The Simpsons: 10 Characters Who Reappeared After Long Absences
7. Mary Spuckler
Making her debut in Season 19, Mary Spuckler is one of the many offspring of Cletus and Brandine, and someone who Bart almost ends up marrying after a miscommunication.
Mary makes a reappearance five seasons later in an episode titled Moonshine River. She's living in New York now, which forces Bart - who is trying to track down all of his old love interests - to visit the city to try and find her.
The romance doesn't end there however, as Mary comes back again in another episode of Season 24. Sadly, this episode was the end for our star-crossed lovers, and the show has yet to revisit the pairing.
While not in the same league as other secondary characters, it's nice to see The Simpsons' writers not resting on their laurels, introducing a new face to the show after so many seasons. Mary not only helps flesh out the Spuckler family, but she also challenges Bart and helps him tackle more mature subjects than he's normally used to.
It probably helps that she's voiced by Zooey Deschanel, which would also explain why she only appears three times. She ain't cheap, you know.