The version of Cape Feare seen in Act III is not the only story centering on the Simpsons still remembered in the distant post-apocalypse.
Act III's play seems to imply we should be familiar with a number of characters who only briefly show up and die at the start. While we the modern audience undoubtedly are, the people of Act III's era would only know this if there were other stories about Springfield still in circulation. Further evidence of this is that in Act II there are a few other troupes performing Simpsons episodes. It's plausible that there are several plays about the Simpsons-some of which may be Lighter and Softer than the one we see, which would also explain Bart alluding to the Simpsons' more comedic traits which we do not see at any point in Act III. Mr. Burns has been made the main antagonist of several other episodes where he was not in fact the primary villain.
Possible examples below:
- Marge vs. the Monorail-Given Mr. Burns has become a Satanic Archetype by the time of Act III, it wouldn't be too surprising if this episode ultimately became an Origins Episode for Burns, where his arrival into town and promising to build something for their benefit (they may not remember what a monorail is) only for it to prove dangerous would work as a possible adaptation. For bonus points, the adaptation could take some cues from Needful Things or other works involving a Deal with the Devil.
- Sideshow Bob Roberts-While Sideshow Bob does appear to have a separate existence from Burns still, having Burns take over Springfield via deception and attempt to target the Simpsons would certainly fit with how he's portrayed in Act III. It's even possible this episode could be combined with Marge vs. the Monorail with some tweaking, as Bob threatens to demolish the Simpsons' house to build the 'Matlock Expressway', which could easily be instead for the sake of the monorail.
- Various Treehouse of Horror segments-While Burns often is already the main villain in these, it's possible he could be upped even more. Maybe he was behind the zombie apocalypse in Springfield or technology going haywire as the new year dawns in adaptations of the segments.
The original troupe survives the confrontation at the end of Act II and in the aftermath manage to overtake Richard's Couch.
It would explain why Act III's adaptation of Cape Feare takes so many cues from their work and features multiple Call-Back s to their performance and actions. An Earn Your Happy Ending outcome would be fitting given the overall tone of the show and Show Within a Show. Alternatively, the original troupe was destroyed in the confrontation at the end of Act II and call backs to their work is due to another group stealing their materials.
A Downer Ending is ultimately par for the course in this setting, unfortunately. Regardless of what became of the troupe at the end of Act II, their attackers were affiliated with a rival troupe.
Given the Weird Currency that Simpsons episode performances have become, it isn't unthinkable that groups of performers may be willing to resort to drastic measures to take out competitors. It wouldn't be shocking if a rival troupe either directly or indirectly attempted to eliminate our protagonists so as to secure a greater audience share.- It could even be Richard's Couch that did it, which would explain their success in this industry. Perhaps in addition to poaching talent and using resources to acquire scripts and lines, they are willing to resort to violent methods to eliminate the competition or intimidate them into ceding actors or episodes to them.
