The Simpsons will soon tell yet another story about Moe Szyslak, although this time, we'll be learning a bit about the character's origin. For that episode, the series will be introducing a figure central to Moe's upbringing: his father. The Simpsons finally introducing Moe's dad is kind of a big deal, so it's not surprising the series tapped actor Ray Liotta to voice Morty Szyslak for the upcoming Season 29 episode.
The Moe apple doesn't fall far from the Szyslak family tree as Ray Liotta's Morty is described as a more cunning and evil version of Moe. That's not saying much considering Moe is a little more misguided and creepy than evil, although imagining an evil version of Moe that still has the same traits as Moe could mean one of the evilest characters the show has created to date. EW reported Liotta will play Moe's father in an upcoming episode of The Simpsons in April, in a story that will also feature Debi Mazar voicing Moe's sister Minnie.
The Simpsons' Moe episode had been teased earlier in the year by executive producer Matt Selman, who described the episode as a "Shakespearean family drama set against the backdrop of a fading mattress store empire." Moe and Shakespeare are two things that don't seem to go together, so the combination of the two should make for a memorable story. As for how the episode will play out, one would imagine this "family history" episode will flash between the past and present so that fans can get a sense of why Moe managed to go all this time without mentioning his father. Of course, we're talking about a guy who frequently calls Marge Simpson "Midge," so it's not like fans will need an incredibly lengthy explanation behind all of this.
The Simpsons has done its fair share of Moe-centric episodes, so it's surprising the show has taken this long to work in an origin story. It's also surprising that out of all the celebrities the series has had guest star throughout its run, Ray Liotta is only just now getting a spot in 2018. Both the actor and the show came up in Hollywood around the same time, so it's fitting in a way that Liotta is getting around to appearing on the show now that his career has slowed down a bit. Though The Simpsons had never utilized Liotta until now, it did parody one of his most celebrated films Goodfellas back in the 2006 episode "The Haw-Hawed Couple.":
Ray Liotta will make his debut on The Simpsons on Fox in an upcoming episode of Season 29 this April. For more information regarding upcoming shows returning or brand new, head on over to our midseason premiere guide. To see how the show reacted to the news that Disney bought out their home network, click here.
