‘The Pitt’ Is Case Study For Fixed-Fee Cast Payment Model Amid TV Industry Push To Cap Talent Costs

deadline.com:

EXCLUSIVE: Max’s upcoming medical drama The Pitt is already making a lasting impression, months ahead of its debut.

And it’s not only over the headline-making lawsuit from the Michael Crichton estate alleging ties to his creation ER — something The Pitt auspices and studio Warner Bros TV vigorously deny.

The intrigue has to do with the series’ unusual casting process that resembledhiring practices at a general company, where people apply for a position at a fixed salary denoted in the job listing — in this case $50,000 and $35,000 per episode.

That technique is also employed by several current episodic crime anthology series including CBS’ Elsbeth, Fox’s Accused and Peacock’s Poker Face for their Guest Star of the Week, who are getting between $75K-150K. (More on the sizes of each of these fixed fees in a bit.) Although a fixed episodic fee model is not an industry trend — at least not for now — “certain shows lend themselves to it, with The Pitt a perfect example,” one talent rep said. “Shows with big casts rotating in and out.” The method expedites casting as it eliminates back-and-fourth salary negotiations.