Cool News
SIMPSONS Renewed
Through Season 25!!
Apu will sling slushies at least until 2014.
Fox has secured a deal that will keep the core cast of “The Simpsons” voicing Homer, Marge, Bart, et al into the show’s 25th season.
Los Angeles Times sources indicate that while each of the six core actors are receiving nearly half a million dollars per episode for the current, 23rd season, they will only receive a quarter million per episode for the 24th and 25th seasons.
The cuts were reportedly made because declining ratings reduced the number of ad dollars the show can garner.
Find all of the Times’ story on the matter here.
Readers Talkback
comments powered by Disqus-
+ Expand All
-
Woohoo
-
Ay Caramba!
-
More Simpsons!
-
*runs away from computer*
-
You can't feed a family on $250,000 an episode anymore. What does Fox think this is, the 1950s?
-
..."Who knows what adventures will befall the Simpson family until the show becomes unprofitable?" That quote was uttered FIFTEN FUCKING YEARS AGO.
-
..."Kill it! KILL IT.....!"
-
I know talkback posts are usually really positive or really negative, yet I say this without any kind of judgement on the show. I'm not saying I know everyone on the planet, yet I don't know a single person that has watched The Simpsons' new episodes in the past few years at least. Adults old and young. Teenagers. Kids. At least from my small perspective, I don't know who watches it anymore. Obviously there must be a loyal and/or young audience for the show, but it remains a mystery to me.
-
Oct. 7, 2011, 11:28 p.m. CST
To all the people complaining about how much money the voice actors make..
by cerberus
Did you ever wonder why it is so easy to find out how much money the talent makes and yet it is next to impossible to find out how much ownership makes? It's the same thing in sports. We get bombarded with numbers telling us how much an athlete makes but I dare you to try to get a look at the team's books. Folks, I know that the voice actors make a lot of money but it is just a drop in the bucket compared to how much Fox is making. If it wasn't for The Simpsons Fox as we know it wouldn't even exist. They are betting that they can just throw the numbers out there and we will all turn on the talent because we are broke. The plan seems to be working
-
never watch it anymore anyway
-
Will just be a sad day when it ends. Hell Simpsons are still better than what %80 of television. What would you rather watch? Two and a half men? Big Bang Theory? The intro to the Simpsons is funnier than those shows.
-
They should be paying ME to watch.
-
put the bong down next time..
-
From Shearer's comments, he seemed to indicate that he would ONLY sign on (& for willingly more of a cut than they wanted, something like 75%) if Fox agreed to let the actors in on back end percentage (or at least just himself), an idea which I thought was not only reasonable and fair, it was JUST. Can we assume that since they signed, that they (or he) got the back end deal? Why am I going to say I guess not...
-
I would watch it on Sunday night, tape it, and then again at lunch on Monday and maybe again Tuesday. Bought most of the action figures and dioramas when they came out. Had at least 10 Tshirts. Had the big cast poster on wall, and in puzzle form. Was a regular poster and contributor on rec.tv.simpsons and the full episode guides on snpp.com. Bought all the CD games and the console games. Trading Cards. You name it. I think it fell out of favour with me around the time Phil Hartman died, and Futurama came about. Got a new girlfriend who wasnt into the Simpsons, so there went the action figures and Tshirts. I can't speak much on the decline in quality of the show, especially in the last decade or so, as I've pretty much stopped watching it - lack of free time, work, and a general disdain for regular prime time TV and commercials, etc, so I just don't make the effort anymore to try and catch it. Just looked at the Epsiode guide...yeah , season 9 was about when I tuned out...but Season 8 was chock full of some of my favorites ever..Sherri Bobbins, Mountains of Madness, Homer's Enemy, Poochie, You Only Move Twice.
-
You can tell they hired some new blood that wanted to inject the show with new ideas and set the simpsons back on track. There's some killer jokes in season 22. And some real creativity. Like the Angry Dad: The Movie episode. Loved the George C. Scott 'Hardcore' reference in that ep too!
-
That doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement. I generally don't have a problem turning off the fucking television entirely and simply finding something else to do. Anyway, I'm not going to say that the voice actors don't deserve what they're getting, and I'm not going to say that the show should be cancelled. Hell...I haven't watched an episode in years. So even if it does get cancelled, it's not like it would make any difference to me since I don't watch it in the first place.
