Woo hoo! ‘The Simpsons’ is saved after all! Voice actor Harry Shearer, an integral part of the long-running animated series, is returning to the cast after a couple of uncertain months where he had appeared to have left the show.

Back in May, news emerged that Shearer, who voices a number of key Simpsons characters, was parting ways with the legendary series after more than a quarter of a century.

Harry ShearerHarry Shearer, voice of so many popular characters, is returning to 'The Simpsons' after all

According to a statement released by the Fox network on Tuesday (July 7th) and reported by Entertainment Weekly, the 71 year old voice artist and actor has reversed his decision and rejoined the team for the next two scheduled seasons.

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Fans of the series were left heartbroken by the original news, with Shearer providing the voices for so many important characters, including but limited to: Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, Dr. Hibbert, Waylon Smithers, Principal Skinner, Kent Brockman, Reverend Lovejoy and Rainier Wolfcastle.

When Marcia Wallace, the voice of Bart’s teacher Edna Krabappel, died in 2013, ‘The Simpsons’ decided to retire the character. With Shearer voicing so many though, the producers had said that they would look into hiring impersonators if he couldn’t be persuaded to return. Luckily, that eventuality now seems to have been avoided.

Shearer’s initial decision, though he himself put it down to wanting to “pursue other work”, was widely believed to be because of an ongoing pay dispute. Most of the cast agreed to a significant pay cut back in 2011, though Shearer and his colleagues were still believed to be paid around $300,000 per episode.

'The Simpsons’ returns to Fox for its 27th season on September 27th (appropriately).

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