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\n‘The Pitt’ Is Case Study For Fixed-Fee Cast Payment Model Amid TV Industry Push To Cap Talent Costs https:\/\/t.co\/X30kLlSdXM<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Deadline (@DEADLINE) November 9, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The series\u2019 unusual casting process that resembled hiring practices at a general company, where people apply for a position at a fixed salary denoted in the job listing.<\/p>\n
The method expedites casting as it eliminates back-and-fourth salary negotiations. That saves time, which is a factor, particularly for anthology series.<\/p>\n
It also allows for a show with a large ensemble series such as to stay within budget in the new post-Peak TV environment, in which trimming production costs has become imperative.<\/p>\n
Anthologies\u2019 Guest Star Attractions<\/b>
Fox\u2019s Accused<\/u>, a pure anthology, with each episode featuring a new cast, so the Guest Lead carries the story in that episode. That role pays $150K. If there are two equal co-leads in the episode, both make the same $150K. If the second role is a smaller, it pays $100K. <\/p>\nCBS\u2019 Elsbeth<\/u>, Special Guest Stars get $100K an episode.<\/p>\n
Peacock\u2019s Poker Face<\/u>, for the upcoming second season, is paying $75K for the episodic Lead Guest Stars. In Season 1, they paid $150K for the guest-starring gig.<\/p>\n
Max\u2019s upcoming medical drama The Pitt<\/b>
\u2022 has 10 series regulars,
\u2022 to be budgeted north of $4 million an episode.
\u2022 unusually large (for streaming) order, straight-to-series for 15 episodes.
\u2022 a fixed two-tier salary system. Besides the lead, and executive producer Noah Wyle, the remaining nine series-regular roles were put out for casting with a per-episode fee attached \u2014 $50K an episode for some and $35K an episode for the rest are in the low- to mid-range for TV salaries.
\u2022 The entire season of The Pitt is believed to take place over the course of a single day, in the vein of ’24’.
\u2022 The actors have been asked to be present even if they don\u2019t have lines in a scene. That translated into 7 out of 8 shooting days per episode for most of the cast.<\/p>\nCasting Budgets\u2018 Increased \u201cRigidity\u201d<\/b>
\u2022 In the post-Peak TV era, we may never again see entire casts of five or six making $1M an episode.
\u2022 media companies may be looking to cap actor salaries at around $400K per episode.
\u2022 the ongoing squeeze is not expected to impact the so-called \u201cNo.1 on the call sheet\u201d. It\u2019s the rest that are feeling the effects of budget trimming.
\u2022 if the budget for a role is $60K and an actor is unwilling to take it because they feel undervalued, the producers will just move on to the next actor on the list.
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