-
Oct. 8, 2011, 1:28 a.m. CST
It got a lot better after the movie came out. It's like they started caring again.
by little_lebowski
-
Maybe an end date is just what they need to up their game. If they know for a fact that the 25th Season is going to be their last,I can see them pulling out all the stops-and hopefully bringing back some of their best writers-and going out in a blaze of glory. And maybe one more movie? Please?????
-
Oct. 8, 2011, 1:53 a.m. CST
The had to wait for Hank Azaria's show to be cancelled for him (and the cast) to cave in.
by Meta
Don't feel bad for them. They are still the highest paid actors on TV based on an hourly salary basis. $250,000 per episode for 12 hours work is pretty sweet. Even if the producers, directors and TV network are making a shit-load more money than the actors, I don't give a shit (and honestly some of them aren't). 1) They work more than the actors do on the program on a weekly basis. 2) They took a chance to create and put the show on the air, so they in effect the owners, investors and proprietors of the work. They have the right to reap the rewards of their work.
-
HAVE NO FEARS,THEY'VE GOT STORIES FOR YEARS!!!!!
-
Oct. 8, 2011, 2:41 a.m. CST
The unspoken truth here is that 25 will probably be the end of the line.
by cookepuss
Honestly, what other animated show will reach their record? They pass ep.500 this upcoming February. Season 25 will probably put them past 550. Unless FOX really wants to push it for a few more years beyond that to break Gunsmoke's 635 record, 25 will probably be the last. The only other way I can see them renewing it past 2014 would be if their McFarlane night starts tanking or the Flintstones reboot fails to take off. Simpsons, while often still funny, is just tired at this point. There's little else they can do without radically shaking up the show and "cousin Oliver"ing it. I still love the Simpsons, but it's time for it to go. 25 is more than enough.
-
The Simpsons hasn't been worth a damn since the Who Shot Mr. Burns angle. If the ratings have declined so much that it causes all of this they should just let it die already. Because, man, when it's gone it's gone. When it was good it was good, but that was 20 years ago.
-
Man, fuck Fox.
-
Oct. 8, 2011, 4:23 a.m. CST
I’m normally not a praying man, but if you’re up there...
by buffywrestling
Please save me, Superman.
-
If a cow ever got the chance, he’d eat you and everyone you care about.
-
Homer: Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. Lisa, honey, are you saying you're never going to eat any animal again? What about bacon? Lisa: No. Homer: Ham? Lisa: No. Homer: Pork chops? Lisa: Dad! Those all come from the same animal! Homer: Yeah, right Lisa. A wonderful, magical animal.
-
Bart's a vampire, beer kills brain cells. Now let's go back to that... building... thingie... where our beds and TV... is.
-
I was worried for all those multi-millionaires there for a minute...especially in this economy.
-
*BLAM* Bart: Dad, you killed the zombie Flanders! Homer: Flanders was a zombie??
-
Oct. 8, 2011, 8:06 a.m. CST
People forget how controversial this show was when it debuted in 1989
by BoyNamedSue
The fact that cartoon characters said "Hell" and "damn" on prime time television-not to mention Bart using the word "you suck" was a lightening rod for controversy in the late 80s/early 90s. My parents wouldn't allow me to watch without their supervision (now we have South Park and Family Guy, which are XXX material compared to The Simpsons). I lost interest in this show around Season 3. I watched the movie....and was NOT impressed. The show is LONG outdated, and it's best to put it out to pasture soon. I would think having 25 years worth of reruns would be enough comfort for Die-Hard fans!!!
-
Oct. 8, 2011, 8:14 a.m. CST
Seth McFarlane is denied an entire 2-hour block for at least 2 years
by sofaking
The Simpsons made Fox into the ungrateful behemoth it is today. They can't "afford" it anymore, because Seth will do it for cheaper, crappier, and still get ratings. All that shit aside, American Dad is actually funny this season.
-
You got it, mon! In fact, severely reduced pay all around!
-
It did have some creativity (the 'don't let Ricky Gervais host' bit still kills me), but it also had that "Mixar" scene which, so help me God, was a gay joke away from being an outtake from a Friedberg/Seltzer movie. Talk about lazy.
