The Simpsons: 10 Classic Characters You’ll Never See Again
1. Lionel Hutz & Troy McClure
When it comes to characters that had so much left to give, Phil Hartmann’s duo of Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure are about as big as you can get in The Simpsons.
The two characters occupied very specific roles in the show’s canon. Hutz, the fraudulent lawyer and persistent shyster, and McClure, a washed-up actor reduced to appearing in infomercials and educational videos.
Despite Springfield growing every season with new faces, these two guest characters always shined. Hutz’s Better Call Saul-esque tomfoolery is still quotable and “Hi, I’m Troy McClure and you may remember me…” is one of the show’s simplest and most memorable catch-phrases.
With such strong identities, together these two characters provided some of the consistently biggest laughs between seasons 2 and 10. Phil Hartmann’s inimitable voice and presence made them solid fan favourites.
Which makes it all the sadder that they were retired from the show due to the shocking murder of the actor.
Hartmann’s contributions to The Simpsons are immovable. In honour, season 10’s Bart the Mother (the final appearance of Troy McClure) is dedicated to his memory and Matt Groening even went on to name the main character of his next creation, Futurama, after him as ‘Phillip J. Fry’.