The TV news-o-sphere has been buzzing for the last day or so about reports that Fox has threatened to stop producing new episodes of The Simpsons if its voice actors do not accept a substantial—as in, nearly by half—pay cut. Considering that the show has been one of TV’s biggest successes since it began life as a cave painting at Lascaux, I can see lay viewers thinking that Fox is poormouthing the show to save a buck. But while I have not looked inside their books, I can see a point, at least. Shows get more expensive the longer they’re on the air; the ratings are not what they used to be; and there are so many Simpsons episodes in existence that the original series may have passed the point of diminishing returns as a source of repeats.
My gut tells me that this ends with the show staying on air anyway; it’s a sweet deal for the actors even if they get gouged in negotiations, and it’s still a pride-and-branding hallmark for Fox even if it’s losing money on originals. (Go to any Fox network upfront and see how lavishly it uses the show’s images to identify the network to advertisers.)
The one thing that would be an absolutely horrible outcome, however, would be if, as Fox has threatened in the past, it replaces its voice actors with new ones.
