BIG BANG THEORY renewed for another three years

Quote: Nareed

You're missing at least two other sources: 1) the show runs in Latin America on cable and surely in other countries, both new eps and reruns. 2) DVD sales of past seasons. Surely this increases the average revenue per ad minute of new show.

They don't run the current season on cable. But with 24 episodes per year, and sometimes doubling up episodes, they certainly air a show twice per year. Maybe they don't get $5 million in advertising the second time around, but I am sure it isn't peanuts. I did forget about overseas airings. DVD sales and downloads are probably not a big deal, since most people are reluctant to pay for something which is free and widely available.

But with the show in syndication for over three years, I am sure revenue already exceeds $1 billion.

May 15, 2010 ‘Big Bang Theory’ Sets $2M-Per-Episode Syndie Record: TBS ($1.5+M) And Fox Broadcast Stations ($500K) What a huge haul for Warner Bros Domestic TV Distribution. That shatters the previous record of $1M for a sitcom cable sale fetched by Seinfeld in its first deal with TBS.

So that deal was announced a week before the season three, May 24, 2010 finale. The first three seasons were 63 episodes for which the three actors were paid $60K per episode. So in a sense the current contract is partly back pay for those earlier episodes which are now generating a lot of money.

It seems to be that recording artists used to sign contracts but if they made it big, it was "renegotiate or we walk".

Same thing with actors. If its a really big hit the producers are screwed.

That Ditzy Blonde had her career ruined by producers who would not buy her contract out and would not give her a raise and she spent the rest of her life doing infomercials for leg lifting exercises. The reward is supposed to be linked to the entrepreneurial risk. The actor risks little after an initial fame and fortune is gained.

At the peak of his Two and a Half Men career, Charlie Sheen was making $1.25 million per episode. That amount grows to $2 million when you include back end syndication points. If he was replaced, then there is really anyone who can be replaced. Charlie Sheen made 178 episodes, while Ashton Kutcher will probably make 82 episodes.

Quote: Pacomartin

They don't run the current season on cable.

Not in America. In Mexico and Latin America the show runs only a few weeks behind the US schedule, on a cable channel.

Quote:

So in a sense the current contract is partly back pay for those earlier episodes which are now generating a lot of money.

That's typical in multi-year deals. Pro athletes face something similar, in a way, as many are basically underpaid the first few years.

Of course with actors things are more precarious.

Quote: beachbumbabs

Quote: Pacomartin

All four Lorre comedies renewed for next year
2007-2014 The Big Bang Theory (TV Series) (executive producer - 153 episodes)
2003-2014 Two and a Half Men (TV Series) (executive producer - 217 episodes)
2010-2014 Mike & Molly (TV Series) (executive producer - 81 episodes)
2013 Mom (TV Series) (executive producer - 4 episodes)
Chuck Lorre's "Mom" with Anna Faris can be vulgar, but not in the completely arbitrary way that 2.5 Men can be. I think the writing is much more purposeful. I hope it is renewed.

Chuck and I share a birthday, and we definitely share a similar sense of what's funny, with 2 1/2 men being the exception.

Well it looks as if Chuck Lorre remains the supreme overlord of the Sitcom. Ratings for "Mom" have gone up, and all sitcoms on CBS may soon be Chuck Lorre productions.

CBS Sitcoms
The McCarthys WEAK RATINGS
The Millers : Cancelled
Two and a Half Men: 12th and final season
2 Broke Girls: SOLID RATINGS
Mom: SOLID RATINGS
The Big Bang Theory: already renewed

ABC Sitcoms
Manhattan Love Story: canceled
Cristela: (Friday Night) WEAK RATINGS, but possibly OK for Friday
Selfie: cancelled
Last Man Standing (Friday Night): Solid ratings for a Friday
The Middle : Solid ratings
The Goldbergs: Solid ratings
black-ish: FRESHMAN HIT
Modern Family: Only Sitcom anywhere near TBBT

FOX Sitcoms
Mulaney: cancelled, airing remaining episodes
The Mindy Project: Poor ratings but still renewed. New low standard for television shows
New Girl: Poor ratings but high for young adults
Bob's Burgers: DECENT RATINGS animated
Brooklyn Nine-Nine: HIGH RATINGS
Family Guy : HIGH RATINGS animated
The Simpsons: HIGH RATINGS animated (may last 50 years)

NBC Sitcoms
A to Z: cancelled, airing remaining episodes
Bad Judge: cancelled, airing remaining episodes
About A Boy: WEAK RATINGS
Marry Me: WEAK RATINGS
Parks & Recreation: final season
NBC really needs to simply give up on sitcoms and go to an all drama, sports, and reality lineup

I look at the list and see how few shows I've even heard of much less watched once ... and you can forget about being some sort of loyal listener who even watches the commercials much less remembers them.

So New Girl may deliver a good market segment in a weak manner.... maybe its sufficient these days.

What does this Chuck Lorre have that others don't? Talent? I thought there was nothing cheaper than talent. Or are the better scripts going to where the money is?

