‘Big Bang Theory’ Contract Talks: Will CBS Keep Its Lucrative Show On The Air Past Season 10?
If you’re near your television, chances are, you can find an old episode of The Big Bang Theory airing somewhere right now. That’s because the show continues to be a huge money-maker for its home network, CBS, and its production company, Warner Bros. Although the future of the show beyond its upcoming 10th season is still up in the air, a new report by Deadline reveals that the cast will participate in contract negotiations that could see them filming new episodes for years to come.
Two years ago, Deadline reported that the show’s three main stars, Kaley Cuoco, Johnny Galecki, and Jim Parsons, netted themselves approximately $1 million per episode and lucrative back-end deals that covered Seasons 8 through 10. The new Deadline report says that new negotiations are set to begin this August for the cast, even though the show has yet to be confirmed for Seasons 11 and beyond.
But just because the cast are on board does not mean that the show will continue. A few weeks ago, Kunal Nayyar made news by saying he didn’t know if there would be a Season 11, although confirming he would like to be part of the show if it did go on.
“Look, next season, as it stands on our contract, could be the last season of ‘Big Bang Theory.’ To be completely honest, I know people are gonna want to know what happens after season 10. I don’t know what’s going to happen.
“If it were up to me, personally, I would love to do the show as long as you guys would have us on the air.”
Even if the cast is on board, the producers behind the sitcom might want to call it quits. In a December, 2015, interview with The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner Steve Molaro said the writing team continued to plan the show as if the plotlines would wrap up during Season 10.
“I think so. I can’t speak to the future or on behalf of the cast or where we’ll be then but it’s certainly possible that it could go past that. The reality is that maybe season 10 is the ending point.”
Despite its seemingly never-ending cycle of reruns and its long tenure, The Big Bang Theory finished Season 9 as television’s most-watched scripted series at 20 million viewers per episode, taking into account people who tune in for new episodes Thursday nights and those who watch it on their DVRs in the following seven days.
Deadline compared this crucial juncture of The Big Bang Theory to that of Friends, which, according to the site, ended because Jennifer Aniston was not on board with the idea of a Season 11. In the case of Big Bang, the cast members all seem willing to stay. The Friends comparison became particularly fitting during that last round of contract negotiations in the summer of 2014, as the Big Bang cast became one of the few groups of actors to match the million-dollar-per-episode salary of the Friends stars.
Warner Bros. earns $1.5 million a Big Bang Theory episode from its syndication deal with TBS, just one indication of its worth to the studio.
The Big Bang Theory airs in syndication and on CBS.
[Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images]
