10 TV Characters You NEVER Thought Would Return
4. Herb Powell - The Simpsons
The Simpsons can boast a cast of characters like absolutely no other show in history. Springfield has been populated so heavily since 1989, that even the likes of Gil Gunderson and Lurleen Lumpkin, tertiary characters at best, have been given their own episodes.
Then there are the memorable characters that have only appeared once or twice, such as your Hank Scorpios, your Frank Grimes, etc. After appearing in seasons two and three, you could have counted Homer's half-brother Herb Powell in this same category.
Voiced by Danny DeVito, Herb opened his fortunes to Homer and his family only to be ruined, and then sought their help a year later to become rich again. You'd be forgiven for thinking that Herb was done after "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes" in 1992, and many might not even be aware that the character has technically returned to the show twice since then, in 2013 and 2024.
In season 24, DeVito lent his tones to Herb's voicemail message, letting Homer know that he was poor again, and in season 36, he made an appearance as part of one of the best episodes in years, "Bart's Birthday". When a character has been absent for over two decades, it's pretty damn likely that they are done, but not in Springfield.