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TruTV is coming for The Simpsons.
The network on Sunday (7/6c) will re-air The Problem With Apu, a 2017 documentary about how the character of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon — an Indian immigrant voiced by white actor Hank Azaria — has negatively impacted viewers’ perceptions about Indian people, among other issues.
This re-airing comes exactly one week after The Simpsons officially responded to the documentary in the April 8 episode (“No Good Read Goes Unpunished”) when Marge read her daughter a self-edited version of an old storybook called The Princess in the Garden, removing antiquated stereotypes from the original text.
When Lisa complained that removing what Marge deemed “offensive” also removed an important part of the story, Marge simply shrugged, asking, “What am I supposed to do?”
“It’s hard to say,” Lisa responded. “Something that started out decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive is now politically incorrect.”
“Some things will be dealt at a later time,” Marge said, looking directly at the “camera,” to which Lisa added, “If at all.”
You can watch the exchange below:
#TheSimpsons completely toothless response to @harikondabolu #TheProblemWithApu about the racist character Apu:
“Something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive is now politically incorrect… What can you do?” pic.twitter.com/Bj7qE2FXWN
— Soham (@soham_burger) April 9, 2018
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Unsurprisingly, Hari Kondabolu — who wrote and starred in The Problem with Apu — wasn’t thrilled with The Simpsons‘ response to the issues raised by the documentary:
In “The Problem with Apu,” I used Apu & The Simpsons as an entry point into a larger conversation about the representation of marginalized groups & why this is important. The Simpsons response tonight is not a jab at me, but at what many of us consider progress.
— Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) April 9, 2018
