Simpsons May Be Cancelled

FOX may cancel the Simpsons unless the voice
actors take a 45% pay cut. They currently make
8mil a season, and would make 4.4mil if they
take the cut. Voice work is the easiest form of
showbiz work, actors love it. No makeup, no
learning lines, no location shooting. Its a 9/5
job, you read your lines into a mic, and go
home. And make 8mil a year. They're idiots
if they don't take the cuts, they make so much
from residuals that they should keep the series
on as long as possible.

Jumped the shark when they made the movie. Haven't watched it regularly since.

Quote: heather

Jumped the shark when they made the movie. Haven't watched it regularly since.

I've seen some of the newer ones, its as funny as
ever, very cutting edge. Still has the huge audience,
its just that since the Crash, revenue has gone down
because they can't charge as much for commercials
as they used to.

Simpsons still brings in a lot of young viewers, but that is a lot of salary ($40 million for 5 people) for a show that averages 7 million viewers. There are a lot of TV shows with more viewers that were cancelled.

Mark Harmon from NCIS will make roughly $12 million next season, but I doubt that the regular 8 actors in the show make $40 million combined.
Senior Field Agent Anthony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly),
Special Agent Timothy McGee (Sean Murray),
former Mossad officer/current Special Agent Ziva David (Cote de Pablo),
Forensic Scientist Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette),
Medical Examiner Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard (David McCallum) and his assistant
Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen), overseen by
Director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll)

On the other hand the salary is the major part of the production budget for the Simpson. You still have a big budget with an hour long drama.
The actors agreed to 30% cut but they want a portion of the back end.

============= 2010 - 2011 Season ============
1 AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY FOX 25,864
2 AMERICAN IDOL-THURSDAY FOX 23,798
3 DANCING WITH THE STARS ABC 21,927
4 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL NBC 21,025
5 NCIS CBS 19,377
6 DANCING W/STARS RESULTS ABC 18,612
7 NCIS: LOS ANGELES CBS 16,467
...
36 $#*! MY DAD SAYS CBS 10,686
37 THE DEFENDERS CBS 10,470
38 CRIMINAL MINDS: SUSPECT BEHAVIOR CBS 10,459
39 AMAZING RACE 18 CBS 10,351
40 HOUSE FOX 10,247
41 GLEE FOX 10,014
....
52 MEDIUM CBS 7,804
53 OFFICE NBC 7,731
54 PRIVATE PRACTICE ABC 7,690
55 LAW & ORDER: LA NBC 7,673
56 FAMILY GUY FOX 7,655
...
64 MR. SUNSHINE ABC 7,268
65 THE SIMPSONS FOX 7,251

That's too bad. I really do still enjoy the show.

I'm surprised the ugly possibility of hiring replacements hasn't come up. There must be a bushel of voice guys in Hollywood who could step right in for a fraction of the price. Even if they're not right on, we've already dealt with voice changes over the years (compare Homer's voice in season 1 to today...)

Quote: waltomeal

That's too bad. I really do still enjoy the show.

I'm surprised the ugly possibility of hiring replacements hasn't come up. There must be a bushel of voice guys in Hollywood who could step right in for a fraction of the price. Even if they're not right on, we've already dealt with voice changes over the years (compare Homer's voice in season 1 to today...)

Dan Castellanata (who voices Homer) up until 1998, was paid $30,000 per Simpsons episode. He and the five other main Simpsons voice actors were then involved in a pay dispute in which Fox threatened to replace them with new actors and went as far as preparing for casting of new voices. However, the issue was soon resolved and from 1998 to 2004, they were given $125,000 per episode. In 2004, the voice actors intentionally skipped several table reads, demanding they be paid $360,000 per episode. The strike was resolved a month later and Castellaneta's salary was increased to $250,000 per episode. Another contract renegotiation in 2008 saw his salary rise to $400,000 per episode. He was also made a consulting producer.

They make about 1 episode per week, allowing Dan plenty of weeks left over to voice characters for Futurama, and and live action jobs in movies and a third television series.

