The Eternal Yellow Family

The Simpsons continues to flourish. In the most recent ratings, the show was not just the top animated half-hour on Fox's animation domination, it was the top candidate by a lot.

The Simpsons -- 6.61 million viewers

Which put it ahead of Harry Potter on ABC.

Believe it or not, Simpsons numbers were close to double those of Bob's Burgers, American Dad and Family Guy. ...

In the recent past I've asked directors and board artists working on The Simpsons how much longer new episodes will be getting produced.

Nobody is sure.

What is sure: Fox has another season of The Simpsons that they can pick up (though they haven't done it yet) with lower pay rates that they negotiated with the voice actors a couple of years ago.

And it isn't just actors. As a staffer told me:

The show directors have taken pay reductions in the last few years. Fox isn't just hammering down the pay of actors. Production schedules have been shortened and people are on layoff longer. My gut feeling is, they will keep the shows on the air as long as the costs stay in check. ...

I've told more than one Simpson artist that I think that odds are good the show will be on three or four more years. Fox has made a fortune from The Yellow Family, and if episodes continue to be the robust Sunday night performers that they've been in the current season, I don't see how News Corp. can pull the plug.

Rupert and his minions don't walk away when there's still money on the table.