Simpsons cast on strike

[KCJ506]

Apparently the cast of the Simpsons want more money.

 

[Luke]

Yeah and you know they already get more than most sitcom stars who appear on camera. Personally i think they should go back to work. The last time this happened Fox started looking around for replacement voice actors.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

Actually Luke, that's not true. They currently pull in $125,00 per episode - most sitcom actors make much more than that on US shows that are half as successful as the Simpsons and many actors on popular long running shows like the cast of Friends or Ray Romano make $1 million per episode or more.

I think they're being fair. The cast's contracts expired several months ago and they had been working without one so they're not walking out in the middle of their deal like a lot of TV stars do - they are in legal strike position it seems. They only made $30,000 per episode until the last time they walked off the set in 1998 which is close to minimum wage for the star of a TV series. You have to remember that actor's salaries are based on how much money they generate for a company and the Simpsons is a series that Fox has made hundreds of millions off of.

Unless Fox decides to replace them I'd guess they'll settle for something like $200 - $250 thousand per episode.

 

[Beauregard]

Cool! What happens when they run out of episodes?

 

[BoyRaisin2]

That can happen?

 

[AndyWan Kenobi]

I think it's only fair for them to negotiate for more money. The Simpsons has become something of a historic landmark of American television, and the cast is a huge part of the show's success. Go Simpsons voice actors!!

 

[Beauregard]

That can happen?

You better believe it...nah.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

That can happen?

It won't. They are currently producing the 16th season. If the actors stay away too long they'll replace them, which would be a shame. I read in the National Post today that the series is actually worth well over $1 billion in syndication alone to Fox so the cast's demands really do seem kinda modest.

Maybe they should take Homer's advice though:

"Lisa, people shouldn't go on strike because they hate their jobs. They should just show up every day and do a really crappy job. That's the American way."​

I can't remember which episode that is from, but I read it quoted somewhere today.

 

[Drtooth]

I remember a joke on some obscure 98 cartoon show, where this hunchback named Igor was settling his contract with the mad scientist he worked for.

"Come on! I'll haggle, and you'll cave in to my demands.... just like the cast of the Simpsons!"

 

[AndyWan Kenobi]

There was a great Simpsons moment shortly after the earlier contract dispute when Homer made a comment about how nobody knows when they replace voice actors. Then they had Flanders drop by and speak in a completely different voice. Also, around that time, they had Bart writing on the blackboard "I will not demand what I'm worth..."