 Hartman provided the voices for numerous characters on the Fox animated series The Simpsons , appearing in 52 episodes . He made his first appearance in the second season episode " Bart Gets Hit by a Car " . Although he was originally brought in for a one @-@ time appearance , Hartman enjoyed working on The Simpsons and the staff wrote additional parts for him . He voiced the recurring characters Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure , as well as several one @-@ time and background characters . His favorite part was that of McClure , and he often used this voice to entertain the audience between takes while taping episodes of NewsRadio . He remarked , " My favorite fans are Troy McClure fans . " He added " It 's the one thing that I do in my life that 's almost an avocation . I do it for the pure love of it . " 