Nancy Cartwright (who voices Bart) gets a matching salary of $400K per episode, and I believe the other three main voices who play (1) Marge, (2) Lisa, and (3) Ned Flanders / Kent Brockman / Principal Skinner / … are all paid $320K per episode.

Last year (several have raises since then) the top actors were making
Hugh Laurie (House) $400,000+
Christopher Meloni & Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU) $395,000 (each)
David Caruso (CSI: Miami) $375,000
Marg Helgenberger (CSI) $375,000
Mark Harmon (NCIS) $375,000
Laurence Fishburne (CSI) $350,000
Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) $350,000
Denis Leary (Rescue Me) $350,000

It seems like the Simpson voice actors are getting salaries comparable with the highest paid actors on TV, even though the show no longer is anywhere near the top. The reasoning must be that they make a huge amount of money on franchises.

So salary negotiations are just part of television work.

I can remember several instances over the last decade where the show was threatened in a similar way. They always end up coming back. Personally I feel like the show has changed too much over the last ten years. I think they ran out of original ideas for episodes in the late nineties and since then they have pretty much just been taking ideas from pop culture and forming stories around that. It isn't nearly as funny to me anymore, but I still enjoy watching it. It would be sad to see the show finally go away but I think it is better do do it now than later when the quality has slipped even further. Just my humble opinion.

Quote: pacomartin

So salary negotiations are just part of television work.

Just so.

They've joked about it on the show, too. Once Bart wrote on the blackboard "I won't demand what I'm worth." There was some joke about cartoons getting away with changing voice actors, then Ned adds "And no one can tell de didly-difference" in a very different voice.

By this time next year you'll either hear such a related joke again, or be watching the latest crap from Fox (ie reality show)

Quote: Elrohir44

I can remember several instances over the last decade where the show was threatened in a similar way. They always end up coming back.

After the 2007 season, they made the movie with a production budget of $75 million. The movie made $527 million in worldwide box office receipts, and $58 million in three weeks of rental. Who knows how much it made in DVD sales, and in renewed interest in licensing.

As Homer said in the movie, "I can't believe we're paying to see something we get on TV for free! If you ask me, everybody in this theater is a giant sucker! Especially you! [points to audience]."

After the movie the voice cast all got big salary increases for the 2008 TV season.

Never in the history of movies has a film made that much profit and not had a sequel. Fox is probably trying to negotiate a blanket deal with the cast to cover the next few seasons, as well as a sequel to the movie. The cast is looking for some percentage points if the next movie (or theme park, etc.) goes into the same ballpark.

Movie producers paid Eddie Murphy $20 million to star in "The Adventures of Pluto Nash) which made $7 million worldwide. In addition the movies entire budget was another $80 million above Eddie Murphy's salary. In the world of movies, a Simpson movie sequel is the closest thing it gets to a sure thing.

I would be extremely shocked that they don't come to an agreement. Talk about a fat cow.

Quote: pacomartin

I would be extremely shocked that they don't come to an agreement. Talk about a fat cow.

I read that Lifetime has agreed to air reruns
of 'How I met Your Mother' for $750K an episode.
I would imagine that reruns of The Simpsons are
in the same ball park. But they have 22 past seasons
out there, running 24/7 around the world. The
residuals the voice cast gets per month has to be
astronomical, with that many past seasons in play.
They can afford a pay cut, if they consider future
earnings.

Just saw Ted Danson on TV in CSI. I remember an interview when he was asked about turning down $1,000,000 an episode to do another year of Cheers. His reply was " I know. What the hell was I thinking ?? "

Quote: EvenBob

I read that Lifetime has agreed to air reruns of 'How I met Your Mother' for $750K an episode.

I understand that residuals paid to actors and crew amount to 20%. So given your example that would be $150K for episode. So if Homer and Bart were paid $400K apiece, and the other three principals paid $320K to make the episode. Then the residuals might be $30K apiece for Homer and Bart, and $24K apiece for the other three and $18K split among the minor actors. That just a guess. There may be more money going to minor actors.

The residuals are probably the same as the original pay for the episodes from the first 8 years of the show.

