The biggest comedy on network TV is looking to stick around for a bit longer. Original cast members Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar are finalizing new two-year contracts to continue on the Warner Bros TV-produced comedy series, paving the way for a two-year renewal.
The five original stars — Parsons, Galecki, Cuoco, Helberg and Nayyar — are getting the same salary under “most favored nations” terms, ensuring financial parity among the quintet. The paychecks are believed to be pretty close to what the five are making this season, around $1 million an episode.
With original cast members Parsons, Galecki, Cuoco, Helberg and Nayyar almost done, negotiations are expected to gain momentum with Big Bang co-stars Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik, whose contracts also are up. Rauch and Bialik, both introduced as guest stars in Season 3 and becoming regulars in Season 4, had been on a different track than their cast mates, earning $175,000 an episode in their most recent deal, according to sources. Because their characters have become an integral and equal part of the show’s ensemble, with Bialik earning four Emmy nominations for her role, and because of where they are salary-wise due to their later start on the show, both are primed for a major salary bump for the next two seasons.
While Big Bang‘s production price tag is creeping up to an eye-popping $10 million an episode, the comedy series is in its own league performance-wise. In its 10th season, The Big Bang Theory is the most-watched scripted series on television, currently edging NBC’s Sunday Night Football for the top spot with an average of 20.13 million viewers in Live+7, vs 19.75 million for the NFL games. In adults 18-49, it is the No. 2 program behind SNF with a 5.4 Live+7 rating and the highest-rated scripted broadcast show by a wide margin. What’s more, Big Bang is still packing the elusive live audience, averaging more than 14 million live viewers for an original telecast. The series has also generated more than $1 billion for Warner Bros TV in syndication revenue.
