Actor Jim Parsons accepts the Best Actor in a Comedy Series award for "The Big Bang Theory" at the 4th Annual Critics' Choice Television Awards at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California June 19, 2014. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
Actor Jim Parsons accepts the Best Actor in a Comedy Series award for "The Big Bang Theory" at the 4th Annual Critics' Choice Television Awards at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California June 19, 2014. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni Reuters/Mario Anzuoni

"The Big Bang Theory" Season 8 production was scheduled to begin on July 30 but it got delayed because the leading actors has not signed on new contract. Jim Parsons [Sheldon], Kaley Cuoco [Penny], Johnny Galecki [Leonard], Simon Helberg [Howard] and Kunal Nayyar [Raj] did not report to the table read on the scheduled, as they were negotiating a huge pay hike with the producing house, Warner Bros. TV.

Parsons was the first to successfully negotiate the terms of his new contract. Parsons, Cuoco and Galecki are now taking home a whopping $1 million per episode. The Season 8 finally began production, after nearly a week's delay, on Aug. 08.

Speaking about the delay in production, the actor said to Entertainment Weekly (EW): "I always thought everything would be worked out by the start date [July 30]. When it wasn't, it certainly wasn't a good feeling, but there was absolutely no getting around the fact that everything had to be dealt with and finished before we could get back."

Parsons also felt that words like "walking out" and "strike" were inappropriate, as there was nothing to walk out from. He said to EW: "That's always hard, because part of you wants to explain to people what's really going on. 'Don't worry, we're not leaving, we want to do the show.'"

The premiere date has not been pushed ahead. "The Big Bang Theory" Season 8 is scheduled to premiere on Sept. 22, 2014, with two episodes. The opening episode of the season is likely to reveal Sheldon's whereabouts. At the end of Season 7, Sheldon was at the railway platform, waiting to get on a train to disappear for a while from Pasadena to discover himself. There were speculations that he may never have left Pasadena. TV Line's spoiler report has put to rest all such speculations. It has revealed that Sheldon did get on the train.

The new season of "The Big Bang Theory" will continue to show the growth and evolution of the characters. It will be interesting to see if Sheldon appears in Season 8, with some change in his attitude or not.

Parsons has once again earned Emmy nomination for his "The Big Bang Theory" role.