Waiting for Duffman
| "Waiting for Duffman" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Simpsons episode | ||||
| Episode no. | 569 | |||
| Directed by | Steven Dean Moore | |||
| Written by | John Frink | |||
| Showrunner(s) | Al Jean | |||
| Production code | TABF10 | |||
| Original air date | March 15, 2015 | |||
| Couch gag | The family is repeatedly sucked into a portal above the couch until Bart eventually separates from the rest, avoids getting beamed up, and closes the portal via a remote control. He then finds a severed Homer head. | |||
| Guest star(s) | Cat Deeley as herself[1] R. Lee Ermey as Col. Leslie Hapablap Stacy Keach as H.K. Duff VII | |||
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"Waiting for Duffman" is the seventeenth episode of the twenty-sixth season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons, and the 569th overall episode of the series. It aired on Fox on March 15, 2015. R. Lee Ermey reprises his role of Colonel Leslie Hapablap from "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming". The title is a play on Waiting for Guffman.
"Waiting for Duffman" was dedicated in memory of Sam Simon, a developer of The Simpsons who died seven days before it aired.
Plot
When Barry Huffman (the man who plays Duffman) undergoes hip replacement surgery following an injury during a parade and retires, Duff Beer's owner Howard K. Duff VII sets up a reality show presented by Cat Deeley in order to find his replacement. The competition is fierce until only Homer Simpson and one other competitor remained. Homer wins the competition after the other contestant was disqualified upon one of the judges finding a tattoo of Duff Beer's competitor on his back. Howard K. Duff VII tells him that he has inserted him with a chip that will reveal if he drinks, because he must stay sober on the job.
While sober, Homer sees the misery that Duff is causing to the people and environment of Springfield. At a motor racing event, he gives out alcohol-free beer as a placebo in an attempt to convince the audience that alcohol is not essential for a good time. This angers them, and they form an angry mob. Howard K. Duff fires Homer and tells him that there was no chip, so Homer returns to heavy drinking.
Following the incident, Howard K. Duff tracks down Barry Huffman (who is now working at a coffee shop) and convinces him to take his old job back.
Reception
The episode received a 1.5 rating and was watched by a total of 3.59 million people.[2] Dennis Perkins of The A.V. Club gave the episode a C rating and said that "premise firmly in place, the show simply exists, a functional space-filler in a long season."[3]