It started as a pretty late take on geek culture and ended up thrusting Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Kunal Nayyar and Simon Helberg into around 20 million American living rooms every week. Now, filming of the eighth season is delayed because they want more money. A statement from Warner Bros Television (WBTV) said: "Due to ongoing contract negotiations, production on The Big Bang Theory - which was originally scheduled to begin today - has been postponed."
Jim Parsons accepts his award for Critics' Choice Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series (Getty 2014/Kevin Winter)
Like many of American’s most popular sitcoms, looking back at the first season after eight or nine have flown by, it’s jarring. In the beginning, The Big Bang Theory didn’t really know what it was: Galecki’s Leonard Hofstadter was pinned as the show’s leading man; fumbling yet handsome, nerdy, lovable. But Parson’s Sheldon would soon take centre stage and thrust Leonard and Penny’s Ross & Rachel plotlines into the background.
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