Season eight of Modern Family wraps shooting on March 3 but the cast will be without contracts to continue for season nine.
Despite the show still being a significant player in the ratings, 20th Century Fox Television has yet to begin negotiating with the show’s six stars – Sofia Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Eric Stonestreet, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Ed O’Neill – for a not yet ordered but all but inevitable ninth season.
The hold up seems to be a fight between 20th TV and host network ABC over the cost of the long running series. When a show is this far into its run, the network (rather than the studio) traditionally funds most of production as part of its licensing agreement; though just how much is currently in question.
The price tag is hefty for the show thanks in large part to the substantial salaries being paid to the award winning ensemble. It’s eighth season, which is now airing, has the cast making $350,000 an episode as well as getting a cut of the series’ profits. It’s a no brainer that the cast will want more to continue so that further complicates things. Final decisions on this are usually made in May so there is still time but I’m sure the network would like to have this set in stone now since it is their highest rated comedy.
