Todd Leopold, writing on CNN.com, looks into the success and slow fade of “The Simpsons” as it turns 20 years old this Thursday.
As it turns 20 on Thursday, “The Simpsons’ ” greatest enemy may be itself.
For many fans — particularly hard-core followers in the mold of the show’s sneering Comic Book Guy — the glory days are long past. Some refuse to watch anymore; others admit they still find it funny, but they’re disappointed the show didn’t bow out at the top of its game.
Regardless of how you feel about the show’s quality, the interviews in this story conclude that Matt Groening and Al Jean have maintained that they’ll continue to do the show. The article also reveals industry experts who believe the show has created $3 billion during its run.
What is this, Logan’s Run?
If the show is getting good ratings, Fox will renew it. If it isn’t, they won’t. The unprecedented length of the show’s run and impact on popular culture explains the vastly larger-than-normal base of people commenting on its quality, but doesn’t actually affect any business decision.
The budget’s being cut, from what I hear. They reduced the number of layout artists on staff.
In most TV cartoons, the domestic studio skip the layout stage and just send storyboards overseas. The Simpsons is among the last shows (maybe THE last) do still do layouts in-house.
And “Life in Hell” is over 40…