Why The Simpsons Got Renewed

A Yellow Family top kick says what went on in Simpson negotiations.

... Even though it's been speculated that the 25th season might be The Simpsons' last, Al Jean says there's no reason to believe the show won't continue long beyond that.

Jean: The network said, either we get a deal where we're set, or we will just announce that we're going off the air. We would have prepared an ending for the show, which we still needed time to do, even though it would have been a year from now. ... The fact that we got the costs down is, in my view, a very big hope that we can continue beyond two seasons. ...

When I was up at Film Roman/Starz while The Simpsons was hanging by a thread, speculation ran all over the map about the chances for more shows. The question seemed to be: would the voice actors take a hit and do a deal? Or not?

The answer, we now know, is yes. And so the show goes for (at least) two more seasons.

I think the reason many of the key players took roll-backs in 2011 -- where they didn't in 2007 -- is that "settling for half a loaf" is the current default position* for many American employees. Lots of people are wounded economically, and everybody knows it. Companies are high-profit and aggressive about hammering costs down. So the idea of people going to the mat for the top dollar is (just now) in hibernation. Corporate America is quite willing to cut people off at the knees, and the word is pretty much out regarding that.

It just ain't 2007 ... or 2005 ... anymore.

* This default could very well be changing a little. People seem to be a wee bit frustrated about the gazillionaires among us.