Quote: Fleastiff

I look at the list and see how few shows I've even heard of much less watched once ... and you can forget about being some sort of loyal listener who even watches the commercials much less remembers them.

Well, the country has turned away from network Sitcoms. Chronicling their travails is a lot like watching the death of variety shows in the 1970's.

Quote: Fleastiff

So New Girl may deliver a good market segment in a weak manner.... maybe its sufficient these days.

It actually gets high ad revenue (behind TBBT, Modern Family, and Simpsons). Small audience but the correct age group. The "Mindy Project" on Fox gets very low ratings, but they are high income. It is possible that they think the show will do well in syndication.

Quote: Fleastiff

What does this Chuck Lorre have that others don't? Talent? I thought there was nothing cheaper than talent. Or are the better scripts going to where the money is?

No doubt success breeds success. A movie's success depends partly on release date, but TV success is still very dependent on time slot and lead in. It was thought that Video on Demand and DVR would reduce the importance of original show time, but it has only made a dent.

Of course, 22 years ago 5 of the top 10 shows were sitcoms, including Roseanne where Chuck Lorre and Johnny Galecki first rose to fame.
Roseanne (2/20.7)
Home Improvement (3/19.2)
Coach (6/17.5)
Cheers (8/16.1)
Full House (10/15.8)

Of course, there is always that guessing game about which comedian, tv showrunner, actor, hip hop artist, or supermodel will be the first billionaire in the world.
Oprah is the notable onscreen persona | actress who became a billionaire, but most media billionaires are behind the scenes people.


#13 Michael Bloomberg $36.4 B $0 72 Bloomberg LP United States
#51 Anne Cox Chambers $16.1 B $0 94 media United States
#71 Rupert Murdoch & family $14 B $30.1 M | 0.2% 83 media United States
#152 Samuel Newhouse Jr $8.7 B $77.1 M | -0.9% 86 media United States
#163 Blair Parry-Okeden $7.9 B $0 63 media United States
#163 Jim Kennedy $7.9 B $0 66 media United States
#165 Donald Newhouse $7.9 B $77.1 M | -1% 84 media United States
#182 John Malone $7.3 B $63.5 M | -0.9% 73 cable television United States
#200 David Geffen $6.8 B $6.9 M | -0.1% 71 entertainment United States
#227 Sumner Redstone $6.2 B $29.4 M | 0.5% 91 Media United States
#350 George Lucas $4.4 B $14.4 M | -0.3% 70 Star Wars United States
#393 Charles Dolan & family $4 B $13.5 M | 0.3% 88 cable television United States
#429 Martha Ingram & family $3.8 B $286 K 79 book distribution, transportation United States
#456 Steven Spielberg $3.6 B $19.2 M | -0.5% 67 Movies United States
#467 Isaac Perlmutter $3.5 B $9.8 M | -0.3% 71 Marvel comics United States
#497 Haim Saban $3.3 B $9.2 M | -0.3% 70 television United States
#538 Amos Hostetter Jr $3.1 B $2.4 M | 0.1% 77 cable television United States
#581 Oprah Winfrey $3 B $0 60 Television United States
#641 Mark Cuban $2.7 B $0 56 online media United States
#646 A. Jerrold Perenchio $2.7 B $0 83 television, Univision United States
#885 Stanley Hubbard $2.1 B $6.4 M | -0.3% 81 DirecTV United States
#958 Billy Joe (Red) McCombs $1.9 B $0 87 real estate, oil, cars United States
#977 Craig McCaw $1.9 B $9.7 M | -0.5% 65 telecom United States
#993 Thomas Secunda $1.8 B $0 60 Bloomberg United States
#1013 Kenneth Feld & family $1.8 B $0 66 circus, live entertainment United States
#1213 Gary Magness $1.5 B $7.2 M | -0.5% 60 cable, investments United States
#1221 Charles Zegar $1.5 B $0 66 Bloomberg LP United States
#1249 Todd Wagner $1.4 B $0 54 online media United States
#1271 Alan Gerry $1.4 B $0 84 cable television United States
#1305 Edmund Ansin $1.3 B $0 78 television United States
#1566 Ryan Kavanaugh $1 B $0 39 Movies United States

