Simpsons fans can breathe a sign of relief — it appears the show isn’t going anywhere.  According to the The Hollywood Reporter, the main cast members of the Fox show are close to signing a new deal which will allow it to continue, but at a reduced salary for its stars.

ABCNEWS (syndicate)

Fox had initially stated that The Simpsons would have to go off the air unless the cast — including Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Harry Shearer, Hank Azaria and Yeardley Smith — accepted 45 percent pay cuts.  According to The Hollywood Reporter, the cast has agreed to a reduction in the $400,000 per episode that they currently earn, but it’s not 45 percent.  Fox’s demand would have reduced each cast member’s per-episode take to 250 grand per episode.

Earlier on Friday, Harry Shearer released a statement saying that he would take a cut of as much as 70 percent in salary if he were given a piece of the show’s huge “back end” profits, which include licensing, merchandising and syndication.  But this new deal reportedly does not include any such agreement.  Nancy Cartwright said in a statement on Friday that she wanted to see the show continue, stating, “ The Simpsons is a remarkable chronicle of our times.  I’ve wanted to do this since I was 16!  And I want to keep doing it until I am 86!  Long live the Simpsons!”

The Simpsons is currently TV’s longest-running entertainment show.