So, Russi Taylor (voice of Martin Prince, Sherri and Terri, and several minor characters) died at the age of 75 recently.
Why does FOX keep having new seasons greenlit? Everyone knows the Simpsons have gone downhill for a very long time and I'd say irreversibly so in the post-movie era of the late 2000's and 2010's.
And now they have an aging cast that's dropping like flies. We've lost Marcia Wallace and now Russi Taylor.
Julie Kavner and Harry Shearer are in the same age group as Taylor and are both rumored to be in very bad health in addition to their advanced age (especially Kavner) but unlike Wallace (who only voiced Mrs. Krabbapel) and Russi Taylor (who mostly voiced various school children at Springfield Elementary) Julie Kavner is the voice of Marge Simpson (plus Patty and Selma) and Harry Shearer voices a good chunk of the major characters.
Dan Castellaneta is also fairly old and he's the voice of both the show's most famous and popular character, but also many major characters as well.
Why does FOX keep doing this?
I mean, part of it is due to the value of the IP for merchandising (especially overseas) but I get this feeling that a lot of it has to do with Al Jean having some messed-up sense of hubris considering he's been the show runner since the early 2000's and played a major role in the show jumping the shark as badly as it did.
I've heard rumors that Matt Groening hates Al Jean, along with several of the old show runners and writers and even Harry Shearer (which could explain why he almost walked out on the show and records his lines at home instead of at the FOX studios)
With The Simpsons finally going to streaming this year, we're finally at a point where people can enjoy the good years of the show without having to buy multiple sets of DVD's (some of which are out of print) or trying to catch a rerun on FXX or the local FOX affiliate, I think we're at the point where Disney can finally end The Simpsons and just profit off of the IP.
TL;DR-Fuck Al Jean for ruining The Simpsons and literally working the cast to death.