The Simpsons Officially Recasts A Fan-Favorite Character After 9 Years

This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.Warning: There are spoilers ahead for The Simpsons, season 38, episode 3, "Treehouse of Horrors Presents: The Revengening."A fan-favorite The Simpsons character has a new voice. The long-running sitcom is now in season 38, and despite running for so long, the main cast members have remained largely the same, including Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson, Julie Kavner as Marge Simpson, Nancy Cartwright as Bart and Lisa Simpson, Yeardley Smith as Lisa Simpson, Hank Azaria as Moe Szyslak and Chief Wiggum, and Harry Shearer as Mr. Burns and Ned Flanders. For the first time in nine years, after previously being voiced by Azaria, the fan-favorite character Apu has spoken in an episode of The Simpsons. Variety reports that the new voice actor is Sunil Malhotra, whose previous credits include The Legend of Korra, The Legend of Vox Machina, Grey's Anatomy, and Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi. While Apu has appeared in episodes since the season 29 premiere, "The Serfsons," in 2017, he has not spoken since then. In order to keep Malhotra's casting and the return of Apu under wraps, no screeners were shared ahead of time for "The Revengening," and there were NDAs involved for everyone who participated in the table read and the episode's production. In addition to Apu, the episode saw the return of his wife, Manjula, now voiced by Janina Gavanakar, who has previously starred in Apple TV's The Morning Show and the video game Star Wars: Battlefront II. With both Apu and Manjula recast and the Kwik-E-Mart reopened, executive producer Matt Selman teases more appearances in future episodes: We love this character, and wanted to bring him back in a smart, Simpsons-y way that allowed him to evolve. We’re excited by what Sunil has already brought to the role, and look forward to seeing more of Apu in the future. More to come... Release Date December 17, 1989 Network FOX Showrunner Al Jean Cast Homer Simpson / Abe Simpson / Barney Gumble / Krusty (voice) Marge Simpson / Patty Bouvier / Selma Bouvier (voice) The Simpsons is an animated series set in the fictional town of Springfield, following the daily lives of the Simpson family—Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. Premiering in 1989, the show is renowned for its satirical commentary on politics, media, and American culture, featuring numerous celebrity guest appearances.