0020 - Dr B. F. Sherwood (Patreon)

Here we are! We made it! This is the last character of the Tracey Ullman shorts era. There are three shorts after "Family Therapy", but no new characters appear in them. And this guy is a DOOZY.

I know, he doesn't look that interesting! In "Family Therapy", the Simpsons attempt to resolve their issues with his Dr Sherwood (identifiable only by the name on his door), and after the family causes mischief, he kicks them out, where they bond over the experience. Yes, this is the same plot as the season one episode "There's No Disgrace Like Home". Forget that for now.

What I find fascinating is that this character doesn't show up again for TWENTY THREE YEARS, at which point he returns:

In the season 23 episode "How I Wet Your Mother" - episode 502 for those counting - the Simpsons travel through a series of dreams in a parody of the movie Inception. One of these dreams is a sort of recreation of the Family Therapy short, with the family even reverting to their short designs. It's here that Sherwood makes his triumphant return. Weird, right?

Maybe we'll see him again in season 46.

ANYWAY, we made it! That's the end of the shorts. We get to move onto the actual series next week right? Right? Well, not exactly...

This post is part of my "Every Simpsons Character Ever" series. For a list of my rules in this project, click here.