#24 David Thomson & family $24.7 B $28.7 M | 0.1% 57 media Canada
#97 Hans Rausing $12 B $0 88 packaging Sweden
#228 Roberto Irineu Marinho $6.2 B $0 67 media Brazil
#229 Joao Roberto Marinho $6.1 B $0 61 media Brazil
#229 Jose Roberto Marinho $6.1 B $0 58 media Brazil
#234 Jean-Claude Decaux & family $5.9 B $37.8 M | 0.6% 76 advertising France
#273 Krit Ratanarak $5.3 B $12.9 M | 0.2% 68 media, real estate Thailand
#330 Arnon Milchan $4.6 B $0 69 movie making Israel
#336 Subhash Chandra $4.6 B $46.6 M | 1% 63 media India
#394 Gustavo Cisneros & family $4 B $0 69 media Venezuela
#417 Elizabeth Mohn & family $3.8 B $0 73 media Germany
#466 David & Frederick Barclay $3.5 B $0 80 media, retail United Kingdom
#473 Friede Springer $3.5 B $13.2 M | 0.4% 72 publishing Germany
#493 Yvonne Bauer & family $3.3 B $0 37 media Germany
#530 Emilio Azcarraga Jean $3.2 B $0 46 media Mexico
#556 Zygmunt Solorz-Zak $3.1 B $40.5 M | -1.3% 58 TV broadcasting Poland
#698 Clive Calder $2.5 B $0 67 record label United Kingdom
#763 Richard Desmond $2.3 B $0 62 publishing United Kingdom
#766 Barry Diller $2.3 B $7.7 M | -0.3% 72 online media United States
#785 Hubert Burda $2.3 B $0 74 publishing Germany
#806 Koos Bekker $2.2 B $77 M | -3.4% 61 media, investments South Africa
#818 Ted Turner $2.2 B $0 75 cable television United States
#841 Kalanithi Maran $2.2 B $8.4 M | -0.4% 49 media India
#857 Indu Jain $2.1 B $0 78 media India
#860 John de Mol $2.1 B $0 59 TV Netherlands
#966 Guy Laliberte $1.9 B $0 54 Cirque du Soleil Canada
#1058 Wang Changtian $1.7 B $63.4 M | 3.7% 49 entertainment China
#1134 Fu Meicheng & family $1.6 B $72.6 M | 4.6% 57 entertainment China
#1176 Cai Dongqing $1.5 B $15 M | 1% 45 animation China
#1204 Joop van den Ende $1.5 B $0 72 TV Netherlands
#1209 Elisabeth Badinter & family $1.5 B $2.9 M | 0.2% 70 advertising France
#1217 Jonathan Harmsworth $1.5 B $4.1 M | -0.3% 46 publishing United Kingdom
#1255 Hary Tanoesoedibjo $1.4 B $20.7 M | -1.5% 49 media Indonesia
#1455 Arkady Volozh $1.2 B $13.2 M | -1.1% 50 internet Russia
#1470 Edir Macedo & family $1.1 B $0 69 broadcasting Brazil
#1501 Allan Slaight $1.1 B $0 81 broadcasting Canada
#1502 Aydin Dogan $1.1 B $9 M | 0.8% 78 media Turkey

Quote: Pacomartin

NBC Sitcoms
A to Z: cancelled, airing remaining episodes
Bad Judge: cancelled, airing remaining episodes
About A Boy: WEAK RATINGS
Marry Me: WEAK RATINGS
Parks & Recreation: final season
NBC really needs to simply give up on sitcoms and go to an all drama, sports, and reality lineup

Well it looks like NBC's plan to revive a sitcom with Bill Cosby is not going to pan out.

Quote: Pacomartin

Well it looks like NBC's plan to revive a sitcom with Bill Cosby is not going to pan out.

He was planning on a reborn career at
78. Betty White is still going strong at 90.

Quote: Evenbob

Betty White is still going strong at 90.

Well, Betty white is not going to get negative publicity ever. If she hasn't done something by now, it's too late to have any scandals.

Bill Cosby is possibly the wealthiest black actor in the world (possibly Tyler Perry), and he doesn't need another show. NBC is desperate for a hit sitcom having cancelled every single one since 2009 Park's and Recreation (which is now in it's final season). "About a Boy" was remewed last year, but it looks like it and all the other new sitcoms may be cancelled this year.

So NBC needed Bill Cosby much worse than he needs them.

#	Pilot	Weeks	NBC Sitcom	Final
1	2010-05-27	6	100 Questions	2010-07-01
2	2010-09-23	34	Outsourced	2011-05-12
3	2011-01-20	12	Perfect Couples	2011-04-07
4	2011-04-14	2	The Paul Reiser Show	2011-04-22
5	2011-08-05	6	Friends with Benefits	2011-09-09
6	2011-09-14	19	Free Agents	2012-01-16
7	2011-09-14	66	Up All Night	2012-12-13
8	2011-09-22	80	Whitney	2013-03-27
9	2012-01-11	12	Are You There, Chelsea?	2012-03-28
10	2012-03-21	3	Bent	2012-04-04
11	2012-04-04	9	Best Friends Forever	2012-06-01
12	2012-08-08	36	Go On	2013-04-11
13	2012-08-12	11	Animal Practice	2012-10-24
14	2012-09-10	30	The New Normal	2013-04-02
15	2012-09-11	25	Guys With Kids	2013-02-27
16	2012-12-17	15	1600 Penn	2013-03-27
17	2013-09-26	18	The Michael J. Fox Show	2014-01-23
18	2013-10-03	3	Welcome to the Family	2013-10-17
19	2013-10-03	17	Sean Saves The World	2014-01-23
20	2014-02-22	8	About a Boy	2014-11-19
21	2014-02-23	7	Growing Up Fisher	2014-06-11

This year's NBC sitcoms
Parks & Recreation final season
A to Z canceled, airing remaining episodes
Bad Judge canceled, airing remaining episodes
Marry Me LOOKS BAD
About A Boy LOOKS BAD