-
do there ratings matter? Obviously most shows on American TV needs good ratings for advertisements and what not. But the Simpsons is shown all over the world. They have to be making more money from that than a new show just shown in America with great ratings makes from advertisement, no?
-
And think the actors are amazing, I haven't actually seen an episode in years. They're probably getting away with murder since viewership is down. Still amazing it's been on since I was in high school.
-
Oh yeah?
-
Oct. 8, 2011, 10:36 a.m. CST
Al Davis is dead! Where is the obit? He played the Skexxis in Dark Crystal
by Hey_Kobe_Tell_Me_How_My_Ass_Tastes
That gotta be worth an obit!
-
30 from now, people will still remember the Simpsons. Not so much for Family guy. American Dad is by far the best of the Mcfarlane stuff. It's the one he has the least influence on...
-
Oct. 8, 2011, 11:25 a.m. CST
At this point, any McFarlane show is funnier than the Simpsons
by OutsideChance
Even Cleveland. That's how bad Zombie Simpsons is these days. And anyone defending it by saying "well it's better than 80 percent of the rest of TV" apparently doesn't realize that 90 percent of what's on TV is crap.
-
Oct. 8, 2011, 11:46 a.m. CST
@professorjack: You bring up a good point. Simpsons ratings may not matter as much as FOX claims. They're less a show and more a brand these days.
by cookepuss
Keeping on the air just keeps their brand alive. Whether people watch them in droves or not, they're still a 22 minute commercial for toys, t-shirts, and decades worth of DVD material. It's quite possible that any money they earn off of advertiser support is far outweighed by merchandising and licensing. Keeping them on the air simply keeps that revenue stream going. Regardless, with a 3.0 rating this past week and a 3.9 the week prior, I find it hard to believe that FOX is struggling to make production costs. Those are still solid & respectable numbers. Most of the new series aren't pulling that and Simpsons is doing it after 20+ years. At almost 400k, the six of them were collectively making $2.4m per episode. That's only a bit more than Charlie Sheen was reportedly making by himself and they're splitting it between 6 people. Granted, TaHM pulls in bigger numbers, but I still think that FOX is greatly exaggerating about their financial bind and simply undervaluing their voice actors. Let's face it, how much money does FOX stand to gain from this show compared to what they actually pay to produce it? Simpsons is not exactly a huge sci-fi spectacle that costs a bajillion dollars to produce weekly. It's an animated show that's been on decades. We probably don't even notice it anymore when they recycle frames or blocks of animation. FOX is just being cheap. They've got this big 2-3 hour block on Sunday and they're running out of space. They're looking to push the old timer out and push in something newer, cheaper, and vastly inferior. They forget that they still need the Simpsons. Family Guy and the rest may still be popular, though tired, but Simpsons is still a Sunday touchstone. It's hard to believe that their Sunday lineup wouldn't collapse in short order without it. Can you imagine kicking of FOX Sunday with Simpsons? I can't.
-
Oct. 8, 2011, 12:06 p.m. CST
I would rather stare at a Burger King wrapper with the Simpsons on it...
by Jobacca
Than actually watch a McFarlane show(American Dad excluded...but even thats not better than the worst Simpsons)
-
Oct. 8, 2011, 12:13 p.m. CST
The actors demanding more money leaves a bad taste....especially since the quality has been declining steadily
by Bobo_Vision
Now when you watch the show, you'll be conscious of the spoiled millionaires voicing characters which are only a fraction as funny as they used to be.
-
Oct. 8, 2011, 12:58 p.m. CST
The Simpsons is like those older women who still go out clubbing
by Billy_D_Williams
trying to pick up young studs...they're old, saggy, not what they used to be. a sad sight
-
they were fighting not to take a pay cut. Sure, they will still make more for one episode than most of us will make in the next 5 years. However, it is interesting that we know the exact numbers for what the cast was making, and are making, yet not what each episode costs to make overall, or the amount of money Fox makes off the show (let alone all the merchandise). Is the show really that unprofitable now that the main cast had to take a 40% pay cut, or is it that Fox needs more money to pay off some less-than-successful properties? What was the cost of the Terra Nova pilot again? Methinks Homer took a paycut so Senore Spielbergo could get paid.
