The problem with Simpsons ending is it can never truly be phased out

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whinifred_20

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If Simpsons gets canceled one day, it can never truly end. Simpsons is way too ingrained in our entertainment culture to ever disappear.

You know after the show ends they'll likely try another movie, or make anniversary specials reuniting the cast, or things along those lines.

I think Fox is worried that if Simpsons ever ends, it'll never, ever, have any show that could fill its shoes. Therefore the show continues until either the VA's sadly pass on, or the creators choose to end it.
 
Why is that a problem? I wouldn't actually mind if the show ended now, they give the franchise a break for 10 years or so, and sometime down the road do some specials or another movie or something(not necessarily a reunion, as I'm not a huge fan of those type of things).

I view the future of The Simpsons in a similar light to the Looney Tunes; both are successful franchises that had a certain period of time where their respective material was at it's absolute greatest, and it's highly unlikely that any other project will be as good as the original. But still, why not have some new incarnation of the franchise way down the road, as long as they stick to the general theme of the show? It's not like it could be much worse than the current stale state of the show.

As for another show filling The Simpsons' shoes, I thought Family Guy has been doing a good job at that these last several years. At least it has seemed that way.
 
The Simpsons should've ended a LONG time ago. I don't mind seeing a show go 2-3 years past its prime, but common now. The Simpsons past its prime back around 1998. So more than 10 years of episodes that were below the standard that it created for itself. That's just ridiculous. I think ending the show after 10 seasons would've been the perfect number. So whenever they finally do decide to end the show now just seems kinda pointless.
 
No "if". The Simpsons will end one day. Maybe not today. Maybe not next year, but the series will eventually cease production. No TV show stays on forever, and of course there will be always be syndicated reruns.

The same can be said about Looney Tunes, The Flintstones, Tom & Jerry, Scooby Doo and M*A*S*H*, all of which are still remembered long after they ceased production. And this is a bad thing, why?

If you ask me, the shows' producers should have stuck to their original idea and had the movie double as the series finale.

And...? Sorry to be so glib, but I really don't see how is The Simpsons being a media mainstay is a "problem". No one is forcing you to watch The Simpsons or to acknowledge the franchise in any way, shape or form. You always have the option to watch it or not watch it. Why does the fact that The Simpsons hasn't ended yet bother you when the shows' popularity doesn't affect you in any way? I stopped caring about The Simpsons years ago, so what they do is of no consequence to me.
 
I don't think any show can fill The Simpsons' shoes. Family Guy is it's own thing, just as something like the Looney Tunes can never truly be succeeded because there's nothing quite like it.

It's going to end one way or another. All TV shows end.

That doesn't mean everyone's going to stop quoting it incessantly, or going to forget all those classic moments. It just means it will stop producing new episodes.
 
Didn't most people think it would end over 10 years ago?

Why is it still going past the 10th season then? There is really no reason for them to end, but I think they will be forced to if something happens to one of the main VA's over the years.

Nobody would tolerate a recast of iconic characters.
 
Money. Simple as that.

Right, and yet for the most part people have been able to accept the recasting of Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny in the 20+ years since Mel Blanc died. Go figure.
 
Could the fact that the Simpsons are human and not slapstick animals have anything to do with it?

Do you honestly believe there wouldn't be outcry if Homer or Bart suddenly sounded different in new episodes? I'd imagine if anything happened to one of the VA's, they'd quickly wrap up the show with sound-a-likes but not making anything new from there on out.
 
I fail to see a difference. If they can find someone who can do Bugs' voice, then why can't they find someone who can do Homer's voice or Bart's voice? It's not impossible.

The only problem is they'll have to find more VA's than they have now, since it'll be quite difficult to find one single person who can voice Homer, Krusty, Grandpa, and Barney the way Dan Castellaneta can.
 
The voice actors behind Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, and all of the principle voice actors from The Flintstones (all human characters, BTW) were all replaced when their original VAs passed on, and the world didn't come to an end. Neither did their respective franchises. ALL voice actors are replaceable. Whether the characters in question are human, animal, slapstick or non-slapstick is completely irrelevant.

There'd initially be some outcry of course, but if the original VAs were dead (or just chose to resign or whatever), there'd be nothing anyone could do about it. Fans would just have to accept the new voices and deal with it, just as with past cartoons. The Simpsons isn't somehow exempt from that.

Ultimately, The Simpsons is Fox's property, and they can do whatever they want with it, whether we like it or not. I'm sorry, Cyber, but I really have no idea what point you're trying to make here.
 
I remember there was outcry when we thought Futurama was going to be re-casted with the new episodes, even with petitions being started. Imagine that just 10 times worse for Simpsons.

Now, Simpsons VA's won't be replaced unless the actors either quit or they pass on, but I don't see them continuing the show eternally or reviving it with a new VA.

If so I see no reason why the show is still going for 20+ years still with no definite end in sight.
 
