Over the weekend, The Simpsons finally investigated Carl Carlson’s background as part of a long-overdue dialogue about race.
On Sunday’s Fox show, Homer’s coworker embarks on a voyage of self-discovery after starting a new relationship with a Black lady, which leads him to question his own ancestry.
In response to the episode, writer Lonni Steele Sosthand told TVInsider, ‘It’s a more forthright talk about race than we’re used to having on The Simpsons.’
The decision comes after the character was portrayed by white actor Hank Azaria for the first 32 seasons of the long-running animated sitcom before being replaced by Black actor Alex Désert.
Undoubtedly, Alex identified with the tale being recounted.
‘He’s of Haitian descent, and he talked about growing up in a Jewish neighborhood in New York. It’s not literally what we’re doing with Carl,’ Sosthand explained.
‘Just as it’s not exactly like my experience [growing up multiracial], but it’s thematically about the assumptions we make about identity. It was interesting to get into it with this character. It really adds another layer to him.’
The Simpsons introduced viewers about Carl’s Icelandic adoptive parents in season 24, which provided a foundation for the upcoming episode.
‘People who are adopted are frequently inquisitive about their biological parents and their background, so we acknowledge that past but also take him in a different route in this episode where he learns another piece of his identity that he hadn’t explored before,’ the writer added.
This included taking viewers on a ‘fascinating, under-told history of Black cowboys’, and the writers were glad to bring that into his character ‘in an unexpected way’.
Sosthand said: ‘We’re not saying you have to conform to a stereotype or anything to be authentically Black. There are all kinds of authentic stories. It was really rich territory once we opened it up.’
The Simpsons is available to watch on Disney Plus.