-
Oct. 8, 2011, 1:16 p.m. CST
Why shouldn't the actors take a pay cut? The ratings are down
by OutsideChance
They want to be paid on the show's value. The value is down. Seems fair to me.
-
This talkback, not the Simpsons. and that was hilarious. Family Guy is *hateful*. .... says the guy on AICN. Posting. Some of you people are like that guy you know at work that makes everyone laugh and he has no clue why. Yeeeeah... that's why.
-
they're just spoiled powerless actors living in gilded cages but Fox is the puppetmaster. Fox is the Man and I hate the Man.
-
So let me get this straight. For probably a few days of work per week, the team that voices Simpsons family gets paid $12m a season - AND THEY WANT MORE MONEY?! Wow. You people are the voice talent - you don't write the show, you don't draw it, you don't storyboard it, and you don't direct it. So WHY THE F do you think you deserve even more when your viewership is down more than 25%?! God I hate greedy fuckers. Think about this too - the show has been on for 20+ years. I am guessing that these people have made several hundred mil off of this show already. <sighs>
-
I have a real problem watching the syndicated ones daily. They won't go into the 90's or earlier. All Simpsons shown is 2000ies, and are a very poor shadow of it's former self. My parents died as hardcore fans. I miss both of my families very much.
-
packaged in a Simpsons On A Couch box and retailing for a paltry $999.99
-
Try squishee.
-
on $¢ientology. The rest of the cast are probably set for life with or without further seasons.
-
The show has been great since the movie/since it went HD. Clearly got some new blood. Last season was really strong. I actually enjoyed The Simpsons more than Family Guy the next two years. Look, any show that runs this long will have ups and downs. We're on the upswing again. I'm all for taking it out to season 30. Three decades of Simpsons!
-
that should have said the LAST two years.
-
I love cartoons, I grew up and became a cartoonist because of that childhood love of animated television shows and the Simpsons was number 1. As much as I tired and wished that it could remain my favourite show, it declined rapidly long ago, around season 11. It just got TOO wacky, too stupid. The storylines were bare thread, just enough to link a bunch of unfunny scenes together. Family Guy does this but at least the scenes that it is threading together are funny most of the time. The early Simpsons episodes had great storylines. The Simpsons was a great sitcom and because it was an animation it has the freedom to go anywhere it wanted but that freedom became its downfall, it just got too surreal, and worst of all, un funny. Basically after hundreds of episodes, they've ran out of storylines (as South Park pointed out once, The Simpsons have done it all). I think seeing the kids grow up, maybe even to adults with their own children, would renew interest in the show in a big way,and also give the writers a lot more fresh scope. Bart should be about 30 now if you aged him from when the show first started. I say make Maggie a teenager, Bart a Dad, Homer can be old man crazy and bring in some fresh characters. This is what needs to be done
-
And if they cant do that then they should retire the series and just do a movie every couple of years
-
They should do a spoof of 'Melancholia' and have a planet crash into the earth, destroying it. Now that's a series ending.
-
Yeardly Smith? She's played TWO different characters on Mad Men. Now that's range and respect, my friend!!!
-
I love hearing behind the scenes stuff from The Simpsons. The commentaries on the dvds are some of the best I've ever heard.
-
Who do you imagine is reading every word of your posts? I got about halfway into the first sentence and thought "Oh, another one of these" and skipped it. Nobody cares when you or anybody think the simpsons went downhill.
-
I still adore this show more than any other on TV. I hope the channel really does happen.
-
agree intro is funnier than most crap on tv, last Sundays was pretty wild. That new Allen Gregory looks atrocious.....Lets get some more Bobs Burgers!
-
25 is a nice and beautiful number to end on. they should really consider making that the final season. maybe do something they ever have and make a season long arc for a finale or something.
-
Should have held out for what they wanted or let Fox end it. I'm kind of bummed that they took the pay cut without getting any of the back end money like they wanted. <p> Also, anybody who thinks that they don't know how well paid they are for such an easy job should read Harry Shearer's statement. They know, but that's not the point. Fox has already made BILLIONS and will make many more of them over the next fifty years or so (if not longer). The voice actors really weren't asking for much in the grand scheme of things. But, ya know, its Fox. They're all about being fair and balanced. *cough*
-
when it looked like the series was on its last legs, it will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.
