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Production delayed on ‘Big Bang Theory’

Everyone wants an increase in paychecks! This happens quite a bit in TV production - the actors complain that they don't get enough money.

-crainbebo
 
Yes - this has happened numerous times now, with big hit shows. Once a show (usually a sit-com) reaches into its 4th or 5th season, and is still really popular, the stars realize what a goldmine they have, and then band together to hit the producers and the network up for big raises.

The first I can recall was Seinfeld, in the mid 90s, then Friends a couple of years later. More recently, the voice actors in The Simpsons demanded and received huge raises, but then agreed to give much of it back a couple of years later when Fox threatened to cancel the show.
 
The irony is that once the show has been on the air for at least 5 years, it's available for syndication, which is another huge payday for the actors. It means they'll be receiving residual checks for a while. Of course those residuals are usually on a sliding scale, so after a while, they get next to nothing. That may be the issue they're arguing, wanting a better deal than what they're contractually entitled to. Sometimes the lead actors will hold out so the lesser known folks can get better deals. Seems to me that happened with "That 70s Show."
 
I blame Sheldon.

Actually, Jim co-hosted "SNL" this past weekend and as of the time that episode first aired he said it was 7 years.
 
On the one hand, $1,000,000 per episode plus 1% on the back end sounds like a lot of money. It is a lot of money. On the other hand, the total proceeds of The Big Bang Theory to the producers is in the neighborhood of three Billion dollars! That Billions, with a B. From that perspective, being the people responsible for generating that kind of profits does deserve a healthy compensation.

And, the cast does need to think in terms of this not just being what they're making now. Chances are this is going to have to last them for the rest of their lives. Chances are that none of them will be as lucky as the handful of actors who've had multiple successes in television. Actors who've had more than one majorly successful series are few and far between. For every lucky one like Bob Newhart, there are a dozen who've had one series and then disappeared.
 
Why does everyone criticize an actor who hits it big and goes for the big bucks but nobody criticizes someone who starts a business and sells out to Google for billions?
 
landtuna said:
Why does everyone criticize an actor who hits it big and goes for the big bucks but nobody criticizes someone who starts a business and sells out to Google for billions?
Click to expand...

I criticize people who do that, if they relied on a cadre of loyal employees to build the business, and then the employees get screwed when the business is sold. On the other hand, I praise those who start a business, grow it, sell it, share some of the proceeds with the folks who helped them, and then move on.
 
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