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Big Bang Actors To Earn $1M Per Episode
Cludge (981852) writes with a snippet from the BBC: "And rich they will be: With The Big Bang Theory commissioned until 2017, the show's three biggest names, Jim Parsons (Sheldon), Johnny Galecki (Leonard) and Kaley Cuoco (Penny) are guaranteed to earn $72m (£42.6m) each over the next three seasons. Unsurprisingly, the cost of producing the sitcom has spiraled." I wonder what that works out per line?
The argument against is that BBT is, essentially, Nerd Blackface.
The argument for BBT is that the material and situations are relateable, especially with the mainstreaming of geek culture (Dr. Who, BSG, Marvel films).
Meh. It's funny. I watch. I read the vanity card at the end. I think they're all good actors - at least within the scope of the show.
They've made quite clear that Sheldon is paid well by the university, and that he's got piles of un-cashed checks laying around.
Only Penny is ever in need of cash.
Seinfeld was in the $600,000 to $1,000,000 range (depending on the actor) back in the late 90's
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Given that a 21 minute show is something like 90 seconds of laughtrack, they aren't getting a great deal for their buck. :)
for what they do. VASTLY overpaid.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
"People have so many choices on TV now, so no one's asking for you to marry us. You can enjoy our show without a weekly appointment."
And that, my friends, and part of the reason people keep turning on to watch it.
morcego
considering Miami Vice was pulling these kinds of numbers in the '80s. Granted, it was only for one actor, but still.
Yes, and if you remember, the other lead actor was paid less well because he was rather less white, and he was rather pissed off about it, understandably.
These star actors cost a lot, yes, but they also brought in a lot of money. So I suppose it was, and still is a sound investment.
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
Chuck Lorre has $600,000,000 already. (back in 2011 anyway, probably more now)
I imagine Bill Prady is pretty rich too
no TV actors have EVER been paid that much b4!
/. news because the show portrays "nerds" and nerds in this sites tag line?
Is this considered
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
considering Miami Vice was pulling these kinds of numbers in the '80s. Granted, it was only for one actor, but still.
I think all 6 stars of Friends were pulling in $1M/episode at the end of its run. What was once outrageous is now common place. I guess that is progress of sorts.
After all... it's a show about and for people and culture who promote file sharing. Sorry, piracy.
Checking Piratebay it is obvious that it is heavily shared, with thousands of seeds.
Why isn't this show being canceled due to everyone involved with making of it dying from starvation?
I was told that sharing... sorry, pirating of video directly hurts people who make these shows.
I demand that someone does something about it!
Like... take them all behind the shed and shoot them in the head.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
I heard the whole cast of Friends each made $1 million per episode, and that was over 10 years ago.
I think you mean episode 3 or 4.
Given that the show is going into season 8, I wouldn't be too surprised if it went downhill from here, like it usually happens to long running sitcoms. It's not like money will reflect the quality of acting.
The Simpsons cast has been pulling this down (and more, now) for quite some time. And the main cast of Friends did too, for a shorter time, but still. the main thing they both had going for them was they stuck together. It is an ensemble cast, and the cast negotiated as a unit. "Take all six of us, and pay us all he big bux, or we all six walk".
Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now, and let us slay him... and we shall see what will become of his dreams.
You never know. He might have and those are just pay stubs. It all could just be a colossal misunderstanding on this part.
A fictional character can be as much of a dufus as the rest of us.
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
Works out to $2 million per joke.
I don't get the controversy. I like the show. It makes me laugh. I don't care what the actors get paid. It's none of my business. I think the comparisons to "black face" are in error. Poking fun at people because of their behavior is not the same as poking fun at people because of their skin color. It's just a sitcom. They come and go. It hasn't jumped the shark yet (not for me, anyway). When it does I'll probably stop watching. And if CBS should cancel it tomorrow, I won't care. My life does not revolve around characters on a tv show, nor does it revolve around the actors and writers. They're getting $1million per show... yawn.
Proverbs 21:19
Incredible! Think how much the writers will be making, seeing as their talent is the real reason for the show's success.
Yes, and if you remember, the other lead actor was paid less well because he was rather less white
If you think PMT was less-well-paid because he wasn't white, then you don't understand anything about TV. If people tuned in to watch PMT more than Don Johnson, he would have been paid more than Don Johnson. The truth is, Don Johnson and hot girls in bikinis were about the only reasons to tune into that show. Just about any decent actor (white or not) could have played Tubbs, and we wouldn't have cared.
I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it by not dying. - Woody Allen
The 6 main characters in Friends were also making a million an episode before the turn of the century.
There is no memory shortage. yes I have heard of XFCE. Go away.
I agree. Absolutely.
And we need *REAL* policemen playing the parts on those detective shows. And we should have *REAL* secret agents on programs like Marvel's Agents of Shield... Oh, and we need *REAL* aliens on shows like Doctor Who...
<eyeroll />
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
Don Johnson had actually been on one good movie. 'A Boy and His Dog'.
