Josh Weinstein

One thing about the new animated series Sit Down, Shut Up (premiering this Sunday) that may be of interest to Simpsons geeks is that this show marks the breakup of one of the best-loved writing/producing teams from the show. It was supposed to be produced by Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein, who wrote many scripts for The Simpsons and ran the show in seasons 7 and 8. (Those are often considered the last of the “classic” seasons; the duo is also well-liked for their articulate, passionate commentaries, where they really seem to understand the show the way fans understand it.) They also created the one-season animated show Mission Hill, which has a deserved cult following as a late-’90s time capsule. But Oakley left Sit Down, Shut Up during pre-production, and Weinstein stayed.