Grammy recipient Ed Sheeran recently graced the animated sitcom "The Simpsons" with a cameo appearance. Sheeran's character in the series caught the eyes of Lisa and the two of them shared their love for music in the episode "Haw-Haw Land."
Sheeran's cameo was highly anticipated by millions of viewers. The English singer also shared some of his singing talent to the episode. The show even welcomed the singer ahead the airing of the episode on Jan. 7. "Welcome to Spriengfield, @edsheeran," posted by official Twitter account of "The Simpsons."
The episode is indeed a parody of the multiple Academy Award winning movie "La La Land." According to the summary description of the episode, the Simpson family attended a STEM conference and Lisa (Yeardley Smith) met a "crooning jazz pianist" who she falls for. That "crooning jazz pianist" is none other than Sheeran's character in the episode, Brendan Beiderbecke. The episode also featured a love triangle between Lisa, Brendan, and Nelson (Nancy Cartwright), the school bully.
Sheeran's cameo in the episode was well received by fans and critics. A Twitter user shared her feedback on the show. "This might be the best Simpsons episode ever... La La Land + Ed Sheeran," she tweeted. UK's Capital radio station also took its review on Twitter by posting, "Sorry, Homer but... @edsheeran is now our favorite @TheSimpsons character."
However, the same cannot be said with the episode entirely. Some reviews indicate that the execution of the episode was rushed and was not able to pull off a "La La Land" parody.
The next episode of "The Simpsons" will air on Jan. 14 at 8 p.m. on FOX. Episode 11 of season 29, titled "Frink Gets Testy," will see Mr. Frink (Hank Azaria) and Mr. Burns (Harry Shearer) waiting for the apocalypse. Burns will order Frink to determine the people worth saving when the time comes.
