For the first time in its more than three-decade run, The Simpsons will premiere an episode featuring American Sign Language (ALS) and a deaf actor.
“It’s very hard to do a ‘premier’ after 722 episodes, but I couldn’t be more excited about this one,” executive producer Al Jean told CNN.
While the episode premieres April 10 and comes exactly two weeks after “CODA’s” historic Best Picture Oscar win, the idea was conceived well before the film’s release and is loosely based on the life of writer-producer Loni Steele Sosthand. Entitled “The Sound of Bleeding Gums,” follows Lisa Simpson as she helps her favorite musician’s son, the late saxophonist Bleeding Gums Murphy (who died in Season 6), who is deaf and in need of a cochlear implant.
The show’s producers consulted with two ASL specialists regarding the signs the characters — who only have four fingers — make in the episode, including reviewing preliminary versions of the show’s visuals to ensure proper signage, Sosthand told CNN.
Sosthand added that the episode was personal to her and is based on her brother Eli, who is hearing impaired in a family that loves jazz music. “Having a brother who is just a year older and was born deaf really shaped me as a person. So it’s a story that’s not only close to my heart, but also to my identity,” she said.
Deaf actor John Autry II, whose credits include “Glee” and “No Ordinary Family,” plays Murphy’s son, Monk. In a statement to CNN, he called the role “life-changing,” adding, “It’s about hard of hearing and hard of hearing characters coming together. It’s part of history.”
The episode will also star three children – Ian Mayorga, Kaylee Arellano and Hazel Lopez – from No Limits, a non-profit organization based in Culver City dedicated to the welfare and development of deaf children.
