Simpsons boss issues appeal to fans of cult 1990s animation The Critic amid potential revival

Independent

29-03-2025

The showrunner of The Simpsons has appealed to fans of the cult 1990s animation The Critic amid talk of a potential revival series.
The Critic starred sometime Simpsons actor Jon Lovitz as Jay Sherman, an unsightly film critic in the era of Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel.
The series, which originally ran for two seasons between 1994 and 1994, was created by The Simpsons writers Al Jean and Mike Reiss, and memorably crossed over with The Simpsons in the latter show's season six episode 'A Star is Burns'.
Writing on Twitter, Jean and Lovitz suggested that a revival of The Critic could be in the offing, petitioning fans of the show to make their voices heard.
' Critic Fans!!!! You keep telling me you want it back,' wrote Lovitz. 'I've been trying for years! Well, now, creator Al Jean is on board!!! If you want it back, we need your help!
'Please like this post and spread the word! So we can show the studio, how many people want it!'
In a separate post, Jean wrote: 'Just curious … how many would like to see The Critic, with @realjonlovitz return?'
The Critic is currently unavailable to stream anywhere in the UK. The series was in fact revived once before, for a 10-episode webseries in 2000 and 2001.
The series was noted for its parodying of classic and contemporary movies, and is seen as an influence on later animated comedies such as Family Guy, though the show never enjoyed the popularity of The Simpsons.
Jean and Reiss served as showrunners throughout the third and fourth seasons of The Simpsons, widely considered the time when the series entered its creative peak. They left after the fourth season to create The Critic.
Jean would return as showrunner for the 13th season of The Simpsons, a position he held until it reached its 33rd.
The popular animated series had previously parodied Mike White's black comedy in an episode titled 'The Yellow Lotus'.