[TV] Simpsons will be getting canned!

[Horrid Crow]

And the series is old, the layout is 20 years old. Family guy is in my opinion far more fun now.

Are you serious? Family Guy is for shallow people. Simpsons is REAL humour.

[Anjerith]

ITT, far too many who see "$400,000 an episode" and have no idea the work that goes into that nor the contribution these people have made to not only billions in revenue for Fox but pop culture as well. It's not far off from the stupidity of the "they get paid millions to play a game" hate mentality. They've been with the Simpsons since it was a series of shorts on the Tracy Ullman show nearly 25 years ago. They're already getting paid A LOT less than if they were the cast of a live action sitcom, especially if it were one that ran for 23 seasons. Guess what? They have bills to pay too, not to mention a whole list of others from agents to publicist to cults and so on not to mention funny Uncle Sam. Really the only people that deserve to get paid more is Matt Groening and James L. Brooks. Most people would find it a huge slap in the face if they helped build something from next to nothing into a global brand and then were told years later to take a pay cut of nearly half their current salary despite the company still raking in high profits.

This SAME THING was tried with the cast of Futurama when it was in the process of being brought back and we know how that ended up working out. Fox is not going to kill what's still a cash cow for them over 15 or so percent. They'll either agree to the reduction the cast is willing to take or find an agreement that's somewhere in between 30-45%. Though I think it's more of a move for Fox to try and cut down on the cast's royalties from merchandising, syndication, ect not not really just their base salary.


At least the cast of the Simpsons has earned their money unlike most politicians..

The cast of the Simpsons essentially got lucky, they (through the work of the writers) landed a mega-success in a time when there were no prime-time cartoons aimed at teens and adults. They then got luckier when they discovered that they could bully Fox into all kinds of ridiculous contracts that assured they would make a killing on them.

Also, I am not really sure where the figures you are tossing around come from but the Voice Actors in the Simpsons make way way waaaay more than the average television performer. It isn't even comparable. As you said, they make a killing on royalties and merchandise as well as their per episode gold mine - Live Actors do not get this sort of monstrous kickback. In fact, many of them talk about how they rarely see any royalties for their work.

[Shakalager]

Jesus those voice actors are overpaid. That is ridiculous....

[Anjerith]

Given how much the show makes, just sounds like Fox is being greedy. I heard about this on the radio the other day and there was talks that they would accept a pay cut but want a % of the shows grosses elsewhere.

I think it is ridiculous to just 'cut their pay lolololol' sounds like corporate douchebaggery.

It's not corporate douchebaggery. Their contracts were negotiated when they were the only show on Fox performing well. The X-files had ended and their other attempt at Prime-time cartoon comedy (The Critic) had flopped. They had Fox by the balls.

Now, Fox has Family Guy, American Dad and The Cleveland Show. Two of these are still performing very strongly (not sure about the other). The Simpsons simply has no leg to stand on when they have an extremely stellar cast on both the other shows and major celebrities and parodies (which cost them money btw) performing as well if not better than Simpsons.

To use a WoW example, it's like you had one super awesome player in your raid for three years. Suddenly, you have that guy and two others that are better than he is. If you have only two raid spots, do you invite the declining player or replace with fresh blood that is willing to keep improving?

[Biggiej]

I think the samething almost happened on the 20th season, the main voice actors demanded a high pay raise or they would not do it. Honestly I am done supporting this show, because it is obviously about the money and not about the fans.

[Anjerith]

Are you serious? Family Guy is for shallow people. Simpsons is REAL humour.

Thats true, a show where the dad has spent over twenty years abusing his son and ignoring/mistreating his wife is REAL humour. They are both equally shallow.

---------- Post added 2011-10-05 at 09:30 PM ----------

I think the samething almost happened on the 20th season, the main voice actors demanded a high pay raise or they would not do it. Honestly I am done supporting this show, because it is obviously about the money and not about the fans.

I went to a fundraiser where Yearley Smith and Nancy Cartwright were raising money for childrens AIDS research. When one of the children they had helping asked if they could do Lisa and Bart for them they declined saying that they were contractually obligated to recieve full compensation anytime they used the voices so they wouldn't be appropriate here.

Thats all I really have to say about the voice actors for The Simpsons.

[balgus82]

i'm on the voice actor's side. none of you would want a 45% pay cut. and it says in the article they were willing to go down a third (which would be about 33% or so), but it wasn't good enough for the executives. I know I sure as heck wouldn't want almost half my pay cut out. and if Fox does the idiotic and cancels the show it'll just end up on comedy central or another cable network like Futurama where it won't be censored as much.

And heck if they were on live action TV they would be payed more. For example by the end of Friends those actors were making a cool million an episode. Simpsons voice actors are making less than half that and if you didn't realize it each of them does more than one character on the show.

Thats true, a show where the dad has spent over twenty years abusing his son and ignoring/mistreating his wife is REAL humour. They are both equally shallow.

---------- Post added 2011-10-05 at 09:30 PM ----------



I went to a fundraiser where Yearley Smith and Nancy Cartwright were raising money for childrens AIDS research. When one of the children they had helping asked if they could do Lisa and Bart for them they declined saying that they were contractually obligated to recieve full compensation anytime they used the voices so they wouldn't be appropriate here.

