The stars of “The Big Bang Theory” are about to have one million reasons to be thankful for their hit CBS show.
Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco are close to signing new deals worth around $1 million an episode, according to deadline.com.
The three-year pacts (good through the already renewed 10th season) would see the trio of cast members triple their salaries from the $350,000 an episode they were earning under their most recent contracts.
In a nod to the huge success of the show — “The Big Bang Theory” is the most-watched show on television, averaging 23 million viewers last season — the new deals also reportedly include an increased share of the back-end profits (syndication sales, etc.) and development deals for the actors.
“The Big Bang Theory” is scheduled to shoot 24 episodes this season, meaning each actor would earn $24 million, plus the additional syndication fees.
A Warner Bros. TV spokesperson declined to comment.
The windfalls are reminiscent of the “Friends” cast, whose six-person ensemble famously nabbed a $1 million-per-episode payday for the sitcom’s final two seasons. Other TV stars to crack the seven-figure threshold include Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser (“Mad About You”), Tim Allen (“Home Improvement”), Ray Romano (“Everybody Loves Raymond”), Kelsey Grammer (“Frasier”) and Charlie Sheen (“Two and a Half Men”).
Cast negotiations have delayed the start of production on “Big Bang Theory”s eighth season, which was scheduled for last week and is now expected to resume Wednesday, according to reports.
Co-stars Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar are still negotiating new deals and are also expected to gain big pay raises, though not at the $1 million mark.
“The Big Bang Theory” is set for a one-hour season premiere on Monday, Sept. 22.