Springfield's Most Wanted is a short that has John Walsh, host of America's Most Wanted, goes undercover after getting tips in finding a fugtive wanted in the shooting of one Montgomery Burns.
Yes, if you read this, then you will quickly find out this is not an episode of America's Most Wanted, a show that aims to take down actual fugitives who committed real crimes by using dramatizations of the crimes. This is a short that was scripted and made for the purpose of being a cheap advertisement for The Simpsons. At the time, Fox was marketing the show after the season six finale, where it ends in a cliffhanger where Mr. Burns is shot, by doing a contest in conjunction with 1-800-COLLECT (because it was the 1990's, a decade where companies like AT&T were advertising their long-distance phone services, which probably caused a lot of upset parents that got high phone bills) where the winner would be animated into a Simpsons episode.
Over the years, the special would get a negative light for what it is, a shameless advertisement for The Simpsons' Seventh Season, in which the premiere would answer the question. And I have to agree. While it is okay as a clip show, Fox didn't need to go as far as to get John Walsh involved, as many would go on to claim that this special would do damage to his credibility (I mean, the man hosted a show that is all about getting people to help stop dangerous fugitives). Also, this would go as far as to get expert opinions from people like Darrel Gates, former Los Angeles Police Chief, and even Jimmy Vacarro, oddsmaker from The Mirage Casino in Las Vegas, who has been taking bets on who shot Mr. Burns.
Yeah, when all is said and done, this special was made for its sole purpose: to get people to stay in for the season premiere, which revealed the shooter, as the second part would actually finish first in ratings for the time slot it was on, and the two-part story would go on to become one of The Simpsons' best moments. However, this promotional short won't be one of John Walsh's best moments, as it shows how Fox is willing to cross the line when it comes to advertising their top animated show for adult audiences and how gimmicky it turned out.
