Residuals have always been a hot topic in Hollywood. When it comes to reality TV, residuals seem to be depressing, with even the most established shows like Survivor missing out.
As for television shows, the likes of The Big Bang Theory are still generating over $1 billion per year. Main cast members like Jim Parsons are making a fortune, but the same doesn’t hold true for the rest of the cast. We’re going to take a closer look at the unsung hero of the show, Kevin Sussman, and why he took exception to his current pay. In truth, he’s far from the only person to call out his wages on a residual scale.
Despite His Popularity With The Fans, Kevin Sussman Saw His TBBT Pay Slashed Due To Streaming
Throughout his time on The Big Bang Theory, Kevin Sussman’s salary was on the lower end compared to the main cast. In addition, that trend continued after the show. TBBT is still making a fortune per year, valued at over $1 billion. Main stars like Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco are still making a massive profit, estimated to be at 1% of the backend profits, roughly $10 million per year depending on the total revenue made. Sadly for Kevin Sussman, his residuals are nowhere near that amount. Sussman revealed what his pay is really like these days from the show and, according to the actor, he saw a major slash due to streaming services and their lack of residuals.
Sussman revealed, “For me the big issue is residuals for streaming. I’ve known that it’s been untenable for years. I was surprised that it took this long for there to be a strike like this. I’ve seen residuals for my own shows absolutely tank once they go to streaming.
He continued, “I’m lucky because I was on The Big Bang Theory, which was on a broadcast network for years. Since it moved to streaming [like Max and Amazon Prime], it’s night and day.”
Sussman added that he’s worried about future actors believing that a job in the industry will become unsustainable due to the current conditions of residuals. “I don’t see how it’s possible for an upcoming actor these days to actually be able to make a living.”
This is a bummer for Sussman, who was a major part of the show during the later seasons. Fans on Reddit praised his contributions:
“I personally liked Stuart. He was so kind and genuine and I didn’t like how the other guys treated him like he wasn’t part of the group. I loved the ending for him, he was the sweetest guy in the show and I loved that they gave him such a nice ending with Denise.”
As for those on the show, they were very aware of Sussman’s contributions. Kunal Nayyar praised his work on the show, while Steve Molaro made it a priority to include the actor in the finale.
“We knew we wanted Kevin Sussman (Stuart Bloom) to be part of the finale because he’s such a part of the show. But we really wanted it to be focused on the main cast. This was our chance to say goodbye. It’s the audience’s chance to say goodbye. We didn’t want to fill it up with a bunch of returning guest stars.”
He got the proper send-off from the show, but not the pay he was looking for.
Steven Page Of The Barenaked Ladies Also Ended Up On The Wrong Side Of Residuals
Ed Robertson is forever grateful to The Big Bang Theory, despite his initial reservations about creating the theme song. The group literally wrote the intro song within minutes, and continue to make millions over it.
“It’s been like having a hit multiple times a year for over a decade. It’s been life-changing. The song has been very good to me,’ he continued. ‘And to my family. And to my grandchildren’s family,” Robertson said. “That song changed my life. The writing process was so fun and easy and rewarding and my relationship with [TBBT creators] Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady has been so cool over the years. They’ve been so supportive of the band, and it changed my life unlike any other song in my entire catalogue.”
The Court House News detailed why the Barenaked Ladies sued over the Big Bang money, and what happened to Steven Page’s request.
“Page demands his 20 percent of the money from the theme song, which he says totals at least $1 million. He also wants a declaration that Warner Bros. should send Page’s future share straight to him and punitive damages from Robertson.”