So he rated more.
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
Yes, and if you remember, the other lead actor was paid less well because he was rather less white, and he was rather pissed off about it, understandably.
Which is why I find it interesting that Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar's names were conspicuously absent from the list of million-dollar-an-episode actors. You know, appearances and all.
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Whoosh?
Which is why networks love reality shows.
And the show really isn't that funny.
Penny has nice tits though.
When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
BBT is very nearly the only thing on tv that isn't totally worthless. Sturgeon's Law ("90 percent of *everything* is crap") especially applies to Hollywood.
Circle the wagons and fire inward. Entropy increases without bounds.
n/t
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
Sheldon doesn't trust banks because he believes that ATM machines will be the first wave of the robot uprising.
One of them is a real scientist with a PHD.
Entertainers get paid according to the market value of the entertainment they provide. Full stop. Personally I'm happier seeing them get it for making me laugh than to see someone make more than that kicking a football / hitting a golf ball / swinging a tennis racket (etc). Top footballers (soccer...) earn silly money, and I'm sure it's the same with American football, baseball, basketball etc...
If people stopped paying to watch them, stopped spending a fortune on the satellite and cable packages, the rewards would come down. That they don't is simply market forces. I don't begrudge them personally, but it makes me a bit sad that the world values their skills so highly.
Sigs are so 1990s. No way would I be seen dead with one.
Only Penny is ever in need of cash.
OMG, so that's why they named her Penny, rather than something like Trillian.
Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
Two and a Half Men star Charlie Sheenearned $1.25 million an episode at the end, with his comedy co-star Jon Cryer getting paid $550,000. Hugh Laurie earned $400,000 (£255,000) per ep in season 7.
I'm consistently disappointed by TBBT, so this 1M/ep is rather surprising. Not worth it, other than to rely on a working formula...TV seasons are akin to movie sequels, in this aspect and they have nothing to replace it with.
Often wrong but never in doubt.
I am Jack9.
Everyone knows me.
Why the HELL doesn't Sheldon just set up autodeposit?!?
Maybe all those uncashed checks are $ 2.56 each, from Dr. Knuth.
Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
It doesn't seem fair that businesspeople are vilified for being ludicrously overpaid, but actors (and sportspeople) get away with it.
Santa isn't real, but I still like to open presents.
Game: Player 'Donald J Trump' now has AI skill level 'experimental'.
I play hockey with a bunch of high IQ programmers and scientists. We drink beer after in the parking lot and talk about women, technology, and too much about Marvel Comic movies. Those are the intelligent people I hang around with. Sure, I also know flabby, ugly, borderline Asperger's nerds. But why are the only smart people we see in the media modeled on them?
If Slashdot were chemistry it would look like this:Cadaverine
Big Bank Theory
Table-ized A.I.
Once a series is in syndication, its value has been substantially increased.
Game: Player 'Donald J Trump' now has AI skill level 'experimental'.
That money a bunch of fake scientists received is fit for annual endowment of a decent university!
Well, ignoring the fact that Mayim Bialik is a real scientist the fact is most of them are really terrible actors. No one would watch it, the show would be cancelled in its first season, and they would all be unemployed having left their research positions to go do a stupid TV show.
I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
Don't uncashed cheques expire after 6 months? Sounds like a way to lose a lot of money.
The difference - to me anyway - is that fake tits look good under clothes but when you unwrap them they look wrong, move wrong - and most important of all - feel wrong. It's like getting a beautifully wrapped present with a cheap toy inside. Disappointing.
This.
They already renegotiated their contracts, in tandem. They are clearly not the main characters of the show.
All the truly impoverished and starving people around the world are in countries that feature a lack of capitalism.
Checks last forever on television...
I don't understand all that hate toward their new contract. CBS are making millions because of this show, why shouldn't they have a fair share of the pie? They deserve that money way more than CBS Shareholders, they are the ones who make the show!
So .... they caught up to the Friends actors/actresses?
Still won't watch the show...
Checks, to the best of my knowledge, never expire. A bank may choose not to honor a postdated check or an old check, but to the best of my knowledge, there is no law which says banks have to honor anything regarding the date on the check.
When you write a check, you are supposed to have the money in the account and keep it there until it is cashed regardless of the date on the check. You can usually be held responsible for honoring the check regardless of the date printed.
Unless you believe you have a realistic chance of "unwrapping" Kaley Cuoco's tits, I'm not sure there's any distinction to be made...
The Simpsons cast has a worse and worse negotiating position every year now...
With 552 episodes in the can, and Gunsmoke set to be passed (for episodes) in a couple of years, they'll have achieved all the milestones they're going to, and they'll have enough back episodes to last forever.
Someone who has never seen it before can get into The Simpsons now and watch a new episode every week for 10 years...
As much as I wanted to, it's dangerous to masturbate while driving.
You are using the wrong measure.
The cast of BBT are not being paid that much because they are good at acting.