It is quite possible that the voice actors for Homer and Bart could get paid $20m apiece to do a film sequel. That seems like a huge amount of money to pay a voice over actor. To the best of my knowledge a woman has only been $20m to do a film three or four times (Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz, and Angela Jolie).

But Christ Tucker with an extremely short resume was paid $20 million to do a sequel to Rush Hour, and he got more the third time. Rush Hour made about half as much worldwide as the Simpsons Movie.

But back to your original point, "Can they "afford" to take a pay cut?" Obviously, but that is not the point of the game, is it?

=================
Chris Tucker had small but noticeable parts in only 7 films before he made Rush Hour. The only one of these 7 films that he was the costar was "Money Talks" which was the 57th biggest film of 1997 (his salary was $2m). Because "Money Talks" was a reasonable success he was paid $3m for Rush Hour. No one anticipated that this movie would become so successful.

Chris negotiated huge salaries to star in Rush Hour 2, and Rush Hour 3. In the last 14 years, the only films he has made were the Rush Hour movies.

Quote: pacomartin

Then the residuals might be $30K apiece for Homer and Bart, and $24K apiece for the other three and $18K split among the minor actors. That just a guess.

Thing is, we have no idea how many times a
day the show runs. Its shown in over 100
countries. You would think the major players
would get checks every month in 7 figures.
Nice work if you can get it.

Quote: EvenBob

Thing is, we have no idea how many times a day the show runs. Its shown in over 100 countries. You would think the major players would get checks every month in 7 figures. Nice work if you can get it.

The book "Planet Simpson" suggests the merchandising rights are over $2m/day 365 days per year. That is in addition to all the TV shows, and the movies. It makes the salaries look puny in comparison.

I can see the actors point. They made $30K per episode apiece for 9 years, and over 200 episodes. While that is a lot of money compared to a regular salary, those initial 200 episodes formed the basis for a massive revenue stream for decades. While it may look like they are getting paid a lot today, relative to popularity of the show, they are only getting a tiny share of the diamond mine.


In 2009 Seth McFarland (Family Guy) negotiated a 5 year $100 million dollar deal to run his animation empire for Fox. And the salary does not include DVD or merchandise rights which are estimated to earn Seth upwards of $20 million additional each year!

Quote: pacomartin

While it may look like they are getting paid a lot today, relative to popularity of the show, they are only getting a tiny share of the diamond mine.

And the actors rights to their works is inheritable. The
Sinatra family makes a ton of money every time you
hear Frank sing a song in a commercial or in a movie.
The families of the Simpsons stars are set for generations
to come. Look at I Love Lucy, its still seen hundreds of times
a day worldwide. The Simpsons has longer legs than I Love
Lucy, I would think.

Quote: pacomartin

The book "Planet Simpson" suggests the merchandising rights are over $2m/day 365 days per year. That is in addition to all the TV shows, and the movies. It makes the salaries look puny in comparison.

Wow - Impressive. I wouldn't have guessed it was that much.

I'ts well known of course, that FOX simply *gave* 100% of the merchandising rights for Star Wars to George Lucas, believing them to be essentially worthless. I guess they don't want to make that mistake again...

Quote: waltomeal

Wow - Impressive. I wouldn't have guessed it was that much.I'ts well known of course, that FOX simply *gave* 100% of the merchandising rights for Star Wars to George Lucas, believing them to be essentially worthless. I guess they don't want to make that mistake again...

I noticed that The Lion King cost about $8 million to convert into a 3-D format, but the re-release brings in $90m from the USA and $37 million from overseas.

Compare that to a successful Disney Picture like Cars 2 which has a $200 million budget, and brings in $191 million domestic and $360 million overseas. And a moderately successful Disney picture like I am Number 5 with a $60 million budget, and brings in $55 million domestic and $89 million overseas.

What kind of residual money will Fox make off the Simpsons in 20 years? As our taste in media gets more and more fractured, they will be able to break up the episodes into five minute chunks and show them in more and more venues (phones, airplane seats, any waiting room), and anywhere were some advertising will want to keep people's attention for a few more minutes.