 It was written by Joshua Sternin and Jeffrey Ventimilia based on a story idea by Al Jean and Mike Reiss and was the first episode directed by Steven Dean Moore . Jean and Reiss , who were previously the series ' showrunners , returned to produce this episode ( as well as " A Star Is Burns " ) in order to lessen the workload of the show 's regular staff . They worked on it alongside the staff of The Critic , the series they had left The Simpsons to create . The episode marks the first time in which a recurring character was killed off in the show , something the staff had considered for a while . The episode features numerous cultural references , including Carole King 's song " Jazzman " , the actor James Earl Jones and the Kimba the White Lion / The Lion King controversy . 
