Bart Simpson Will Die Next Season on 'The Simpsons'

Fox

Bart Simpson is going to die. Temporarily, at least.

After more than two decades of scheming to kill Bart Simpson, arch nemesis Sideshow Bob — a character voiced by Kelsey Grammer — will finally succeed during this fall’s Treehouse of Horror, the annual Halloween episode of “The Simpsons.”

“I’m one of the people that always wanted the coyote to eat the roadrunner,” showrunner Al Jean said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly radio. “I hated frustration comedy so we’ll scratch that itch.”

Also read: 'The Simpsons' Harry Shearer Exits: Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders and Principal Skinner to Be Recast (Updated)

Bart will be revived after the Halloween episode, which traditionally has a different format and takes place outside of the series’ continuity.

Jean tweeted about the reaction to the revelation on Sunday:

.@thesimpsons #EverySimpsonsEver Amazed how excited the media are to report in the murder of a ten year old boy http://t.co/sytwCFzA9H

– Al Jean (@AlJean) June 7, 2015

Also read: 'The Simpsons' Gets 2-Season Renewal From Fox

Fox renewed “The Simpsons” for its 27th and 28th seasons last month.

Last month, Harry Shearer — the voice actor behind Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders and Principal Skinner — announced that he’d be exiting the series to have the freedom to pursue other work. The characters, however, are safe, as producers will find new actors to voice the roles.

11 Surprising 'Simpsons' Deaths That Rocked Springfield (Photos)

Jackie Mason won an Emmy for playing Rabbi Hyman Krustofski, aka Krusty the Clown's father, on the episode "Like Father, Like Clown."
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Maude Flanders died on a 2000 episode of the show, but still makes the occasional posthumous appearance.
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Lisa's sax-wielding mentor Bleeding Gums Murphy is one of the first recurring characters "The Simpsons" killed off.
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Jebediah Springfield died well over a hundred years before Homer Simpson was born, but he's the town's namesake and the star of several episodes.
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Poochie died on his way back to his home planet in 1997.
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The Gypsy appeared on several episodes of "The Simpsons," once turning Lisa into a Centaur, but died while reading Abe Simpson's fortune.
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Grimey died in an accident at the nuclear power plant while trying to prove Homer's idiocy.
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Mob boss "Fat Tony," voiced by Joe Mantegna and at one time Phil Hartman, had a heart attack and died while in Homer's arms.
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Dr. Marvin Monroe was pronounced dead on the show's 138th episode spectacular and even got a tombstone in Springfield Cemetery, but reappeared nearly 10 years later explaining he'd "been very sick."
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The submarine captain torpedoed himself into an enemy ship in "Simpson Tide" and is presumed dead
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Arnie Gumble was killed off on his one and only episode, "The Curse of the Flying Hellfish"; he served alongside Abe Simpson memorably.
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