‘The Big Bang Theory’ season 8: Latest on Kaley Cuoco, Jim Parsons, cast contract situation

Are we closer to a deal between “The Big Bang Theory” cast and Warner Bros. on a new contract to keep them on board? Sadly, not exactly.

According to Deadline, there has been no major progress in the past week on a deal to keep Kaley Cuoco, Jim Parsons, and Johnny Galecki on board the show, and they are looking for something close to $1 million an episode. Meanwhile, Kunal Nayyar and Simon Helberg are also seeking raises, but not on the same level.

We’ve heard conflicting reports about whether or not the cast would report to work for the first table-read on July 30 without a contract, and it may depend on where talks are at the time that it happens. Even with all of this chaos at the moment, though, there is no reason for immediate concern: Even if the show starts late, it could still easily deliver its premiere episode in time.

These salaries, while they sound crazy, are really quite comparable to what many big sitcom stars at this point in the show’s run command. The cast of “Friends” pulled in around this much money near the end of their run, and that was for six people without inflation for modern day factored in. Meanwhile, Charlie Sheen was making this sort of money on “Two and a Half Men” before leaving. Let this be a lesson to all TV actors: If you want a chance to make a ton of money, get on a really big sitcom with an even bigger syndication deal. This is the reason why the show can afford to hand out these kind of paychecks.

While we wait for a resolution, the show will continue to hammer out plans for the next season as though everything will be according to plan. We’ll have more as news arrives, and you can also sign up to get some top TV updates via our official newsletter.

Photo: CBS