33 Years Ago, This Iconic 'Simpsons' Episode's Deleted Scene Was Too Dark for Broadcast

The 1990s were the golden age of The Simpsons, with "Cape Feare" being one of the show's greatest and most iconic episodes. It’s an all-time classic, featuring Sideshow Bob (Kelsey Grammer) as the villain, as he gets out of prison and seeks revenge on Bart Simpson (Nancy Cartwright). While the episode features a dark premise with Sideshow Bob on a relentless mission of revenge to terrorize and murder Bart, there was one particular deleted gag involving the duo of Itchy and Scratchy that was too dark for the final cut.

Itchy and Scratchy's "Spay Anything" Scene Was Originally Longer

The deleted scene in question was an extension of the Itchy and Scratchy interlude, "Spay Anything." Fans will recall that the segment involves the mischievous mouse Itchy using a Goldfinger-esque laser trap to cut the unfortunate cat, Scratchy, into pieces, and that is where the segment ends. However, the original version originally went longer.

In the deleted scene, Itchy collects the dozens of pieces of Scratchy in a dust pan and sews the poor cat back together. He then hands Scratchy the hospital bill, and a depressed Scratchy is so devastated by the expensive bill that he takes a pistol that Itchy hands him and promptly shoots himself, dying by suicide. The incredibly shocking joke, even for the extreme and outrageous violence of The Itchy and Scratchy Show, was too far, and it was cut from the episode before it aired.

It Makes Sense Why This Brutal 'Simpsons' Gag Was Cut

It's somewhat surprising, considering how over-the-top the Itchy and Scratchy segments often are, that this was the gag that went too far over the line. At the same time, it's understandable why producers and FOX censors erred on the side of caution. Additionally, the gag is actually socially relevant, as it addresses the burden of medical bills when receiving treatment at a hospital, an issue that still deeply affects Americans in the thirty-plus years since "Cape Feare" originally aired on FOX.

In the case of Itchy and Scratchy segments, Itchy usually gets the better of Scratchy in an uproarious, outlandish way. Seeing Scratchy take his own life breaks from the norm of the usual gags and comes off as far too real and depressing for the episode. As a result, the version in the episode focuses on the James Bond riff, complete with some 007-style music, as Scratchy attempts to escape Itchy's Bond Villain-inspired trap. However, opening a cat hospital in an attempt to terrorize and torture poor Scratchy by cutting him to pieces, sewing him back together, and then driving him to shoot himself with an expensive hospital bill certainly sounds like something a deranged sadist like Itchy would do.

'The Itchy and Scratchy Show' Segment Was Written To Pad Out the Runtime of 'Cape Feare'

Interestingly enough, the "Spay Anything" interlude in "Cape Feare" was already added into the episode to help pad out its length, as documented in Mike Reiss and Matthew Klickstein's non-fiction 2018 book, Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons. Besides the Itchy and Scratchy interlude, the crew added some red herrings with Bart trying to think about who is sending threatening letters to kill him, before it’s revealed to be Sideshow Bob. Another deleted scene reveals Grandpa Abe Simpson (Dan Castellaneta) as a potential suspect, recalling an incident where Bart steals Abe's chewing tobacco spittoon, causing him to give chase before spitting into Lisa's saxophone.

The crew's need to pad out the runtime also led to the creation of the iconic gag of Sideshow Bob repeatedly stepping on rakes, delivering his trademark groan. It's fascinating to look back at the scenes and gags that were considered too edgy, even for The Simpsons, a show that was never afraid to push the envelope during the show's best era. Fortunately, fans can revisit "Cape Feare" in its original broadcast format on Disney+.