Tuesday, 5 August 2014

Big Bang Theory stars negotiate $1m-per-episode pay rise

Hollywood Reporter/Daily Mail


The stars of US sitcom 'The Big Bang Theory' are set for a huge payday, after negotiating new contracts meaning they'll earn nearly $1 million per episode.

Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki had delayed filming the new series of the show for a  week while talks went on.

But sources have told the Hollywood Reporter that the trio have sealed deals increasing their wages from $325,000-per-show to 'about $1 million (£592,000) per half-hour and an increased cut of the back-end'.

Fellow stars Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar, also original cast-members, are yet to agree their new deals, but should sign new deals this week.


Over the next three years, and three seasons of the show - amounting to 72 new episodes - it's thought that Parsons, Cuoco and Galecki will earn a huge $100 million (£59 million) each.

It's thought that an 11th season of the show could be in the offing too.

Helberg and Nayyar currently earn less, pocketing $100,000 per episode, but will likely increase this figure substantially too.

The move echoes that made by the stars of 'Friends', a deal which earned the six lead cast-members $22 million for 22 episodes in 2002, and topped the previous record set by 'E.R.' in 1998.

Said show boss Peter Lorre: “This will work itself out. I think it's great; I want them all to be crazy wealthy because nobody deserves it more than this cast. It'll work out.”

The show is currently the number one comedy in the US, with an average audience of 20 million, double that of its closest rival, 'Modern Family'.

The eighth season premieres with an hour-long episode on September 22. [Hollywood Reporter/Daily Mail]

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