By now you have read about the crisis in Springfield, USA. Fox Television says it can’t continue to produce its long-running animated hit series, The Simpsons, under the current cost model. It wants the cast to take a big pay cut, reportedly 45%.
The Simpsons franchise generates hundreds of millions in profits annually. But not enough, apparently. Seems the producers want to squeeze more profit out of Homer and his gang, and the cast wants a piece of the action.
First run syndication. Reruns. Merchandise. DVD sales. Video games. Feature Films. The Simpsons is a cash cow with many teats.
Voice actors narrating main characters Homer (Dan Castellaneta), Marge (Julie Kavner), Bart (Nancy Cartwright) and Lisa (Yeardley Smith) currently earn about $8 million each per season. The cast tried to negotiate a 30 percent pay cut in return for a portion of the show’s profits.
No deal. No surprise.
Nothing is ever simple with Homer and this situation is no exception. News Corp, Fox Television, 20th Century Fox Television. License fees. Rerun arrangements. Declining viewership. It’s complicated. But in the end it’s all about money. The producers want more. Fox Television wants more. The cast wants more.
Perfect metaphor for our times. Whatever it is, it is never enough. Wall Street profits. Campaign funds. Government handouts. Facebook friends. You get the idea. We are a needy bunch.
In what will be either the season finale or the series finale airing next year, look for art to imitate life with some reference to a labor dispute. The writers won’t be able to resist the storyline. And who better to voice the demands of the Aggrieved and Greedy Everyman?
Homer Simpson is a caricature of the Inner Pea Brain that operates on occasion within each of us.
Tags: 20th Century Fox Television, Dan Castellaneta, Fox Television, Homer Simpson, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, News Corp, The Simpsons, Tom Donovan, voice acting, voice actor, Voice Over, Yeardley Smith