They are being paid that much because collectively, they enable the BBT show to continue being produced, which show generates substantial amounts of income for their corporate overlords through advertising, merchandising, syndication and whatnot.
The "hundreds of thousands" of other better actors you allude to sadly do not have this earning potential and hence, do not have this kind of paycheck.
Quality of acting is irrelevant.
I expect the following script change to take place.
"Penny... Penny... Penny... " will be replaced with "Porsche... Porsche... Porsche..."
I am government man, come from the government. The government has sent me. -- G.I.R.
Why watch one per year when you can cram that into 23 days or less if you watch via some ad-free on-demand service. 200 hours?
No kid is going to wait a week to see an old episode of a show...
Back in the 90s I was working in San Francisco, at 4th and Folsom. Don Johnson and Cheech Marin's show Nash Bridge filmed in SF, often under the freeway near my office, and sometimes on one of the streets near us. They'd block things off and film episodes, and the clerk for my department had the hots for him, so she'd have to go watch out the window if they were close enough.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
Why is this on here?
The article states that even before the cast wages are included production costs are more than that of Doctor Who.
HOW!?
Either BBC is yet again showing what it can do on a shoestring budget, or Hollywood TV has over inflated production costs.
Sure stereotypes are ever present in our culture. People like to take it to the extreme often, but using the same joke over and over doesn't work. Also humor is different for everybody, if they are getting paid a million dollars a show there is probably some crazy reason unrelated to the actual content provided. I mean... Rifftrax and MST3K are a lot funnier than big bang theory, and yet they don't get the same amount of money? Unfortunately I'll have to be cynical here and point out that people with lots of money want to promote the big bang theory, regardless of the actual humor. It's a classic runaway scheme right now, once something gets too popular people will sink in lots of money into it... For better or for worse. Usually for worse. Obviously this resonates poorly with people who call themselves nerds because typically we've been the least popular. It's somewhat akin to the strange feeling of everybody suddenly liking the Lord of the Rings without reading the books... No doubt, there is more awkwardness to come. But if the show at least encourages people to focus on getting off this rock and space exploration, I'm all for it.
are the laughing people getting paid?
The people who do scientific discovery -- scientists, don't get anything other than an award or something. Meanwhile, the corporations, employees, even consumers make ton of profit off their work.
In some states, checks expire after 6 months, at which time the cash and name of the person issued must be turned over to the state. At that point, they are considered 'abandoned', and the state keeps a record of who it belongs to. The state publishes those names in newspapers, and now on web sites. I have received money myself from finding my name in a newspaper and contacting the state, it was a check I either never cashed or possibly never received.
Several years ago, I worked for a company in Maine that routinely had it's payroll audited by the state to make sure they were turning the funds over. There was a guy that worked on the shop floor that routinely did not cash his paycheck, the company was constantly reissuing him checks because they expired.
I don't know what happens if someone cashes a check that's been turned over to the state. I assume that when those funds are turned over, the check has a stop put on it. So while a bank might still initially accept it for deposit, it might be rejected by the issuing bank and cause all kinds of grief.
I rarely read replies, it's my opinion and if you thought about your opinion a little more, I'm OK with that.
And the show really isn't that funny.
Penny has nice tits though.
Another reply from the 'I'm a nerd who lives in my mom's basement' crowd. Show ring a little too true for your tastes?? Do you really think coffee means coffee?? Have no social life?? Look forward to your trips to the comic book store???
Or is it just a little too much over your head that you don't get the jokes.
I personally find it hilarious, even though I suffer from sometimes feeling like parts of my life are being made fun of. I once told a girl who asked me back to her apartment for coffee that I prefer tea, and proceeded to go home. That stings a little bit whenever I see the episode about the guys not knowing that coffee doesn't always mean coffee.
I rarely read replies, it's my opinion and if you thought about your opinion a little more, I'm OK with that.
I can totally imagine Sheldon and Leonard having this exact conversation.
I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it by not dying. - Woody Allen
Not unless the show is set in the past. He stopped sending those out quite a while ago.
Because he doesn't trust people to touch his stuff- including banks to touch his money (and after 2007, who can blame him?)
SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
But Tubbs had the cooler outfits Just :-)
Says more about you then anything else.
There are a lot of terrible transfers out there. Don't accept the VHS quality, pan and scan shit.
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
After she got her Oscar, Helen Hunt was making $1 million per episode in "Mad About You". Paul Reiser had a clause in his contract that his salary would match Hunt's, so he got $1 million as well. The main stars of "Friends" and "Seinfeld" were supposed to be making in the $1 million per episode range at the end of their series, plus generous fees for syndication. The five or six main voice actors in "The Simpsons" are supposed be making close to $1 million per episode.
They're not just rich. They're Richie Rich rich.
Leonard = Ross
Penny = Rachel
Howard = Chandler
Bernadette = Monica
Sheldon = Joey
Amy = Phoebe
Raj = Smellycat
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