Harry Shearer to return to “The Simpsons”

Fox announced today that all six principal voice actors including Harry Shearer, Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith and Hank Azaria, will be back for the 27th and 28th seasons of “The Simpsons.”

Harry Shearer gave fans a huge scare earlier this year, announcing that he would not be returning to the show. It appears as though contract negotiations have been worked out, and fans couldn’t be happier. Producer of “The Simpsons,” Al Jean, is also happy to see him back. He tweeted:

truly glad he is returning to the show.

— Al Jean (@AlJean) July 7, 2015

Harry Shearer plays a variety of loved characters including Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers, Ned Flanders, Reverend Lovejoy, Kent Brockman, Dr. Hibbert, Lenny Leonard, Principal Skinner, Otto Mann and Rainier Wolfcastle.

The voice cast of the critically acclaimed show has been recognized with countless awards over the series’ 26 seasons, including 11 Emmys. In fact, every main cast member has won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance at some point in the show’s run, which, with the recent two-season pick-up, will extend to an astounding 625 episodes and counting.

“The Simpsons” is the longest-running scripted show in television history. It exploded into a cultural phenomenon in 1990 and has remained one of the most groundbreaking and innovative entertainment franchises, recognizable throughout the world.

In total, “The Simpsons” has won 31 Emmy Awards, 31 Annie Awards, a 2015 People’s Choice Award, was the first animated series to win a Peabody Award and was nominated for an Academy Award in 2012 for the theatrical short “The Longest Daycare.”  It has been named the “Best Show of the 20^th Century” by Time magazine, and called the “Greatest American Sitcom” by Entertainment Weekly in 2013.