For a long time I've thought: "Okay, The Simpsons has got a two-season order, even as it cuts artistic staff and squeezes wages, but then that's it. The series goes bye-bye and we see the occasional special (maybe) and a couple of feature films.
But with this going on, I wonder ...
The networks capped off a slow weekend with yet another low-rated Sunday night with little original fare.
Airing all repeats, Fox finished first for the evening with a 1.4 adults 18-49 rating and 5 share, according to Nielsen overnights, just ahead of No. 2 CBS’s 1.3/4.
A repeat of “The Simpsons” was the night’s No. 1 show, averaging a 2.0 at 9:30 p.m ...
The question that crops up is: Does the Fox network walk away from a franchise that is still delivering? Twenty years after it started?
I guess that depends on items such as: Can the voice cast be re-signed? Is there a sizable benefit to stockpiling still more episodes on top of the hundreds News Corp. and Gracie Films already have?
I don't know the answers to these queries, but no doubt that, if the price and circumstances are right, Rupert's minions will want the series to go on ... and on ... and on.
I mean, why they hell not? If it's still a cash cow?
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3 comments:
Because if it's still a cash cow with no money being spent on new production, why spend money on new production?
I don't know where you got your numbers, but if you read the link below, obviously The Simpsons was not the highest rated show. There were at least 20 higher rated prime time shows on the four networks last night.
What nobody notices is how King of the Hill stil manages to retain most of the audience from its lead in (Simpsons).
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/07/20/sunday-ratings-merlin-meteor-gain-big-brother-slips-fox-still-wins/23083
Looking at the link you provided, The Simpsons was clearly the highest *rated* show Sunday - which is what the post said. Other shows had higher numbers of live viewers, but according to the rating and share numbers provided, the Springfieldians took the night.
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