Mr. Burns is back. And so are Smithers, Ned Flanders, Reverand Lovejoy, Principal Skinner, and Otto the Bus Driver, among others. Harry Shearer, one of the most iconic voices on the most iconic cartoon of all time, has ended his beef with producers and is coming back to The Simpsons.
Today, Fox announced that it had come to terms with Shearer, and that the actor would be returning to The Simpsons for at least seasons twenty-seven and twenty-eight.
Perhaps most notably, though, is the fact that Fox’s official statement on the matter makes no specific mention of Shearer’s return, nor does it include a quote from Harry Shearer himself. It does say that “FOX is proud to confirm that each and every member of the iconic series’ voice cast will be returning in the roles they’ve brought to life since the show’s beginnings as a series of animated shorts nearly 30 years ago.”
The statement also notes that “every main cast member – Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria And Harry Shearer – has won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance at some point in the show’s run.”
Harry Shearer left the acclaimed cartoon earlier this year, while in the middle of a contract dispute. Reportedly, the dispute arose when Shearer said he wasn’t being given enough freedom to pursue other projects outside of the show. At the time, he sent out a pair of goodbye tweets:
from James L. Brooks’ lawyer: “show will go on, Harry will not be part of it, wish him the best.”. (1/2)
— Harry Shearer (@theharryshearer) May 14, 2015
This because I wanted what we’ve always had: the freedom to do other work. Of course, I wish him the very best. (2/2)
— Harry Shearer (@theharryshearer) May 14, 2015
They left the producers puzzled–publicly–since, according to them, there was already a great deal of freedom built into the contract Shearer already. (The show had just been picked up for two more years.) James L. Brooks responded to the above tweets with:
Hey, we tried. We’re still trying. Harry, no kidding, let’s talk.
— james l. brooks (@canyonjim) May 14, 2015
(Photo credits: Harry Shearer via WENN)
