The current 23rd season of The Simpsons may be the last. 20th Century Fox says it will axe the longest running cartoon show in TV if the actors don’t take a significant pay-cut.
The Simpsons
Fox wants to cut salaries for the main actors Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwight, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer by 30-45%. The actors currently earn around $8 million a year each.
Rupert Murdoch’s News Limited owns 20th Century Fox.
In its time, The Simpsons grew to become the longest running sitcom in American history. For an animated series it flew past the record set by The Flintstones more than 15 years ago.
The longest running sitcoms are:
1. The Simpsons (23 seasons)
2. South Park (16 seasons)
3. The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (14 seasons)
4. My Three Sons (12 seasons)
5. Cheers (11 seasons)
6. Frazier (11 seasons)
7. Married … With Children (11 seasons)
8. The Jeffersons (11 seasons)
9. Friends (10 seasons)
10. Everybody Loves Raymond (9 seasons)
While South Park is in number two spot for numbers of seasons, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet had a lot more episodes (435 vs 216).
