It was 1995. You couldn't walk into a 7-Eleven or a school hallway without seeing "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" plastered on a Slurpee cup or a t-shirt. It sounds like hyperbole now, but at the time, this was the Super Bowl of animation. The Simpsons didn't just do a cliffhanger; they did the cliffhanger. For months, people were genuinely obsessed with which yellow-skinned resident of Springfield pulled the trigger on the town’s most hated billionaire. It’s been decades, but the layers of how who shot Mr. Burns on The Simpsons became a cultural phenomenon are still worth digging into because, honestly, the writers played us all perfectly.
The Setup: Making Everyone a Suspect
Think about the sheer audacity of the Season 6 finale. Charles Montgomery Burns, in a fit of cartoonish supervillainy, decides to block out the sun. He isn't just being mean; he’s trying to force the entire town to rely solely on his electricity. It’s a brilliant narrative move. By the time the episode "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part One)" ends, literally every single person in Springfield has a motive.
Homer is furious because Burns can't remember his name. Smithers is heartbroken because his idol has gone too far. Groundskeeper Willie is out of a job. Even Tito Puente has a grudge over a stolen jazz program. The writers, led by Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein, didn't just throw darts at a board. They meticulously crafted a scenario where anyone—from the town drunk to the elementary school principal—could have been the culprit.
It wasn't just a TV show. It was a contest. Fox ran a massive sweepstakes where fans could call in their guesses. They even produced a "Springfield's Most Wanted" special hosted by John Walsh of America's Most Wanted. This wasn't just entertainment; it was an event that blurred the lines between fiction and reality.
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The Big Reveal: Why It Had to Be Maggie
When Part Two aired as the Season 7 premiere, the reveal that Maggie Simpson was the shooter felt like a bit of a cheat to some, but it was actually the most logical choice. If Homer had done it, he’d be in jail. If Smithers had done it, the show’s dynamic would be permanently broken. Maggie, being a baby, had "infant immunity."
The way it happened was simple. Burns tried to steal candy from a baby—literally. He got into a struggle with Maggie over her lollipop, his gun fell out of his holster, and Maggie pulled the trigger. It was an accident, sure, but as the episode suggests, maybe she knew exactly what she was doing. The final scene where Maggie's eyes follow the camera still gives off a "shady" vibe that fans love to analyze.
The Clues You Probably Missed
The writers were incredibly fair. If you go back and pause Part One, the clues are right there, staring you in the face.
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- The Compass Points: When Burns collapses on the sundial at the end of Part One, his arms point to "W" and "S." While some thought this meant Waylon Smithers, from Burns' perspective (lying face down), the arms point to M and S—Maggie Simpson.
- The DNA: Early in Part Two, they mention finding Simpson DNA on Mr. Burns' jacket. Most people assumed it was Homer's, but the show was telling us the truth from the jump.
- The Gun: When the town gathers around the sundial, you can see that Mr. Burns' holster is empty.
- The High Chair: In one scene, the Simpson family is eating dinner, and Maggie is the only one not looking at the TV—she’s staring at the window, foreshadowing her "toughness."
The Alternate Endings and Red Herrings
What’s wild is that the crew actually animated several "fake" endings to prevent leaks. In the 90s, spoilers didn't travel at the speed of X (Twitter), but they still happened. To keep the secret, they drew segments showing Barney Gumble, Moe Szyslak, Apu, and even Santa's Little Helper shooting the old man.
The most famous fake ending involved Smithers. In this version, Smithers shoots Burns and then tells the town. It was actually fully voiced and animated, later appearing in the "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular." David Mirkin, the showrunner at the time, has talked about how they went to extreme lengths to make sure nobody—not even the animators in Korea—knew the real ending until the very last second.
Actually, the contest itself was a bit of a disaster. To win, you had to guess Maggie and provide a specific reasoning that matched the writers' logic. Out of thousands of entries, nobody actually got it 100% right according to the strict rules. They eventually had to pick a winner at random, but that person never even claimed the prize. Talk about a letdown for the marketing department.
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Why This Episode Still Matters in the Streaming Era
Today, we get "prestige TV" mysteries every week. But back then, a cartoon taking itself this seriously was unheard of. It proved that The Simpsons wasn't just a sitcom; it was a sophisticated piece of storytelling that could handle complex plots and noir-style tension.
The "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" saga represents the peak of the show's "Golden Era." It had the perfect mix of slapstick, social commentary, and genuine stakes. It also highlighted the show's ability to mock itself. They knew the premise was a bit of a soap opera trope (a clear parody of the "Who Shot J.R.?" cliffhanger from Dallas), and they leaned into it with self-aware jokes that still land today.
If you watch it now, you notice the atmosphere. The lighting is moodier. The music by Alf Clausen feels more cinematic. It wasn't just another episode about Homer eating donuts; it was a love letter to the mystery genre.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Rewatchers
If you're planning to dive back into the archives on Disney+, here is how to get the most out of the experience:
- Watch for the "S" and "M": Look closely at the sundial scene at the end of Part One. Try to view it from Burns’ upside-down perspective. It’s the most famous clue in the series.
- Check the Backgrounds: Pay attention to the town meetings. Notice how characters like Maggie are positioned. The animators were very deliberate about who was in the frame when certain motives were discussed.
- Listen to the Commentary: If you can find the DVD commentary or the "Simpsons World" archives, listen to Oakley and Weinstein. They explain the logic behind why certain characters were ruled out, which is a masterclass in TV writing.
- Analyze the "Tito Puente" Scene: It’s one of the funniest red herrings in the show. It shows how the writers could take a guest star and weave them into a high-stakes plot without it feeling forced.
- Look for the Parodies: See how many references you can spot to Twin Peaks (The "Chief Wiggum's Dream" sequence is a direct nod to the Red Room) and The Fugitive.
The mystery of who shot Mr. Burns on The Simpsons isn't just a piece of trivia. It’s a reminder of a time when the whole world could gather around a single television screen to solve a puzzle together. While Maggie Simpson might have been the one who pulled the trigger, the real winners were the fans who got to witness one of the greatest moments in television history.