10 Things You Didn't Know About The Making Of The Simpsons

2. The Show Was Almost Cancelled After Season 23

On October 4, 2011, 20th Century Fox released the following statement:

"23 seasons in, The Simpsons is as creatively vibrant as ever and beloved by millions around the world. We believe this brilliant series can and should continue, but we cannot produce future seasons under its current financial model."

Believe it or not, but The Simpsons almost came to a sudden, controversial end back in 2011 when it was thought that the show could be worth more money to a lot of people if it went into syndication - that is, the rights to air the episodes were sold to a number of TV stations (a move that could have bagged Fox close to $750 million had it gone through). One of the biggest issues surrounding this stemmed from the fact that the voice actors were being paid an incredible amount of money per episode and - in order for the show to continue - were asked to take a pay cut. In the end, almost everybody - writers, animators, and even showrunner Al Jean - accepted a reduced salary to keep the show on the air. For a while there, however, TV's most iconic family almost ended up being cancelled.