-
Or maybe The Simpsons should go cable only.
-
The fucking Goo Goo Dolls. Unbelievable. And you knew it was coming too. There's no other answer for it. The Goo Goo Dolls MUST BE superb songwriters. I'm not going to fight it any longer. You can cross this country from coast to coast and motherfuckers STILL go on about the Goo Goo Dolls. 50 years from now, when our astronauts are walking the surface of Mars, they'll radio back, "We'd like to dedicate this mission to the Goo Goo Dolls."
-
There are points from simpsons fans, ex-fans, and non-fans making valid comments on all sides. How exactly is that a joke? Family guy IS hateful sometimes. Look at the Michael J. Fox skit recently. According to you the actual ACT of posting a comment here is, by it's very nature, hateful. Regardless of who posts it, or what the subject is. Except YOU don't fall into that category... Right? Some posters just make everyone laugh and they have no idea why. That's you in this talkback gotilk. Here's your special hat. Oh I'm sorry... Was that too HATEFUL?
-
they were fighting a pay cut. They were willing to take a pay cut if they could get a piece of the back end. In the end they took the pay cut but didn't get the profit sharing. If, as you say, viewership is down 25%, why then should they take an almost 50% pay cut? If the show is no longer profitable for Fox, why doesn't Fox just give them a percentage of said profits in exchange for up-front pay? 5% of nothing is nothing, so no skin of Fox's nose. Yes, they have made tens of millions, possibly hundreds of millions from the show but that pales to how much Fox has made off it.
-
Oct. 9, 2011, 10:41 a.m. CST
Just because Fox has made billions doesn't mean the voice actors should get more money
by Bobo_Vision
The writers and animators should get more. I guess the voice actors assume they are replaceable, but actors are replaced on sitcoms all the time...like the Mom on Fresh Prince of Bel Air...or the sister on Roseanne. It would be even easier to replace voice actors because there are countless people out there who do spot on impressions of Simspons characters.
-
Oct. 9, 2011, 10:42 a.m. CST
That should read....the voice actors assume they aren't replaceable
by Bobo_Vision
-
Oct. 9, 2011, 12:33 p.m. CST
bobo_vision, I'm not professing intimate knowledge of the issue...
by Jaka
...but I believe the voice actors are the only parties involved who are not (have not, will not) get a piece of the profits. That was their argument all along. And there is no way they could be replaced. Those voices are so distinct after 23 (plus) years that it would be ridiculous to replace them. It would be pointless, obvious and likely hated to the extreme. It was either a pay cut, or the show ended.
-
Oct. 9, 2011, 2:52 p.m. CST
For people claiming the Simpsons voice cast are easilly replacable...
by Nasty In The Pasty
...when was the last time you heard a Bugs Bunny voice that came within shouting distance of Mel Blanc?
-
Oct. 9, 2011, 3:37 p.m. CST
Mel Blanc WAS replaced by several actors after his death who voiced Bugs Bunny
by Bobo_Vision
Such as Jeff Bergman, Billy West, and others...and they did a solid job. That said, nothing replaces the magic of the original Looney Tunes cartoons, but not because of the voices. The animation and writing changed and lack lustre and cheap. I'm not a fan of Tiny Toons.
-
Damn you, Steve Jobs.
-
While I admit I am one of those early big fans who slowly tuned out after 8, 9, 10 seasons. And I still kind of feel bad about it cuz I WANT to like it. All of that said, I am happy to hear that it may go out on a nice round number like 25 years. Even not watching it, I think it will feel weird when we no longer have new episodes.
-
Oct. 9, 2011, 4:01 p.m. CST
=I lost interest in this show around Season 3. I watched the movie....and was NOT impressed. The show is LONG outdated=
by KilliK
EXACTLY THAT.!