Thats all I really have to say about the voice actors for The Simpsons.

So they have it in their contract that they have to be paid any time they used the voice so rather than force someone to pay them they decided against it. Yeah that's really evil of them.

[Valrax]

bout time tbh simpsons is old and stale and not funny anymore besides there are better cartoons on like american dad or family guy

I hope you do realize that Family Guy is shit now. American Dad is still pretty good, but Family Guy has become fucking TERRIBLE now, it's hardly worth watching for a quick laugh or two anymore.

[heinevilla]

bout time tbh simpsons is old and stale and not funny anymore besides there are better cartoons on like american dad or family guy

Simpsons is legendary... It is, and will always be funny.

[ergolito]

Wth!? Replace Cleveland Show and you got no sallery problems..

[Pud'n]

I hope you do realize that Family Guy is shit now. American Dad is still pretty good, but Family Guy has become fucking TERRIBLE now, it's hardly worth watching for a quick laugh or two anymore.

^ This so much. I haven't the slightest of clue as to why so many people scoff at American Dad as if it's some cheap Family Guy clone.

[Zecora]

Sad if it goes, though I'm betting Fox will fold. The show has been, and still is, making them billions in revenue. Compared to that, 45 vs. 30% paycuts is peanuts. And yes, while the sums the actors earn is quite enormous by normal standards, they are amoung the ones that have made the show famous, so it's only fair that they get their part of the money pile.

[Skelington]

Simpsons will be a memorable classic, but it went downhill and should have ended a looooong time ago.

[Biggiej]

^ This so much. I haven't the slightest of clue as to why so many people scoff at American Dad as if it's some cheap Family Guy clone.

Yeah I kinda liked American dad a little more once family guy started going on decline, it made me realize some of the key things that show has vs family guy. Roger for one, he beats a depressed bored and dry dog.

[Anjerith]

i'm on the voice actor's side. none of you would want a 45% pay cut. and it says in the article they were willing to go down a third (which would be about 33% or so), but it wasn't good enough for the executives. I know I sure as heck wouldn't want almost half my pay cut out. and if Fox does the idiotic and cancels the show it'll just end up on comedy central or another cable network like Futurama where it won't be censored as much.

And heck if they were on live action TV they would be payed more. For example by the end of Friends those actors were making a cool million an episode. Simpsons voice actors are making less than half that and if you didn't realize it each of them does more than one character on the show.



So they have it in their contract that they have to be paid any time they used the voice so rather than force someone to pay them they decided against it. Yeah that's really evil of them.

I want to point out that Kevin Clash, the voice of Elmo - a character that has made well over what the Simpsons characters have, but for a charity based television station - has the same type of contract but will still do the voice for underprivledged kids. So yes, I would consider that pretty greedy of them to not spout some one-liners to make kids happy when all they have to do is just not ask them for compensation.

And I am sorry but there are way waaay more talented Voice Actors that are lucky to make $300,000.00 a *year* let alone per episode. You talk about getting half your pay cut like you can even be able to say you could share a beer with one of those people. What would you pay be if it were halved? $6.00 ? $12.50? $500.00? Theirs would be $150,000.00. Per week.

You have no credibility when you say that you are on their side because pay cuts suck. They do suck, I imagine that the hundreds of thousands of unemployed people in the US understand that pay cuts suck. These people are neither unemployed nor would they be in any sort of trouble even if the simpsons was taken off the air. They would still be getting their royalty kickbacks for the next 20 years of their lives.

[helusay]

They're voice actors in Hollywood, I doubt they can get a gig better than their current job even with the pay cuts.

You really have no idea who the people are behind the voices of The Simpsons are at all. The majority of them have had decent acting careers and they can do just fine without the show. The best part about it is that since they are voice actors on The Simpsons, they can't really be typecast because the public doesn't really know the faces to the voices. They can all take the money they have earned, walk away and the show will die. Meanwhile, they can just go find something else to do. Or they can just keep collecting royalties from the show that is shown in syndication all over the world.

[Ironhorn]

I thought it was a 45% cut not cent?

[Faerillis]

I loved Simpsons, hell I was raised on the idea of "What would Homer do?" but The Simpsons hasn't been funny since the movie, or perhaps the season after. They should have let it die gracefully as one of the funniest shows on TV, now it's just that one show that's pretty lame.

[helusay]

I loved Simpsons, hell I was raised on the idea of "What would Homer do?" but The Simpsons hasn't been funny since the movie, or perhaps the season after. They should have let it die gracefully as one of the funniest shows on TV, now it's just that one show that's pretty lame.

I agree, they should have stopped the show after the movie and ended it with the 20th season.

[Klora]

I loved Simpsons, hell I was raised on the idea of "What would Homer do?" but The Simpsons hasn't been funny since the movie, or perhaps the season after. They should have let it die gracefully as one of the funniest shows on TV, now it's just that one show that's pretty lame.

As did I. Sadly, I haven't found the show to be funny since ~season 9. It's just sad to see how lame and stupid it's gotten recently.