperance") saw another significant change with one of Springfield's most memorable side characters, that of Duffman (Hank Azaria). First introduced in the banned season 9 episode "The City of New York Vs. Homer Simpson," Barry Duffman remained an athletic mascot for Duff Beer, who often spoke in the third person. He could often be recognized by his red hat, tights, and Duff beer belt. With his latest appearance, not only comes another Duffman bit, but the last one we'll ever see in "The Simpsons."

In "Seperance," Duffman attempts to recruit Homer to work for EOD (Enthusiasm on Demand), a shady corporation that specializes in disingenuous influencer marketing, after he easily wins over a crowd. It's in the Simpson living room where Duffman reveals that the Duff corporation has retired the partying beer mascot due to a lack of cultural significance. "All the old forms of advertising are now passé. Corporate spokesmen, print ads, TV spots. Today's kids can't even sing the jingles," says Duffman. He spends most of the episode trying to win Homer to EOD's side of things, itself a parody of Ben Stiller's acclaimed sci-fi series "Severance." But even after Duffman leaves the company at the end of the episode, he never gets back into his signature mascot attire. Our favorite beer-guzzling hypeman is officially retired. 

Duffman was originally conceived as a parody of Budweiser's Bud Man, who was generally depicted as a superhero of sorts in red tights. But given how the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company hasn't used the outdated mascot in ages, it shouldn't come as a surprise that "The Simpsons" would put him out to pasture, too. The side character has always held a strange place in the show's history, considering he's died at the hands of other characters throughout the show's run. Although it could potentially be explained away since the Duffman mascot mantle has been occupied by different people. In that case, it would make Barry the last Duffman to don the tights and live to tell the tale. Now who wants to party?

Season 37 of "The Simpsons" is currently streaming on Hulu.