Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch are returning to the new seasons of "The Big Bang Theory" after getting a bump in their salaries. Their co-stars agreed to pay cuts so Bialik and Rauch can have their increases.
Bialik, Rauch to sign new two-year contracts
Mayim (Amy Fowler) and Melissa (Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz) are now finalizing the deals to sign a two-year contract for "The Big Bang Theory", which will have Season 11 and 12. They sought for salary increases as their roles become as integral and as important as that of the rest of the core cast.
Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar, who receive $1 million per episode, each took a cut of $100,000. According to Deadline, Bialik and Rauch will now get around $425,000 to $500,000 per episode, from about $175,000 to $200,000.
The two stars started with a guest appearance in "The Big Bang Theory" Season 3. They became series regulars in Season 4, and Bialik has earned four Emmy nominations since then.
'Big Bang Theory' Season 10 finale nears
Meanwhile, the show's Season 10 is still on the air with two more episodes left until the finale. Kaley Cuoco recently teased "The Big Bang Theory's" Season 10 finale episode by posting a photo of her script on Instagram.
It has a pink cover, which matches her Starbucks Unicorn Frappucino.
CBS has already released the teaser for "The Big Bang Theory" Season 10 Episode 23, titled "The Gyroscopic Collapse." Leonard, Sheldon, and Wolowitz are celebrating the completion of their air force project, but then they are met with a surprise that doesn't sound good.
Meanwhile, Amy receives an offer as a visiting researcher during the summer.
"The Big Bang Theory" remains a top-rated comedy on TV even after running for 10 seasons. It has an average of over 14 million live viewers for an original telecast. Last month, CBS Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television announced that they have reached an agreement to continue the series through the 2018-19 season.
"The Big Bang Theory" Season 11 is expected to premiere in September this year.
Aside from the renewal of Big Bang, the two companies also reached a deal for a spinoff series, "Young Sheldon." The half-hour single cam show will follow the 9-year-old Sheldon Cooper. It is created by Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro and will premiere in the 2017-18 season. The young Sheldon will be played by Iain Armitage, who will be joined by Zoe Perry, Lance Barber, Raegan Revord and Montana-Jordan.
