http://www.theverge.com/2015/5/14/8604495/harry-shearer-leaves-the-simpsons-no-mr-burns-flanders

So, Simpsons fans? How did you react when you heard the news? It is a big blow, we can maybe all agree or are you more optimistic?

Over the last two weeks I've been keeping up with the simspons a lot and I had so many ideas for threads, but I've been pretty dead lately. Its a bit sad though because two of his characters, burns and ned, are pretty much two of the top 10 main characters after the family.

It does give a chance to spice the show up though unless they get someone new for those characters which they probably wont.

I actually came up with some ideas on how I would continue the show after s 26, and getting rid of burns and smithers was my main idea to happen in the 1st episode because look at how many opportunities it opens. Without burns only two things can happen, new management for the plant, or the plant shuts down. You lose a major character but so many more plot ideas come along, so I'm going to be ok with I as long as they come up with creative ways to not only get rid of the characters, but progress beyond them.

By the way, I was going to get rid of Burns/smithers House MD style.

zanderlex :

I could live with Mr.Burns dying already but... All those around a hundred of other character he did?

Yeah I'm not sure how the show could really survive without those other main characters. Honestly I'm not sure why they would keep doing the show based on that and everything else that has happened. Honestly the show stopped being great years ago. I'm not saying that it's bad. I'm just saying it doesn't have the same magic that it did in it's heyday.

Well, that's a shame. There are certain shows that are enjoyable because of certain characters with certain voices and when they or their voice actors are gone, it feels like the show has lost some of its magic as well. Fairly Odd Parents here in the Netherlands had a certain voice actor for Cosmo for a long time, when suddenly somebody else started voicing him, which was really weird to hear for me.

juuldude : Originally they were going to hire one person to do all the voices, but now they are considering hiring a few different actors to take on the rest of the voices so unlike fairly odd parents, with something like this you are looking at something like 3 dozen different voices, not just one.

I agree with Jordan.
When I watch The Simpsons, its more out of habit than anything. It really hasn't been good in years.

I don't think this will mean these characters are gone, but they will be recast and we will notice their voices are slightly off, but they will soon become part of the show.
And of course they will continue to make the show as long as they make money on it. So, as long as there are people like me that watch it just cuz they always have, that's gonna be a long time.

Well, I occasionally (pretty much rarely) watch the show, but it's reruns. I don't follow up with the show so I didn't know the show was still producing new episodes.

If I remember correctly, the show has had some changes in animation style since it 1st aired, so a new voice will follow that same suit. Might be kinda weird, but that's how TV goes.

Oddly enough, I read recently that Harry Shearer is coming back after all! He finally agreed to a similar contract that the other main voice actors were getting. A 4 SEASON contract. Which to me is striking that they are making it for at least 4 more years...lol

You can read more about it here - http://www.ew.com/article/2015/05/15/harry-shearer-simpsons-returns

Since he's returning to the show, it kinda makes this thread moot. So I'm going to go ahead and close it. Feel free to open a new one about him returning lol