‘The Simpsons’ Seamlessly Inserted Into ‘Making A Murderer’ Is Relevant To All Of Your Interests
Starring Chief Wiggum as the entire Manitowoc Sheriff’s Department.
There are spoilers for Making a Murderer ahead. Please don’t yell at me when you read them.
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It’s been almost two months since Netflix documentary series Making a Murderer was released in its entirety, and the case of Steven Avery continues to divide and baffle viewers. Though the docudrama has wrapped up, the story stubbornly remains in the spotlight, with media outlets nabbing their own exclusive interviews with subjects, and a steady stream of hot takes maintaining the water-cooler chat.
Like Serial before it, the series transcended riveting story-telling, and directly influenced real life legal developments and community debate. That’s why it feels almost inevitable that Vulture and New York Magazine would apply their historically very good mashup-making abilities to the show. Reimagining the trailer for Making a Murderer as a Simpsons episode, the video stars Homer Simpson as the embattled Avery, the Springfield Police Department as Manitowoc Sheriff’s Department and Mr Burns as the initial victim who wrongfully sent Homer to prison for 18 years.
It’s The Simpsons, so it’s funny, but it’s Making a Murderer, so it’s chilling and I hope these are just goosebumps all over my body and not a life-threatening rash.
The flawless synchronicity of the shots is pretty mind-blowing, but if you’re feeling simultaneously impressed and nervously guilty, you’re probably not alone. As clever as it is, the mashup is chartering into very real and sensitive waters. Making a Murderer isn’t fiction; it’s about a real case of a real murder, and two real people are behind bars for life. The only thing you shouldn’t feel uneasy about is the depiction of the Manitowoc police — they were objectively bad cops, and not totally unlike Springfield’s finest.
Me may mah mo, me mo ma me.