-
Oct. 9, 2011, 5:53 p.m. CST
no one cares what you hate. go bitch about something worthwhile, not the social relevence of a cartoon
by darth nihilus
-
Oct. 9, 2011, 5:54 p.m. CST
and if it wasn't for the Simpsons, none of that other garbage would even exist
by darth nihilus
-
The Simpsons is better now than it's been in the past 15 years. Deal with it. The people complaining often admit that they "haven't watched in the past decade, at least." Also, what would it be replaced with? Another animated sitcom family? Big deal. Part of the reason I don't watch American Dad (which seems to be a fairly competently-run show, at the end of the day) is that I just don't have the inclination at this point in my life to get invested in another fictional, cartoon family. Might as well keep it Simpsons until Harry Shearer dies of old age.
-
for the crew and animators, who need the jobs a lot more than spoiled fucking millionaire actors and producers. I haven't watched the show for ten years and don't plan to watch its final seasons.
-
It's unbelievable to me that no one up until you managed to grasp that fact. It's not just the people at the top, it's also the worker bees squeaking by at the bottom. I'm one of them (not on the Sipmsons, but- elsewhere). I do know someone working on this show at Film Roman, and this is good news for them.
-
Oct. 10, 2011, 1:38 a.m. CST
BTW- People bitching about it that haven't watched it in years:
by Playkins
It's as funny right now as Seasons 1-8. Yeah, it had a lull, but it's back. You should tune in again.
-
They're scrambling to save The Simpsons (which I haven't found funny in years, and yet they're doing their absolute damndest to kill Fringe? FUCK YOU FOX.
-
... give a flying fuck about whether this stupid show still exists or not? It reminds me of Peanuts--a cute little daily strip that eventually died and lumbered on as a zombified version of itself for many decades after it should have been laid to rest. But then, I suppose that as long as children, elderly peeps, and the mentally-challenged continue to tune in out of habit, they might as well keep cranking out new ones.
-
Oct. 10, 2011, 1:27 p.m. CST
Of all the Simpsons quotes I can think of, they are always from the early, best years, 1-11?.
by ZodNotGod
Ralphie Wiggum- "My doctor says i wouldnt have so many nose bleeds if I keep my finger outta there." "The children are correct ot laugh at you, Ralph. Those scissors couldn't cut through hot butter." "I Bent my Wookiee." "Tastes like burning." "Sleep! That's where I'm a Viking!" Phil Hartman's death/Armin Tazmarian is about the time the show dropped from brilliance to just another animated series.
-
probably watch Leno and think he's still funny too.
-
Oct. 10, 2011, 3:21 p.m. CST
zodnotgod: Sure, zod. Because you are PERSONALLY the barometer of funny.
by Playkins
I'd love to know if you watch Family Guy.
-
Suggesting they would be pretty easy to replace with a simple talent search... They could have even done an American Idol type show with the New Simpson Voice Actors... 2000 Homers would have shown up.
Top Talkbacks
- Spoilery early review of MAN OF STEEL!! -- 483 total posts 65 posts
- Capone believes that FAST & FURIOUS 6 is the best in a bizarre, crowded franchise!!! -- 124 total posts 58 posts
- Beware Epileptics - we have a new motion poster for the upcoming remake of CARRIE! -- 105 total posts 45 posts
- New trailer for Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara's upcoming western, AIN'T THEM BODIES SAINTS!! -- 74 total posts 33 posts
-
HERCULES ON THE RADIO!!
Learn What Ain’t It Cool’s TV Critic Thinks About The New WOLVERINE Trailer, Soderbergh’s CANDELABBRA, FURIOUS 6, HANGOVER III, EPIC, GAME OF THRONES, MAD MEN And More!! Listen And Call In LIVE Saturday 8pm PT/11pm ET!! -- 29 total posts 29 posts - The INDY 500 Featurette about TURBO proves that Ferrari moves at a Snail's Pace! -- 34 total posts 27 posts
- Jim Jarmusch's vampire flick ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE gets picked up for U.S. distribution by Sony Pictures Classics!! -- 38 total posts 24 posts
- Capone makes the case that THE HANGOVER PART III is neither a comedy nor a movie!!! -- 83 total posts 24 posts
- The Friday Docback Revisits DOCTOR WHO Season 7!! A Fuller Review Of 'The Name of the Doctor,' And More!! -- 97 total posts 22 posts
- Harry dives into STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS' spoilers to reveal the truth behind the blockbuster we're seeing! -- 1493 total posts 22 posts