TV SERIES · 2007–2019 · USA
The Big Bang Theory
- Created by
- Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady
- Network
- CBS
- Seasons
- 12
- Episodes
- 279
- Studio
- Chuck Lorre Productions, Warner Bros. Television
40 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
Physicists Leonard and Sheldon find their nerd-centric social circle with pals Howard and Raj expanding when aspiring actress Penny moves in next door.
Summary: TMDB
The Big Bang Theory — Career & Awards (12 facts)
- #017
Chuck Lorre wrote for Roseanne for several seasons before his work on The Big Bang Theory.
- #030
For the first three seasons of The Big Bang Theory, its three main stars Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons and Kaley Cuoco earned up to $60,000 per episode.
- #031
The pay of The Big Bang Theory's three main stars rose to $200,000 per episode in the fourth season, then increased by $50,000 in each of the next three seasons, reaching $350,000 per episode in the seventh season.
- #032
In September 2013, Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch renegotiated the contracts they had held since joining The Big Bang Theory in 2010.
- #033
Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch's new contracts doubled their previous pay of $20,000–$30,000 per episode, starting at $60,000 and rising steadily to $100,000 per episode by the end of the contract, which also added a year for both.
- #034
By season seven of The Big Bang Theory, Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons and Kaley Cuoco were each receiving 0.25 percent of the series' back-end money.
- #035
Before production started on The Big Bang Theory's eighth season, Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons and Kaley Cuoco sought new contracts of about $1 million per episode plus more back-end money. Their contracts were signed in the beginning of August 2014, covering an estimated $1 million per episode for three years with an option for a fourth.
- #036
Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar renegotiated their The Big Bang Theory contracts to a per-episode pay in the mid-six-figure range, up from roughly $100,000 each per episode in earlier years. They signed after the studio and producers threatened to write their characters out of the series if no deal was reached before season eight production began.
- #037
By season 10 of The Big Bang Theory, Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar reached $1 million per episode, matching Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons and Kaley Cuoco, through a clause in the deals they signed in 2014.
- #038
The pay cut left Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar at $900,000 per episode of The Big Bang Theory, while Parsons, Galecki and Helberg also secured overall deals with Warner Bros. Television.
- #039
By the end of April 2017, Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch had signed deals for The Big Bang Theory worth $500,000 per episode each, including a separate development component for both actors.
- #040
The new $500,000-per-episode deals for Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch on The Big Bang Theory were an increase from the $175,000–$200,000 the pair had previously earned per episode.
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
Sources for the entries on this page
- Wikipedia The Big Bang Theory — Wikipedia
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