Fans of The Simpsons have reacted to Mr Burns' voice in one of the latest episodes, taking to social media to share their thoughts on how different the character sounds.
Homer's greedy, evil boss has been voiced by two actors since Matt Groening's satirical show made the air in late 1989, with Harry Shearer taking over from Christopher Collins in 1990.
While Shearer has been voicing Burns since, some fans were puzzled with an episode of the current 35th season, with some suggesting the actor's voice has changed and may not fit Burns anymore.
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"So @TheSimpsons did the voice of Burns change or am I hearing something wrong," one viewer wrote on Twitter/X, with another writing: "I know it's inevitable with the age of the voice actors but Mr. Burns voice on the latest episode is really throwing me off."
"I think it's less that he sounds old and more that he just doesn't sound like Mr Burns anymore. Like there's more to a voice than age," was another comment.
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Another person agreed that Mr Burns' voice sounded "kinda scratchy".
"Like he was recording too long and it was getting bad, voice-wise," they noted.
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Fans of the beloved animated series have recently had strong reactions to one character's funeral scenes. Last month, the show killed off Larry the barfly after 35 years, leaving some viewers wondering why his best friend Sam didn't attend his memorial service.
"We talked about a throwaway joke to explain where Sam was, but we already did that with Barney," The Simpsons' boss Matt Selman responded on Twitter/X.
"Sam couldn't go on the road trip, in that introducing essentially a new (old) character would have meant doing a different story," he continued, though he admitted "there was probably something else clever we could have done" to include Larry's closest pal.
The Simpsons season 35 is currently airing on Sunday nights on Fox in the US. Seasons 1-34 are currently streaming on Disney+ in the UK.
Reporter, Digital Spy
Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).
