The five supporting players on CBS' Becker--embroiled in a nasty salary fight with producer Paramount that has seen them stage a sickout and then file a lawsuit against the studio--have made nice with their bosses.
Terry Farrell, Shawnee Smith, Hattie Winston, Alex Desert and Saverio Guerra filed suit on on Tuesday and missed the next two days of work. That was in addition to a sickout they staged in early August. (Show star Ted Danson has a healthy contract and was not party to the dispute.)
But in a statement Friday, the five actors and Paramount announced the salary squabble had been settled, the lawsuit dropped and the production of the sitcom back on track.
"We are delighted that we were able to resolve our differences with Paramount,'' Farrell said on behalf of the quintet. "We are thrilled to be back on stage."
"Everyone is delighted that production will resume and Becker will remain on schedule," Paramount said.
Mutual delightment aside, neither the actors nor the studio would comment on the terms of the settlement, except to say "all differences [have been] resolved."
The fivesome were ticked at Paramount because, they say, the studio promised them in writing that it would renogiate salaries at the beginning of the fourth season, which started production in early August. Although the actors are under contract for six seasons, it's common for salaries to be bumped up when a show does well. Becker ranked in the top 20 last season for CBS.
The studio, however, was holding out to see how much Becker would earn in syndication before wanting to commit to a pay boost.