So when the show is in reruns we aren't subjected to countless crappy episodes instead of the good ones we might want to see.
Shearer Quits "The Simpsons"
- Thread starter Squiggy
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I have no problem mentally separating Seasons 3-8 from the rest. When I think of and talk about "The Simpsons," that's what I'm referring to. Everything after is pretty much the Expanded Universe.
I still occasionally tune into the show with each new season, though, in the hopes of seeing a faint glimmer of the old days. I tried watching a few new ones on the in-flight video service on Air France in 2013. They almost made me cry. It was like they were all written by the Robot Satan™ specifically to toy with us pathetic human mortals.
My God, think if they had made The Simpsons Movie back in 1997? It would have been phenomenal. I'd have to assume they didn't, because it would have interfered too much with the writing and production-pipeline of the show. Although, don't they send it all off to Korea to animate everything between the key frames anyways?
Oh well, best not to think about it.
I still occasionally tune into the show with each new season, though, in the hopes of seeing a faint glimmer of the old days. I tried watching a few new ones on the in-flight video service on Air France in 2013. They almost made me cry. It was like they were all written by the Robot Satan™ specifically to toy with us pathetic human mortals.
My God, think if they had made The Simpsons Movie back in 1997? It would have been phenomenal. I'd have to assume they didn't, because it would have interfered too much with the writing and production-pipeline of the show. Although, don't they send it all off to Korea to animate everything between the key frames anyways?
Oh well, best not to think about it.
Sgt. Pepper
Lieutenant Commander
Maybe they should kill all of those characters in some funny way. I think it's time to end the show though.
Others have posted good responses. I'll reiterate those and add that canceling the show might free up the actors to do something better and/or free up the time slot for a new, more creative, program.
Surely their "deaths" had a greater part to play in the show choosing to retire their characters rather than a profound respect for the craft. Had Hartman and Wallace quit, I expect they would have been replaced in a matter of seconds. Shearer is a different kettle of fish due to his personal celebrity combined with how many characters he did but at the end of the day, get a good Flanders voice etc and the show keeps on churning out eps.
Except it wasn't. It was exquisitely bang on
Phil Hartman and Marcia Wallace didn't leave the show. They died. Their characters were retired out of respect for the actors.
Harry Shearer isn't dead, he's just left the show for whatever reason. Recasting his characters is a no-brainer. It happens in cartoons all the time.
I'm kinda glad they didn't retire Mel Blanc's characters when he died.
Harry Shearer isn't dead, he's just left the show for whatever reason. Recasting his characters is a no-brainer. It happens in cartoons all the time.
I'm kinda glad they didn't retire Mel Blanc's characters when he died.
Recasting voices is hit and miss, a couple of key player's voices have been recast in the German dubbing due to the death of the voice actors, i.E. Marge and Mr. Burns.
While I hold both voices for Marge in high regard (actually there was a third actor in the mix for an episode or two between those two, but I'm glad she didn't stick), Mr. Burns new voice still does nothing for me.
Same for Ducky on NCIS. The original voice actor for him in NCIS was a perfect fit, sounded almost exactly as the real deal, the new one (who actually dubbed McCallum in the sixties) just sounds totally wrong.
So I guess what I want to say is, they probably should look at the list of characters he has done, chose which they think are essential and only cast replacement(s) for those chracters, since it is hard enough to find good replacements for one or two characters, let alone for a quarter of the cast.
While I hold both voices for Marge in high regard (actually there was a third actor in the mix for an episode or two between those two, but I'm glad she didn't stick), Mr. Burns new voice still does nothing for me.
Same for Ducky on NCIS. The original voice actor for him in NCIS was a perfect fit, sounded almost exactly as the real deal, the new one (who actually dubbed McCallum in the sixties) just sounds totally wrong.
So I guess what I want to say is, they probably should look at the list of characters he has done, chose which they think are essential and only cast replacement(s) for those chracters, since it is hard enough to find good replacements for one or two characters, let alone for a quarter of the cast.
Also, losing Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz may have sucked but it was a far smaller hit to the show than losing pretty much the entire adult secondary cast. Some of those characters' voices are too iconic to replace without noticing. They'll probably have to hire 2 or 3 people to replace him just like they did in South Park when the voice actress who did all the female voices died.
If they were going to age the characters and make them teenagers it'd make the show so different they might as well just start a new show so they can use their own ideas without 26 years of baggage.
If they were going to age the characters and make them teenagers it'd make the show so different they might as well just start a new show so they can use their own ideas without 26 years of baggage.
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.
Deaths in quotation marks? Anyway, no doubt the fact that they died rather than quit was a factor. My point was that the actor brings something to the role that is not easily replaceable and isn't reducible to the sound of a voice. As Matt Groening said at the time: "My guess is that none of the writers will be inspired to write for those characters without Phil Hartman. It's possible, but I don't think so[.]"
"Deaths" was quoted to signify the irony of suggesting that their characters were retired due to artistic reasons while their "deaths" were apparently incidental to that decision. You still appear to be suggesting that which is frankly perplexing.
A "factor" in the decision?
. No, I would say the entirety of the decision was based on their "deaths"What about the massive worldwide none English speaking audience. What does Shearer's voice work matter to them? Secondly, I still see no reason why the casual viewer (the majority of hardcore Simpsons fans having jumped ship years ago) will even be aware of the change. The majority of the audience be will be none the wiser (especially if the writing for those characters is good). Nobody is doubting the talent of Shearer but it's really not that big a deal. Maybe it might even force them to create new characters and give the franchise a spark (which it needs)
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.
A "factor" in the decision?
I was referring to the decision to retire the characters rather than to re-cast them.
If the show fails in the US market, it's done everywhere, so the actors dubbing other languages are a side issue.
The issue of whether the audience could detect someone doing a good imitation of Shearer's characters is just one factor. But it will be interesting indeed to see the reaction if they do actually re-cast Burns, Smithers, Flanders et al.
But according to the LA Times, there is still a possibility that the two sides are posturing and that negotiations may re-open.
Yeah, fair point. But it still speaks to an actor bringing something more to a part than an easily-replaceable "funny voice."
I disagree. I think the majority of the people who still watch it are the people who are nostalgic for how good it was a long time ago and people who don't have that nostalgia don't care about the show at all.
If they have any intent of raising the quality of the show, it's not going to be through massive premise changes, it's going to be through hiring new writers with a fresh perspective.
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