Budget Cuts Reach Actors

Time does not heal all wounds.

It has been exactly one year since the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike ended. Despite the time that has passed, the industry is still feeling the long-term effects of the strike. Many primetime shows never fully recovered from the sagging ratings, and CBS and ABC cut 3%-10% of the budgets for their scripted series.

There is a long-standing tradition in the television industry to renegotiate actor salaries after the second or third season. This tradition is on its way out the door. Another tradition is to include yearly salary increases in multi-year contracts. For the first time, CBS Paramount is looking to tighten series budgets and prevent behind-the-scenes layoffs by asking the actors on most of their dramas to cut out their yearly raise next season.

The CSI franchise, as well as NCIS and Numbers, are among the series affected by this pay freeze. If all of the actors agree to the freeze, salaries will remain the same next season as they are right now. On the other hand, if a lead actor refuses to forgo the raise, the studio could choose not to pick up his or her contract option at the end of the season; however, it would be more likely that supporting actors would find their jobs on the line.

The original information is from Ausiello and Variety.

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