As The Simpsons enters a remarkable 26th season, Jane Fonda and Willem Dafoe are set to lend their voices to two characters in storylines pivotal to the main characters in the show.

The Simpsons

Fonda will play grumpy millionaire, Mr. Burn's, girlfriend, while Dafoe will have the daunting task of being Bart's new teacher, Mr Lassen, although he has a few surprises in store for Bart that are sure to make his school life even more of a living hell. We know we’d rather be in charge of terrorising Bart than fraternising with ol' Burnsy. 

More: 5 of The Best Animated Matriarchs (Animatriachs?) Now That Marge Simpson is The Face of MAC Make-Up

Elsewhere, Sarah Silverman and Nick Offerman are among the guest voices on  The Simpsons this fall, as well as David Hyde Pierce, who has already voiced Sideshow Bob's brother Cecil. He will return as a guest voice in a special episode written by director and producer Judd Apatow.

But for all the new celebrity voices joining the cast, the sad fate of either Krusty The Clown or his father Rabbi Hyman Krustofski will be realised soon. Al Jean revealed as much when he sat down at a Television Critics Association panel yesterday (July 20) and confirmed that the impending doom for one major character would take place in an episode entitled, “A Clown in The Dumps” adding that the clues were “obvious”. Farewell Krusty, (or his dad – hope it’s his dad). 

Krusty The ClownNot Krusty...

This is also the season in which we’ll see the much-anticipated crossover in which the Simpsons meet the Griffin family from Seth Macfarlane’s Family Guy. We’ll also see a Simpsons/Futurama episode, feature Billy West, John DiMaggio, Katey Sagal, Maurice LaMarche, Phil LaMarr, Lauren Tom and Tress MacNeille in November.