Following prolonged negotiations that resulted in a
brief production delay, stars Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco have inked rich new three-year deals to return to the CBS hit,
The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar are still in negotiations, but an agreement is expected to be reached this week. Warner Bros. Television declined to comment.
The show, which was
renewed for three additional seasons through its 10th run, likely resumes production Wednesday after a one-week delay that occurred when the five stars refused to return to work without new deals. (Their contracts expired in May at the end of season seven.)
Emmy-winner Parsons, Galecki and Cuoco negotiated together and were seeking big salary increases. Sources tell
THR that the trio, who currently earn $325,000 per episode, likely secured about $1 million per half-hour with an increased cut of the show's backend. The deals are said to bring the three into the
Friends region, with that cast negotiating together and locking in $1 million per episode with studio WBTV. (
Big Bang Theory is a massive hit in syndication, with TBS' repeats regularly topping the weekly syndication ratings.) The pacts are also said to include a greater percentage of the show's back-end, overall deals and more.
Co-stars Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch previously inked new deals with WBTV, with both earning big raises in September when the cast's contract talks began.
It's unclear if the one-week delay will result in a reduced episode from the show's standard 24, though it typically takes three weeks to turn in a completed episode and the delay could likely be overcome during the season.
The three-season renewal gave the cast considerable leverage — especially considering
Big Bang is TV's No. 1 comedy among total viewers, a metric it has held since the 2010-11 season. Season seven regularly topped 20 million viewers per week, up 4 percent year-over-year, with an impressive 6.1 rating among the advertiser-coveted adults 18-49 demographic. The show is also a hit in syndication on TBS, with repeats often topping some of the Big Four broadcast networks' original fare.
Big Bang is again nominated for best comedy series, but the show has yet to take home that trophy. Parsons — a three-time winner — is nominated for the seventh time for his starring turn as Sheldon Cooper.
