CBS is officially planning a two season pick up for Warner Bros. Television’s The Big Bang Theory. The final negotiations indicate the studio is coming to terms on the five main actor’s contracts.
The Big Bang Theory stars Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, John Galecki, Simon Helberg, and Kunal Nayyar. Each of the actor’s contracts is set to expire at the end of the show’s current season.
Along with the show’s tenth season, Warner Bros. licensing agreement with CBS will also expire this year.
The new deal is expected to include a full twenty-four episodes per season. There has been speculation over how many episodes will be given per season renewals since the cast members are branching out into other projects.
Deadline reportedly commented that the five stars were closing on a deal that would issue them around 1 million dollars per episode.
For most of the show’s run, Nayyar and Helberg have earned lower salaries than Galecki, Parsons, and Cuoco. Although all five have recently reached just under the seventh figure mark in the current season of the show.
Galecki, Cuoco, and Parsons also reportedly have small valuable participation stakes in The Big Bang Theory. Warner Bros. is also reportedly signing a new deal with co-stars Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch.
The deal also comes with CBS and Warner Bros. TV development of a prequel Big Bang Theory project. The prequel will focus on the formative years of Sheldon Cooper and will also have Parson’s on board as an executive producer.
If the new deal goes through, Big Bang’s show run for twelve seasons would make it one of the longest-running sitcoms on TV.
The Big Bang Theory was created by Bill Prady and Chuck Lorre. The show has reigned as primetime’s most-watched sitcoms in the entirety of its run on CBS.
With the show’s two-season renewal, the deal will raise the heighten the risks between the studio’s and actor’s negotiations. Reportedly CBS’s licensing fees use to cover the show’s production costs in the early seasons.
Due to the main star’s salary increases, Warner Bros might not have a large enough incentive to give one million dollar paychecks to each of their stars.
