‘The Big Bang Theory’: Mayim Bialik & Melissa Rauch Reach Deals To Continue
The Big Bang Theory fans can rejoice: The seven-member core cast of the hit CBS comedy series will remain intact as co-stars Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch have reached an agreement and are finalizing deals for new two-year contracts to return for the upcoming Seasons 11 and 12. They join fellow cast members Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar, who signed new two-year contracts in February, paving the way to the show’s two-year renewal announced last month.
Bialik and Rauch’s negotiations took much longer than the others because the growth in importance of their roles on the show has outpaced the level of their compensation compared with the rest of the cast. Bialik and Rauch, who both were introduced as guest stars in Season 3 and became regulars in Season 4, had been earning about $175,000-$200,000 an episode in their most recent deals.
Because their characters have become an integral and equal part of the show’s ensemble, with Bialik earning four Emmy nominations for her role, the two had been seeking parity with the just-under $1 million an episode original cast members Parsons, Galecki, Cuoco, Helberg and Nayyar will command for the next two seasons. That is in line with what Parsons, Galecki and Cuoco made in each of the past three seasons and a milestone Helberg and Nayyar also reached toward the end of their current deals.
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Because of the low starting point due to their later start on the show, I hear Rauch and Bialik ended up in the range of $425,000-$500,000 per episode, with the other five cast members reportedly pitching in each $100,000 an episode toward the duo’s raises.
Bialik is repped by WME and Primary Wave. Rauch is repped by WME and Untitled.
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