(USA TODAY) -- And Mr. Burns returns.
After a dramatic departure in May, Harry Shearer, the voice of Mr. Burns, Smithers and Ned Flanders, is back in The Simpsons' fold, Fox announced in a release Tuesday.
The actor will be back for the 27th and 28th seasons of the groundbreaking Fox animated comedy, signing the same deal as fellow voice performers Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright,Yeardley Smith and Hank Azaria. The Simpsons, recently picked up for two more seasons, will hit 625 episodes during the run.
Shearer, whose other characters include Principal Skinner and Reverend Lovejoy, caused a stir in May when he tweeted that he wouldn't return. Members of The Simpsons braintrust said they would hire other actors to portray his iconic characters, but they held out hope that he might eventually be back.
