“How many repeats can Big Bang Theory fans really watch?” is the question of the moment as production on the shows eighth season has been halted due to a pay dispute between the main stars of the cast and Warner Bros Television.

In a move similar to that of the Friends cast, stars Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar are looking to move into the $1 million dollar an episode price range, up from the $325,000 per episode they are currently earning.

While the show has been greenlit for a further 3 seasons (taking the show into 2017), production on the eighth season failed to start with cast members not arriving for the seasons first table read (scheduled for yesterday 31st July) surprising the studio (Warner Bros) and halting production, which was first noted by The Hollywood Reporter.

Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch are the only two cast members to have been secured into a new contract earning themselves a hefty pay increase.

The Big Bang Theory pulls in around 20 million viewers weekly in the US and here in Australia, new episodes can bring in over 1 million viewers.

Until the situation is resolved with both parties happy, production on season 8 will not go forth.  Guess it’s time to break out the repeats – again.