The Simpsons fans returning to the show have been left bewildered after hearing the legendary character Mr. Burns speak in the recent season.
After 35 seasons, it is no surprise that The Simpsons is very different from how many of us may remember it from the 90s and 00s.
The beloved animated series - which follows a satirical portrayal of the average American family - first aired in 1987 as a cartoon short on the Tracy Ullman Show, a variety program on the Fox Broadcasting Company
The show then expanded to half-hour episodes on December 17, 1989, and began regularly gracing our TV screens from January 1990 onward.
Now, after recently making headlines for killing off a character after 34 years on the show, viewers have been left stunned after hearing the villainous millionaire Charles Montgomery Plantagenet Schicklgruber "Monty" Burns speak in recent episodes.
Throughout its long run, The Simpsons has continued to evolve visually and vocally, with characters adapting as actors found their rhythm or were replaced - most famously, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.
Another character whose voice actor was replaced is Mr. Burns - a character that has been a staple of the show since its inception over 30 years ago.
Initially voiced by Christopher Collins, the role of Mr. Burns later passed to Harry Shearer, who also lends his voice to several other iconic characters on the show. However, as the series progresses into its 35th season, some fans have noted a shift in Mr. Burns' iconic evil voice.
Expressing their surprise on social media, one fan described the new voice as "brutal" and called for older actors to retire gracefully.
"Burns’ voice is just brutal man. Let these people retire in peace," one X user wrote.
A second added: "I promise you are not prepared for how atrocious Mr Burns’ voices sounds in this [clip]".
"You know things are bad when Harry Shearer, an actual old man, is too knackered to convincingly voice the character of Mr Burns, an old man," a third wrote. "This is painful to hear."
Despite the criticism, many fans defended the 80-year-old Shearer, saying that he is not obligated to continue in the role if he doesn't want to.
Per The Guardian, Shearer actually nearly left the popular animated show nearly a decade ago.
Back in 2015, the voice actor and attorneys for the show tweeted back and forth about contract negotiations for days - before finally settling on an agreement after two months.
Speaking to The Guardian, Shearer revealed that the tweets were not "a stunt", adding: "There were real issues that had to be resolved and they were."
