The Simpsons: 10 Characters Who Reappeared After Long Absences
2. Cecil Terwilliger
The Simpsons played one of its greatest meta jokes when it cast David Hyde Pierce as Cecil Terwilliger, the brother of Springfield's favourite master criminal, Sideshow Bob.
Bob (who first appeared back in Season 1), is voiced by Kelsey Grammer - the same Kelsey Grammer who plays Frasier Crane in Frasier. And who plays Frasier's pompous brother in that show? David Hyde Pierce. Genius.
After Cecil's plot to destroy Springfield fails in Season 8's Brother From Another Series, he stays out of the town's life for a whole eleven seasons.
What brings him back is his brother's supposed death, which is actually just an elaborate plot to kill Bart that Cecil and the entire Terwilliger family are in on. Ultimately the scheme fails and Bob is carted off to jail once again, this time with his entire clan in tow.
The character has made just two more appearances in the show: one in a dream, and one in a couch gag. This is a shame, because Cecil and Bob have excellent chemistry together, as you'd expect from two actors who have played on-screen brothers for years.