They try Grandpa, Patty and Selma, Homer's half-brother Herb Powell (who, for reasons unknown, is now poor again), Kirk and Luann Van Houten, and Cletus and Brandine Spuckler, but Homer and Marge reconsider all of them, and eventually rumors spread through Springfield that they are looking for guardians for their children, to which no one else in Springfield wants to take the job.
Homer and Marge decide to search the shoreline for any childless couples and eventually find Mav, a smooth-talking professional surfer.
He and his wife Portia, an environmental lawyer, both win the hearts of Bart and Lisa, and the couple agrees to become their guardians under the agreement that they borrow the Simpson children for the weekend.
Danny DeVito, who provides the voice for Herb Powell, stated on Twitter in August 2012 that he was going to be recording dialogue for a new episode.
Club giving the episode a C, commenting, "'Changing Of The Guardians' is three mini Simpsons episodes: a comic portrayal of a natural disaster, a well-worn sitcom story with cameos from lots of recurring characters, and a brief tale in which our favorite family is threatened by the Guest Voice Of The Week."
She found it "very difficult to stay tuned in for the whole episode - and that's pretty sad," explaining that "The dullness of the installment lies in the uninspired storytelling.