Harry Shearer, the voice of Mr. Burns on The Simpsons, argues persuasively in The Daily Beast that Fox should keep the show on the air for another season and preserve its profit margin by offering the cast of the 23-year, multi-billion dollar cultural juggernaut a small fraction of the show’s profits in exchange for salary cuts. 

Fox claims the “business model” of The Simpsons is no longer viable. The network has demanded that the cast take a 45% pay cut if the show is to return for a twenty-fourth season.

Shearer says that’s fine by him. He’d be willing to take a 45% pay cut, or even a 70% pay cut in exchange for a small share of future profits from the show.

Sounds reasonable to me.

[Photo credit: the_mi, Creative Commons.]