End of the Road for 'The Simpsons'?

Fans of the crictically-acclaimed television cartoon series, The Simpsons, will be praying that American television network Fox Broadcasting Company and the actors who provide the voice for the show's primary characters will resolve the ongoing pay dispute as soon as possible. At stake is the possibility of Fox actually canceling a show that has run for twenty-three consecutive seasons.

Actors Dan Castellaneta (Homer Simpson), Julie Kavner (Marge Simpson), Nancy Cartwright (Bart Simpson), Yeardley Smith (Lisa Simpson), Hank Azaria (Moe), Harry Shearer (Ned Flanders) and others are being asked to agree to a 45 per cent pay cut by Fox, who have stated that rising production costs coupled with decreasing ratings are to blame.

The studio has admitted that twenty-three seasons in, The Simpsons is as creatively vibrant as ever and beloved by millions around the world.

“We believe this brilliant series can and should continue, but we cannot produce future seasons under its current financial model. We are hopeful that we can reach an agreement with the voice cast that allows The Simpsons to go on entertaining audiences with original episodes for many years to come, Fox was quoted as saying, in a MSNBC report.

A report from Reuters, in turn, quoted The Daily Beast, in saying that cast members were agreeable to a 30 per cent cut, in return for a share of the millinos of dollars that the studio reportedly makes from the sale of merchandise related to the show, as well as reveue from syndication deals over the last two decades.