14 DAY TRIAL // Worrying news from the set of the popular sitcom “The Big Bang Theory,” which was supposed to get ready to start filming on season 8. Although fans hunkered down in eager anticipation for the new episodes that were going to start airing this fall, we find out that a settlement between the cast and the producers could not be reached, and thus the production was postponed.
Deadline reports that Warner Bros. has decided to cancel the table read which was supposed to begin yesterday and has now stalled the production process. “Due to ongoing contract negotiations, production on The Big Bang Theory — which was originally scheduled to begin today — has been postponed,” says the official statement.
The reason for that is that several members of the cast like Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco demanded significant pay increases, that would put them in the one million per episode neighborhood.
This isn't the first time that negotiations are tense on the set of the sitcom but the main difference is that this time the actors are no longer under contract since they expired at the end of last season. That means that the actors could walk away at any time since they are not contractually obliged to continue shooting.
The talk from behind the scenes is that the negotiations have been moving in the right direction but that there is still a difference between what the actors want to be paid and what the producers are willing to offer them.
This worrying development comes after last week Executive Producer Chuck Lorre expressed confidence that the shooting of the new season would progress unhindered. The same message was conveyed by CBS chairman Nina Tassler, who said, “We’re feeling very confident that everything will work out.”
For those who were worried about the process, she explained, “These deals manage to get done somehow miraculously year after year.” Be that as it may, the one million per episode mark is a considerable sum, and one that the industry hasn't seen since the golden days of television sitcom during the show “Friends.”
Worst case scenario, the negotiations don't go in the direction both camps are aiming for, and one or maybe more actors will choose to walk away from the show since they are not under contract anymore. The trouble is that those who are currently under negotiations are all major characters on the show, and it's not known if it's going to work without their performances.