Neither idea materialized, in part because they don’t sound all that more substantive than season 8’s joke spinoff ideas like “Chief Wiggum, P.I.” or “The Love-Matic Grandpa.” As popular a character as Krusty is, we’re not sure if he’s got the depth to lead his own series. 99% of his scenes focus on him being a miserable, talentless hack, floundering his way through any gig that’s not exclusively for a child audience. A spin-off would probably add some complexity to him to make things work, but is a complex Krusty still funny?

There’s also the problem that Krusty’s profession was growing increasingly out of date. The local TV clown shows that “The Simpsons” parodied with Krusty have long stopped being a big thing, and with Pennywise being the most famous clown in current pop culture, it doesn’t seem like they’re coming back any time soon. Sorry Krusty, but you’re the relic of a bygone era; count yourself lucky that you live in the only town in America where clowns are still considered funny instead of creepy.

When Al Jean and Mike Reiss did end up making a quasi-“Simpsons” spinoff, they cut all the clown stuff and gave us “The Critic” instead. “We fleshed it out with all the rejected Krusty show ideas,” Reiss explained, “Single dad in New York, crabby makeup lady, Ted Turner boss. Comedy, like composting, involves smart recycling.” Although “The Critic” was never a big hit, being canceled after just two seasons and returning in 2001 for a brief web series, it was still a fun and ambitious show. It may not have reached syndication status like “Futurama,’ but it wasn’t a cheap cash grab like a Krusty spinoff was bound to be.