And I don't see why this is an issue with you. As previously stated, The Simpsons is Fox's property; they can prolong it or end it or revive it, or change or replace the VAs however or whenever they please, but at the same time, you're not contractually bound or obligated to continue watching it as long as it is on. Just because The Simpsons has been going on for 20+ years doesn't mean that you have to keep watching it, or even acknowledging it. If The Simpsons is not to your liking or if it ever becomes that way, you always have the option to simply stop watching the show. So I don't see what the problem is here.
 
There's a huge difference there, the voice actors are perfectly capable of doing the roles and Fox only wanted to replace them over a money issue, and the reason everyone was so up in arms over that situation was because of this. If there is a want for a new Futurama project after Billy West and Katey Sagal pass on, then there is no doubt that they will find someone else to voice Fry and Leela.


Again, why the hell not? From what I can think of, there have only been two characters that have been retired because their voice actor died, and that is Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz, but the difference there is that the person who voiced the characters, Phil Hartman, was MURDERED, and therefore the characters were retired out of respect. But for every other famous cartoon character who has had their original VA die, how many have been completely retired? Mickey Mouse? No. Donald Duck? No. Speedy Gonzales, George Jetson, Droopy Dog, Huckleberry Hound? No, no, no, and no. So why would The Simpsons be any different?

Also, just because Hartman's characters are retired at the present time doesn't mean that they will never make appearances again, it's entirely possible for them to be voiced by someone else somewhere down the road.



It's been said too many times to count, but as long as the franchise continues to make money, the show is likely to stick around. It's just business.
 
You're comparing a children's show about slapstick animal characters and human characters with an adult show (Yes because is an adult show it's not a kids/teen show) and even all Flintstones spin off didn't even succeed long enough. The only successful Flinstones after the main show was the live actions movies.



No offense, but you Blackstar and SilverStar sound a bit hostile in your posts, CyberCubed isn't saying something like the sky is falling or end the simpsons now. He's saying that the issue with ending the Simpsons is that it could truly never end because it's so long and has influenced mainstream audiences for so long that it's absence will leave a big hole. It can't never go away fully. He isn't bashing/ranting.
 
Again, that's irrelevant. Voice actors are voice actors, regardless of the genre of the cartoons they provide voices for. Keep in mind that the Warner Bros. shorts and The Flintstones were originally created for general/adult audiences, and also that The Simpsons, while still an adult show, is nonetheless highly popular among children.




But that's not an issue or a problem at all. That's the point I and others are trying to make here. So what if The Simpsons never truly ends or goes away? Lots of cartoons haven't completely left the cultural lexicon; we're not being forced to watch or acknowledge any of them. The Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo and the like are all still around, and they're still being around isn't hurting anything or anyone. You can either choose to watch them or not watch them. I'm honestly not trying to be hostile (and I wasn't aware that I was coming off as such, sorry if I was), I just don't see how this is a problem.

Ending the show won't be an issue either, because eventually all shows end. Life will go on. There was a time when no one could fathom life without All in the Family or Happy Days on TV, but they did eventually go off the air, and people got over their absences. Besides, The Simpsons can always be revived if someone sees an opportunity to do so. Again, I'm failing to see how this is an issue.
 
Um, since when were the Looney Tunes a TV show, never mind a children's TV show? The original shorts were produced for theaters, and they were made to appeal to both adults and children. Remember, cartoons were not exclusively targeted to kids until the television era in the 60's.

Again, there really is no difference between the voice actors for the Looney Tunes being replaced and The Simpsons VA's being replaced.


And yet The Flintstones characters continue to appear in advertisements for breakfast cereal to this very day, and they are certainly not voiced by their original actors. That doesn't count things like Fred Flintstone's appearances in other shows like Family Guy, where he was voiced by Jeff Bergman, who incidentally has voiced other characters like Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam.
 
The 1st part of that statement is incorrect, as neither Looney Tunes nor The Flintstones were children's franchises when they were first launched. The LT/MM shorts originally aired in theaters and were intended to be viewed primarily by adults. LT/MM weren't aimed at children until the 1960s when they began airing on television. That last part is also debatable. While such Flintstones spinoffs such as Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm, The Flintstones Comedy Show and The Flintstone Kids may not have been hugely popular or successful, I'd hardly consider them all to be failures, nor would I conclude that the live action movies were more successful than they were. If kids can accept a cartoon character having a different VA, then adults should be able to as well. There's really no difference here.

Furthermore, The Simpsons is more of a family show than an adult show. The show deals with some fairly mature themes at times, but The Simpsons is not rated TV-MA, which means that children aren't excluded from watching it, and the fact that the show gets nominated for the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Cartoon every year implies that kids are indeed watching the show.

I'm not trying to be hostile, or even disagreeable. I just want someone to explain to me why The Simpsons' running for 20+ years with no sign of coming to an end is a problem. No one is being forced to watch anything that they don't want to. As long as the fans can still watch the series and the non-fans aren't being forced to watch it, I don't see what the problem is. Just don't watch the show if you don't care for it anymore. This is officially not an issue.
 
Be thankful The Simpsons isn't a Japanese show, or else it would keep going on DECADES long after everyone in the original cast and crew had been dead.
 
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