I guess AMC isn’t the only network having problems negotiating with their highest profile series. Word is coming from The Daily Beast that Fox has come to a bit of an impasse in negotiations with the five lead actors of The Simpsons that may result in a halt of production on the long-running animated series after the 23rd season concludes next spring. Dan Castellaneta (Homer, Grampa Simpson, Krusty the Clown, and others), Julie Kavner (Marge, her sisters and others), Nancy Cartwright (Bart and more), Yeardley Smith (Lisa), Hank Azaria (Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum,  Apu Nahasapeemapetilo, and more), and Harry Shearer (Mr. Burns, Principal Skinner, Ned Flanders, and others) have all been told that they need to take a 45% pay cut, or risk being replaced with sound-alike actors after this season. More details on this worrisome issue after the jump.

Here’s a trio of TV casting updates for you. First off, we already know that Lisa Edelstein will not be reprising her role as Dean of Medicine at Princeton-Plainsboro on the upcoming eighth season of House M.D. but the female portion of the cast won’t be down one as EW has learned that Knocked Up and Paper Heart star Charlyne Yi will become a series regular this fall. She’ll be playing another young doctor joining House’s team, and with her awkward nature and charming comedic timing, it should be quite an interesting match-up with Hugh Laurie.

Details on casting for Parks & Recreation and HBO’s new comedy series 40 can be found after the jump.

The feeling I get talking with fans and casual viewers is that The Simpsons hit a high for a couple of years (say, seasons 5-10), and then got pretty bad. They were off their game, and it all became too route. But then when you watch later seasons, they’re never that bad. Sure there are a couple episodes that really miss, but ultimately the show has hit a point where they know their formula. The familial unit is place, there’s the standard group of supporting performers who often have a spotlight episode every season, and the peripheral characters. They haven’t really added much to it in years, and though some dynamics have been explored and changed (Barney is clean and sober in this season), stasis is maintained. Season 13 is solid, but nowhere near the show at its best. My review of the Blu-ray edition of The Simpsons: The Thirteenth Season follows after the jump.

The Simpsons have been on for over twenty years now. It’s a part of the cultural landscape in a way that you can say “Everything is coming up Millhouse” or “Embiggen” and most people know what you’re talking about. The Simpsons are made up of father Homer (Dan Castellaneta), mother Marge (Julie Kavner), son Bart (Nancy Cartwright), daughter Lisa (Yeardley Smith) and the baby Maggie. There’s also the ride swatch of supporting players from Ned Flanders, Montgomery Burns, Waylon Smithers, and Lenny (Harry Shearer) to Chief Wiggum, Apu, Moe Slezstak and the criminal Snake (Hank Azaria). There’s a wide world of Simpsons and Season 20 is just another dip in that pool. My review of the Blu-ray of The Simpsons Season 20 after the jump.