 Hartman was popular among the staff of The Simpsons . Showrunners Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein stated that they enjoyed his work , and used Hartman as much as possible when working on the show . To give Hartman a larger role , they developed the episode " A Fish Called Selma " , which focuses on Troy McClure and expands the character 's backstory . The Simpsons creator Matt Groening said that he " took [ Hartman ] for granted because he nailed the joke every time " , and that his voice acting could produce " the maximum amount of humor " with any line he was given . Before his death , Hartman had expressed an interest in making a live action film about Troy McClure . Many of The Simpsons production staff expressed enthusiasm for the project and offered to help . Hartman said he was " looking forward to [ McClure 's ] live @-@ action movie , publicizing his Betty Ford appearances " , and " would love nothing more " than making a film and was prepared to buy the film rights himself in order to make it happen . 
