Shearer Quits "The Simpsons"

[MNM]

Damn it, I'm late to the thread to join everyone else in saying how long its been since I watched th Simpsons and yet at the same time how I know the most current episodes are poor...

Mrs. Krabapple was actually killed off. Poor Ned...

If they have the balls, they could go really dark with this. Have him commit suicide (one Shearer character dealt with) over the loss of a second wife and show how this affects his sons, the Simpsons and Springfield's community.

But I don't think they would go there.

Of course they wont go there, it's not that type of show, to think otherwise seems silly.

It's a blow to the show he's leaving, I dont see how you can retire all of these characters without irrovecably changing it.

Though they could use thise to get rid of those characters and bring in the Futurama guys (the characters * voice actors). I'd love that regardless of if it would work for the show or not!

 

[Amaris]

I think you're right

He does voices. We're not talking about the worlds leading brain surgeon quitting. We're talking about a man who "does a funny voice" quitting.

If this were about a hospital, you'd have a point, but it's about a cartoon show where one of the leaving cast members is the voice of a significant number of major characters on the show.

Point being Shearer's importance to the Simpsons is not that profound. Had they, for example, kept this announcement quiet and replaced him with quality voice actors, I doubt you'd even have noticed. I think his celebrity is more important to the Simpsons than the actual voices he provides. That loss will be felt more acutely than the change of voice actor

And so the entire field of voice acting is dismissed, as if it were not a studied and practiced creative craft. Shearer and the rest of the cast's performances gave the characters the personalities they have, and that has shaped the writing in turn. That was why, when Fox threatened to replace the main cast in 1998, the voice acting community largely supported the actors and refused to audition, because they were insulted that Fox thought their contribution was so superficial that they could just plug in another actor. That was why, when Phil Hartman died, his characters were retired, and likewise Marcia Wallace. There's a lot more going on than reading lines in a "funny voice."

Never understood the tendency to write off voice actors as so easily replaced. Voice-only or not, they're still actors and crucial parts of any production.

Indeed they are. Good VAs are highly prized, and showrunners are generally loathe to replace them.

 

[Peach Wookiee]

Mrs. Krabapple was actually killed off. Poor Ned...

If they have the balls, they could go really dark with this. Have him commit suicide (one Shearer character dealt with) over the loss of a second wife and show how this affects his sons, the Simpsons and Springfield's community.

But I don't think they would go there.

Not only would that ruin the show, but it would be out of character. A devout guy like Ned would consider suicide a sin, and wouldn't even think about it.

As to the idea that some have said now would be a good time to end the show. If they did, maybe they'd release a complete series set on DVD, and we could finish our collections.

Then again, devout people have been known to just lose it...

 

[RandyS]

If they have the balls, they could go really dark with this. Have him commit suicide (one Shearer character dealt with) over the loss of a second wife and show how this affects his sons, the Simpsons and Springfield's community.

But I don't think they would go there.

Not only would that ruin the show, but it would be out of character. A devout guy like Ned would consider suicide a sin, and wouldn't even think about it.

As to the idea that some have said now would be a good time to end the show. If they did, maybe they'd release a complete series set on DVD, and we could finish our collections.

Then again, devout people have been known to just lose it...

True, but I still think it would be out of character for Ned.

 

[Ethros]

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5ffaTv4ajg[/yt]

 

[JirinPanthosa]

It would neither be in character nor a good idea for the show to have Ned Flanders commit suicide. Though I wouldn't mind having him move away and have a new neighbor move in.

 

[Kirby]

Remember when Journey hired a signer because the saw him on YouTube and he sounded more like Steve Perry than the previous guy?
They'll find plenty of people who can do spot-on Skinner, Burns and Flanders voices for about 1/1000th the cost of Shearer. I'm sure Frank Calliendo is practicing his Smithers voice right now.

 

[tharpdevenport]

You know, I thought aobut this more.


This just shows how little the producers and even FOX care about the show now. Ten, fifteen years ago they would never have dared to do this -- they would have ponied up or did what it took to keep him.

A new article reported the some at the production sia dthey offered Shearer the same amount as everybody else, so why would a replacement or replacement people get a lower pay? Why not fire more people anbd highter cheaper labor? If nobody there gives a shit, why not save some big bucks? If a voices are so interchangable and the person doesn't matter, the uproar from fans will die out and they'll get over it, and the newer generation of fans won't give a shit at all (which is what most new fans of things seem to be good at).


And there is no end in sight. Do they honestly think these people want to do this their whole lives or would even survive it? After a while, regardless of pay, a job can get tiring and repetitive.

 

[Kirby]

After a while, regardless of pay, a job can get tiring and repetitive.

I hear you, but for that kind money I'd give it a shot.

 

[Defcon]

And he's back:

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/05/15/harry-shearer-simpsons-returns

 

[beamMe]

Good.

Oh, wait. I've stopped watching that show fifteen years ago.

 

[Juju Zombie]

After a while, regardless of pay, a job can get tiring and repetitive.

I hear you, but for that kind money I'd give it a shot.

Heck, I'd stick with it just to be a part of television history. Sure, it's already broken three records (longest running animated series, longest running American sitcom, and longest running American scripted primetime series), but why not keep going and really make it a bitch to overthrow the title?

Especially given the money. Heck, I'd stick with it for a small fraction of the guy's paycheck; it's not like it's even remotely as dreary and repetitive a job as 99.9% of people have around the world. He should be grateful he didn't have to spend his life working in a factory making buttons or something. Now -that's- the kind of job any sane person would want to retire from.

 

[ManOnTheWave]

That was quick.

 

[shapeshifter]

Excellent!

 

[Squiggy]

And he's back:

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/05/15/harry-shearer-simpsons-returns

Money talks.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

He didn't get any more money. All he wanted was a more flexible schedule, which is what he got.

For once, it wasn't about money!

 

[Timby]

He didn't get any more money. All he wanted was a more flexible schedule

So he claims, but Al Jean said that Shearer does the table reads and the actual voice recording from home -- which is an arrangement that lends itself to a lot of flexibility, so, as with most things in entertainment, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I guess. Just seems like a weird strategy to hold out for more money and then... sign for exactly as much money as you got before. I assume he doesn't actually need the income. He's apparently worth $65 million or so, which is "fuck you" money in my book!

 

[Timby]

I guess. Just seems like a weird strategy to hold out for more money and then... sign for exactly as much money as you got before. I assume he doesn't actually need the income. He's apparently worth $65 million or so, which is "fuck you" money in my book!

If I had to guess, it was probably him saying "Let me see some scripts that focus on Castellaneta's and Azaria's characters so I'm not in half of every episode," and they obliged.

Or, he listened to his novelty comedy music albums again and realized that as tired as The Simpsons is, it's still better than any of his solo shit.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I guess. Just seems like a weird strategy to hold out for more money and then... sign for exactly as much money as you got before. I assume he doesn't actually need the income. He's apparently worth $65 million or so, which is "fuck you" money in my book!

If I had to guess, it was probably him saying "Let me see some scripts that focus on Castellaneta's and Azaria's characters so I'm not in half of every episode," and they obliged.

Or, he listened to his novelty comedy music albums again and realized that as tired as The Simpsons is, it's still better than any of his solo shit.

Ha!

I can definitely believe they lured him in with the promise of less work. "I get paid the same to do less? Fuck yeah."