This week, "The Simpsons" began its 26th season by killing off one of its characters. The announcement of this death got the long-running show back in the headlines, but producer Al Jean admitted this past week that the news was "overhyped."

He was right. The character that got offed was Krusty The Clown's dad, Rabbi Hyman Krustofski. The character has only been shown in a handful of episodes, and every single one centered around Krusty trying to deal with the fact that his father was disappointed in his chosen profession. This week's episode was no different, with nothing new, interesting, or even funny to offer.

But while actual episodes of "The Simpsons" have run out of ideas, the famous "couch gags" at the end of the show's intro have only become more elaborate and creative as the years have gone by. Back in the 90s, the couch gags were relatively simple. The Simpsons would gather on the couch, and something weird would happen. The gags were rarely longer than five seconds. Nowadays, due to the changes in run times that have forced the writers to make shorter stories for their episodes, the couch gags can be as long as two minutes. With this extended time, The Simpsons have had a chance to poke fun at The Hobbit, David Letterman and the theory of evolution.

But the couch gags that have been the most jaw-dropping weren't even created by the show's writers and animators. In recent years, 'The Simpsons' has opened its doors to a wide range of guest animators and directors, who have turned the couch gags into a showcase of bold reinterpretations of the yellow-skinned family. This week's couch gag was created by Don Hertzfeldt, an Oscar-nominated animator most famous for "REJECTED," a series of surrealist fictional TV bumpers and commercials that mock the idea of creating animations for corporate America. Hertzfeldt's couch gag is easily the most twisted moment in Simpsons history, depicting what the show might look like 8,000 years into the future.

This isn't the first time "The Simpsons" has handed over the reins to a special guest. Here's a look at some other times when outsiders brought this venerable show back to its subversive roots:

Sylvain Chomet

Having gained international notoriety after his Oscar nomination for "The Triplets of Belleville," Chomet has become the face of French animation to U.S. film buffs in much the same way that Hayao Miyazaki is the face of anime filmmaking. Chomet seems to recognize this, because in this couch gag he has the Simpsons indulging in the most common French stereotypes around. Homer's snacking on escargot from a KFC bucket, Bart is making foie gras -- to Lisa's horror -- and Marge goes searching for a missing Maggie while violins and accordions play in the background. Big props to Chomet for creating such a radical redesign of Homer's body…though not as radical as THIS:

John Kricfalusi

The God of Gross-Out. The Wizard of Wacky. The Crown Prince of Cartoon Controversy. John K became an idol among 90s kids everywhere through his hit cartoon "Ren & Stimpy." Since then, he's become one of the most outspoken and debated critics of animation, proclaiming to all who would listen his philosophy that creative direction in animation should be held by animators, not writers. He's taken shots at many animated works that have reached "sacred cow" status, including Pixar films, "South Park," and of course, "The Simpsons."

So when Matt Groening came to Kricfalusi to do a couch gag, he agreed on the condition that he do the animation himself instead of having the usual team do it. The result is John K turning a thirty-second couch gag into a statement on his ideals. Nearly every visual trait the Simpsons have is thrown out the window. Gone is the show's strict focus towards staying on-model. Something changes about every character in each frame. John K's interview with Cartoon Brew on the making of this piece is a fascinating read, especially for aspiring animators.

Michal Socha

This one comes from a lesser-known animator, but it is by no means any less brilliant. Polish animator Michal Socha caught the eye of festival judges around the world with his hyperkinetic student short film 'Chick,' which explored what sexuality means to different people and what can happen when two very different definitions collide. Socha used this same black-on-red style in this couch gag to take a fantastic voyage inside Homer's body.

Reach Staff Reporter Jeremy Fuster here or on Twitter.