The Simpsons: 10 Characters Who Reappeared After Long Absences

One of Homer and Marge's first big tests as a married couple came courtesy of Lurleen Lumpkin, the beautiful country singer who Homer manages in Season 3's Colonel Homer.

Rescued from a dead-end waitress job when Homer notices her singing, Lurleen falls in love with the Colonel, only to have him reject her advances and return home to his wife.

Like several other characters on this list, Lurleen does make some background appearances after her debut. In Marge vs. The Monorail, it's revealed that she's been to rehab and spent last night "in a ditch". Lovely.

But her next proper appearance (as voiced by original actor, Beverly D'Angelo) came in the Season 19 episode Papa Don't Leech. With the help of the Simpson family, Lurleen is reunited with her long-lost father, only to have him betray her and steal one of her songs.

Papa Don't Leech is a good episode and adds some nice depth to Lurleen's character. It's nice to see a character being brought back after so long with good reason, and not just as the ditch-based punchline of a one-scene joke.