All Six Voice Stars to Return to The Simpsons

LOS ANGELES: All six principal voice performers from The Simpsons—Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer—will return to the classic FOX animated series for the 27th and 28th seasons.

Harry Shearer, who voices Simpsons characters Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, Principal Skinner and Kent Brockman, among others, had been the only holdout and was apparently prepared to walk away from the series. However, Shearer has now signed a new contract to return to the series.

Over 26 seasons, the voice cast has received many honors, including 11 Emmy Awards, with every member of the main cast having won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance during the comedy’s run. The show itself has won 31 Emmys. It is currently in production on season 27.

The Simpsons is one of the longest-running scripted shows in TV history, with the recent two-season pick-up extending the number of episodes to 625. The series is produced by Gracie Films in association with 20th Century Fox Television.