Posted on 08/11/2004 6:29:12 PM PDT by raccoonradio
All is not well in Springfield, apparently.
Not Springfield, Mass., but the one in an unnamed state that is home to Homer, Marge, Bart and Lisa. The New York Post reports that ``The Simpsons'' voice actor Harry Shearer says the Fox show's run out of gas.
Shearer, who voices such ``Simpsons'' characters as the miserly Montgomery Burns, Waylon Smithers and Ned Flanders, said this week that he believes the show has run its course and that he'd ``rather not be there now.''
``It makes me sad,'' Shearer told the Irish Examiner.
But producer Al Jean lashed back, ``I don't know why I have to defend the quality of the show to Harry Shearer. . . . he's a guy who's been a malcontent, in my view.''
``For someone earning millions off the show this year . . . I just think it's unfathomable for him to take a shot at us,'' Jean told the Post.
Shearer seemed to be most disturbed that his characters no longer have a lot to do on the show.
``They used to have whole scenes,'' Shearer said. ``Season four looks very good to me now. Fortunately, I'm doing a lot of other things.''
``I ran season four and he wasn't happy then,'' Jean retorted. ``I just think it's an insult to all of us who work so hard.''
Shearer and his co-stars reportedly pull down more than $250,000 an episode.
>>Gets big contract extension yet still blasts his employer Rupert Murdoch, etc
..as heard on his radio show "Le Show", which he actually does for free, but he makes more than enough money out
of Simpsons, so...
Shearer's absolutely right. The Simpsons has been terrible for years.
well! that REALLY sucks . . .
it's a cartoon ... why should he care?
Agreed. Shearer is right. I find my self sitting down some sundays, in the vain hope finding something funny, and instead find myself thinking "what the hell is the point of this?"
The show peaked very early. It had some splashes of humor here and there, but nothing like the first few seasons.
It went down hill when conan o'brien was the producer, picked up a little when he left, but now is plain dreadful.
yeah, lately the simpsons just haven't been attracting my attention.
TIME FOR FAMILY GUY!!! now THAT show is hilarious...back in 2005!
Shearer is right about "The Simpsons". It just isn't that funny these days. "Futurama" was much better (because Matt Groening (sp?) was creatively involved in the show, which he hasn't been with "Simpsons" for years. I agree, "Family Guy", although a bit sophomoric at times, makes me laugh out loud, which "Simpsons" fails to do these days.
The Simpsons started going downhill ten years ago, right around the time Conan O'Brien quit as one of the writers. I'm a King of the Hill fan now.
Some of the absolute best Simpson shows were written by Phil Hartman (the Monorail one and the one with the musical version of Planet of the Apes are my favorite). Without Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure the Simpsons have just been missing a large talent.
Or as they say on in the fandom pages, "the show has 'jumped the shark'". A charge that some fanboys have denied, but a particularly weak episode recently had an opening titles shot of Homer jumping a shark to get to the couch.
Because it is one of the few shows on Fox that ISN'T a sleazy reality show these days?
What? ANOTHER Spinal Tap reunion???
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