After 23 seasons, the multi-billion dollar series that is The Simpsons is facing cancellation after the talent and 20th Century Fox have yet to agree on a contract settlement. The new contract, would require the voice actors to receive a 45% pay cut from their current $500K/episode-- talk about roughing it.
As we near the potential end of an era, the question I pose to you is-- does anybody care?
For years, The Simpsons has dominated the Sunday night Prime-Time slot on Fox and I have always wondered why. Call me bias, but I've really never been a fan of the show. Sure, I watched the occasional episode back in the day because it was the only "somewhat" vulgar cartoon on television, but that all ended when South Park and Family Guy hit the scene.
In attempt to remove all prior dispositions of the show, I tuned into Fox to watch the new Halloween Episode last night and, as expected, I found myself disappointed. Although the episode did prove to be more relevant than I had anticipated -- making references to Dexter & I'll give them Avatar even though that craze is well past its prime -- it portrayed relatively the same slap-happy humor I'd seen ten years ago and struggled to get a chuckle out of me.
Audiences today require a greater level of entertainment than the typical "D'OH!" jokes that have forever immortalized The Simpsons. The trend in comedy has definitely shifted toward the dry, educated approach, a style of which appears to be out of The Simpsons scope.
Final Fraze
Putting my personal opinion of The Simpsons aside for a moment, you cannot help but have a degree of respect for a show that has reigned on Prime-Time TV for longer than many of us have been alive. The characters are among the most recognized in television history and the show has acquired a fan base that is second-to-none. With that said, The Simpsons is undeniably past its prime and is beginning to seem like the veteran employee that everyone just wishes would retire. For this reason, I would like to direct my Final Fraze at the Board of Executives over at 20th Century Fox:
Show your most successful franchise some respect, pay the actors, give the fans one more season and pull the plug. #DoItRight
What do you guys think:
Is it time to pull the plug on the Simpsons? Or, more importantly, does anyone really care?
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