‘Bob ❤️ Abishola’ Reduces Most Of Series Regular Cast To Recurring In Possible Glimpse Of Future
EXCLUSIVE: Of the 13-member series-regular cast of CBS’ comedy Bob Hearts Abishola, only the two leads, Billy Gardell and Folake Olowofoyeku, will remain series regulars next season. The others can recur in as few as five episodes in Season 5.
I hear the cast members of the multi-camera sitcom, produced by Warner Bros. TV, were notified this week that only Gardell and Olowofoyeku’s series-regular options for next season will be exercised. The rest were offered to continue as recurring with a five-episode guarantee.
More from Deadline
While reducing episodic guarantees — the number of episodic fees per season to which each series regular is entitled — is becoming more common amid industrywide belt-tightening, downgrading the entire cast besides the two leads to recurring is the most dramatic talent cost-reduction move yet and a possible indication of what’s to come as linear ratings continue to slide and the networks’ push to cut license fees continues to grow.
As Bob Hearts Abishola actors are switching from series regular to recurring, the studio is waving exclusivity, so they can take on other TV jobs while being asked to notify producers of their availability so the writers can write the scripts accordingly.
According to sources, Bob Hearts Abishola has received a 13-episode Season 5 renewal from CBS, so the actors — except for the two leads — are guaranteed to appear in five of the 13 (some could do more, subject to availability).
There is conflicting information about what happens beyond the initial 13 episodes. According to some sources, there is a possibility for CBS to order a Back 9, bringing Season 5 in line with the 22-episode Seasons 3 and 4. If that happens, the guarantee for the bulk of the cast will remain at five episodes, I hear.
According to others, there is expectation that Bob Hearts Abishola would end with a 13-episode fifth season. CBS has not said whether Season 5 will be the series’ last and did not reveal the size of the order when it announced the renewal in January.
The cast episode cut follows the double-digit license-fee reduction by CBS, which accompanied the Season 5 renewal. As Deadline reported, the trim was expected to impact cast’s pay.
Ironically, Bob Hearts Abishola is headed into its fifth season, which traditionally is the time for casts to renegotiate contracts and get raises as a broadcast series can be sold in syndication after four seasons, bringing in off-network revenue.
I hear non-lead original cast members previously had been asked to wait until after Season 4 to renegotiate, which they had planned to do. Because of the budget reduction forced by the license fee cut, it quickly became clear that raises were out of the question.
The actors are able to stay at their Season 4 per-episode fees for next season, but the number of episodes has been reduced dramatically, a lot more than the cut of a handful of episodes most series regulars on Wolf Entertainment NBC dramas had to agree to as part of those series’ renewals by NBC earlier this month. I hear Sony Pictures TV did the same a year or two ago with S.W.A.T., which also has been facing budget cuts for a couple of years with a flat license fee, putting its renewal in limbo. At the time, one of the actors did not agree to the reduction and left, I hear.
It is not clear yet how many of Bob Hearts Abishola’s cast members will return under the modified recurring guest star agreement; I hear at least some are willing to do it, in part out of respect to the show’s producers who have been put in a difficult spot by the budget squeeze.
Whatever the outcome is, the drastic step is a warning sign for what may be in store in the coming years. For decades, a series regular on a TV show has been the holy grail for rank-and-file working actors because of the steady income and a chance at a career- and life-changing experience if the series is a hit.
If more shows start to dramatically reduce the number of series regulars, with the majority of roles available being guest-starring and recurring, the impact will be profound, with fewer actors being able to make a living and qualify for health insurance.
In addition to Gardell and Olowofoyeku, Bob Hearts Abishola also stars series co-creator Gina Yashere, Christine Ebersole, Matt Jones, Maribeth Monroe, Vernee Watson, Shola Adewusi, Barry Shabaka Henley, Travis Wolfe Jr., Anthony Okungbowa, Bayo Akinfemi and Saidah Arrika Ekulona.
Best of Deadline
2023-24 Awards Season Calendar - Dates For Oscars, Emmys, Grammys, Tonys, Guilds & More
Every Actor Who Has Played Superman Onscreen - Photo Gallery
Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
