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Big Bang Actors To Earn $1M Per Episode

Posted by timothy on from the starving-grad-students dept.

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?

15 of 442 comments (clear)

  1. Nerd Blackface by mythosaz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

    1. Re:Nerd Blackface by E-Rock · · Score: 5, Insightful

      We're talking about a fictional example, but Sheldon is highly successful, and seems quite happy with his life. He doesn't need to be medicated just because he doesn't meet stereotypical norms.

    2. Re:Nerd Blackface by nine-times · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The argument against is that BBT is, essentially, Nerd Blackface.

      That wouldn't be my argument against it. My argument is that it's not a good show. I don't find the characters relateable. I don't think it's particularly funny. It seems like someone took a very bland, unoriginal sitcom and attached a geek gimmick to try to make it interesting, but in my mind it fails. It's not interesting, and the geek gimmick doesn't really work.

      If you wanted to talk about it's problem with relation to "geek culture", I don't feel like it's right to say it's like "nerd blackface". I would argue the problem is more like, if you had a bunch of kids thinking that they understand urban black culture because they're listening to rap music, but the rap music they're listening to is Vanilla Ice.

      Sorry, no, you don't understand geeks and nerds and "geek culture" from watching Big Bang Theory. You don't understand comic books and Doctor Who from learning the references that the show uses. From the episodes that I've seen, the characters don't seem like authentic geeks and nerds. Not really. It mostly seems like a crappy "Friends" ripoff where the characters are all wearing nerd costumes and talking in nasal voices. I don't think it's mainstreaming geek culture, but more like jumping on the bandwagon of geek culture that has managed to mainstream itself.

      That's my take. I don't require that anyone else agrees.

    3. Re:Nerd Blackface by CanHasDIY · · Score: 4, Funny

      As a self professed nerd/geek, the "Nerd Blackface" doesn't offend me, and I certainly don't feel "persecuted" by it. But I can't stand it in a TV show, and so I pretty much stopped watching after half an episode. That, and after many modern examples of sitcoms and half hour comedy shows without laugh tracks, I absolutely cannot stand shows with laugh tracks anymore.

      (cue laugh track)

      --
      An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
    4. Re:Nerd Blackface by roc97007 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      We're talking about a fictional example, but Sheldon is highly successful, and seems quite happy with his life. He doesn't need to be medicated just because he doesn't meet stereotypical norms.

      This. The Sheldon character holds down a high paying job and manages to interact with an admittedly small circle of friends. He's already doing better than a good segment of the population. That his personality quirks should be wrung out of him through therapy and/or medication is more than a little offensive.

      --
      Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
    5. Re:Nerd Blackface by AudioEfex · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Oh please. I don't think many of you have ever seen a sitcom before.

      Sam Malone had a sex addiction problem. Monica Gellar had severe OCD. Roseanne had anger management issues.

      That's what's hilarious about the folks who cry about BBT - they take it so seriously because it hits a lot closer to home than they would like folks to believe and they simply don't have the ability to laugh at themselves.

      Did folks criticize Mary Tyler Moore Show for not being an accurate enough representation of life in a network news room? Probably, if they worked in one and didn't have a sense of humor.

      As to TFA, I'm very glad for them - they earned this - this show is going to bring in billions because of the syndicated deal, the hell is merchandised out of it as well (I was at a LCBS yesterday and they had an entire section of BBTS merch), and they are getting a small cut now. Is everyone on TV overpaid to some extent, sure. But comparatively, these are not outrageous salaries, particularly in this current climate of a hit TV show being as rare as it is, particularly on networks. If the entire industry is going to rake in such money, I'm glad that the folks in front of the camera who are largely responsible for my enjoyment of the show as opposed to executives who just sit and approve shit.

    6. Re:Nerd Blackface by Kaenneth · · Score: 4, Funny

      Sheldon is one disfiguring accident away from being a Batman villain.

    7. Re:Nerd Blackface by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Perhaps for the young and healthy.

      For the unhealthy, suicide can be a logical exit.

      Geeky, if you were going to be in severe pain for the rest of your life and drugs wouldn't help- you wouldn't be able to sleep more than 2 hours at a stretch without being woken up by the pain-- how long before suicide would seem like a rational way out.

      Not everyone's pain is physical.

      --
      She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
    8. Re:Nerd Blackface by Xest · · Score: 4, Interesting

      This is exactly what's great about The Big Bang theory, and especially discussions on Slashdot about it, there are always a bunch of geeks who will sit and say they don't relate to it and it doesn't represent "proper" geeks, all the while completely oblivious to the fact they're sounding exactly like Sheldon hence disproving their own theory that it's not representative. If you sat Sheldon down in front of a show like the Big Bang Theory this is probably exactly what he'd say:

      "That wouldn't be my argument against it. My argument is that it's not a good show. I don't find the characters relateable. I don't think it's particularly funny. It seems like someone took a very bland, unoriginal sitcom and attached a geek gimmick to try to make it interesting, but in my mind it fails. It's not interesting, and the geek gimmick doesn't really work. "

      It's like a kind of circular ignorance of what makes the show great. I'd say that contrary to your assertion people watching Big Bang Theory exactly understand geeks and nerds, because when they think of Sheldon and what he'd have to say about it, they'd imagine exactly the sort of holier than thou, no true geek (aka no true Scotsman) argument you've made.

  2. Shouldn't they be starving to death? by denzacar · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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
  3. I'd love to be wrong, but ... by xfizik · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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.

  4. Yawn by wcrowe · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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
  5. Re:They are the rich by sycodon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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.
  6. Re:They are the rich by TeknoHog · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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.
  7. Wrong measure by Camael · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.