Matt Groening (C), creator of The Simpsons, poses with characters
Matt Groening (C), creator of The Simpsons, poses with characters from the show (L-R) Homer, Bart, Lisa, Marge and Maggie at the 20th anniversary party for the television series at Barker hangar in Santa Monica, California October 18, 2009. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni (UNITED STATES ENTERTAINMENT) Reuters

"The Simpsons" lent support to the victims of Charlie Hebdo Paris massacre and France on its Jan 12 episode. At the end of the episode, Maggie waved a flag with the slogan, "Je Suis Charlie."

Deadline reports that "The Simpsons" joined the fray of people and organisations who were deeply affected by the gunning down of the Charlie offices last Jan 7, killing 12, including four cartoonists, as well as injuring 11 others. At the end of its recent episode, "Bart's New Friend," and before the beginning of the final commercial break, Maggie suddenly materialised in front of a red, white and blue sky waving a flat with a printed statement of "Je Suis Charlie." This slogan has spread like wildfire as the news of the massacre broke out, symbolising the solidarity of the French people and that of the whole world against terrorists and oppressors of free expression in general.

The clip may be short, but fans of "The Simpsons" tweeted that they feel empowered. One fan, @CriticalMassTX went to Twitter and claimed that the clip was "unexpectedly powerful." Another called it "heartwarming." There were those who lauded the Simpsons creators.

An interesting tidbit about this episode, "Bart's New Friend" is that it was written way back in 1990, just weeks after the series debuted. The then aspiring writer Apatow wrote the script as a spec, which was way before he became a renowned writer, director, and producer of hit films such as "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up." Apatow is also the executive producer of television comedies "Freaks and Geeks" and "Girls." This is why it is dubbed as "The Simpsons' long-lost episode."

'The Simpsons" showrunner Al Jean explained why it is only now that the script became a reality. "He recently did an interview where he reminded us of it," said Simpsons showrunner Al Jean of the episode showing Homer thinking he's only 10 years old. "I'm always looking for something that gets an emotional story between family members and thought it was great."

Apatow found the execution well done. On his Twitter, the writer praised the writers of "The Simpsons," saying they did amazing work on his "crazy old draft." He said thank you to writers for retaining the heart and soul of the original draft even as they added their "brilliance" on it.

a.dee@ibtimes.com.au