The eighth season of CBS’ flagship show The Big Bang Theory is set to start production on July 30th, but with two weeks to go the contracts of its main cast are yet to be agreed. Deadline is saying that if deals cannot be agreed the production could be delayed. However, CBS are confident in the September 22nd start date, where the show will have an hour-long special.
This is not the first time the cast of The Big Bang Theory have gone into production without contracts sorted. Back in 2010, Jim Parsons (Sheldon), Johnny Galecki (Lenord), Kaley Cuoco (Penny), Simon Helberg (Howard) and Kunal Nayyar (Raj) started filming without a deal made. But the difference in that situation is that they had contacts that were set to expire so they were still required to work. With their latest contracts expiring at the end of the last season, they are now not required to show up for work. Melissa Rauch (Bernadette) and Mayim Bialik (Amy) renegotiated last year and are therefore signed on for season eight.
The cast were previously earning around $350,000 per episode including a percentage of the show’s backends. With this season reported to bring Warner Bros. TV up to $3 billion in revenue, it won’t be long before Parsons, Galecki and Cuoco are earning Friends-levels of cash, plus a bigger backend.
Originally published July 17, 2014. Updated April 12, 2018.
