Everyone knows that working in steady TV, particularly network TV can be a lucrative gig.  And as seasons go on, shows grow in popularity, and the actors have appropriate leverage with which to make better deals for themselves.  So while we scrimp for change to do the laundry, know that the 'Modern Family' stars just aren't content with tens of thousands of dollars per episode.

Shooting has wrapped on the third season of the critically-acclaimed and well-rated ABC comedy 'Modern Family,' but the real battle has only just begun toward plotting out the fourth.  During the summer break, Deadline TV reports that the principal adult cast members of 'Modern Family' will look to renegotiate their current contracts toward more lucrative deals.  Conversations have yet to begin, but have apparently been brewing since the previous summer, briefly tabled by a generous complimentary bump.

Whereas the principal cast, including Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet, Julie Bowen, Sofia Vergara and Ed O'Neill previously made between $30,000 and $60,000 an episode, O'Neill's being the highest, the 2011 bump put them closer to the range between $60,000 and $100,000. That can be more than us normal schmoes see in two years, but still short of series like 'The Big Bang Theory,' which after additional negotiations pays its cast members between $200,000 and $250,000 an episode, not including occasional raises or pieces of the show's back end.

It remains unknown if the cast will negotiate together, the way other series like 'Friends' secured lucrative deals back in the day, or go through their individual lawyers, but as one of the highest-rated and most-watched shows on television, count on a big bump for the stars of 'Modern Family.'  Say, what about the kids?

Boy, I remember when 'Seinfeld' stars managed to negotiate their way to $1 million an episode, and that was ten years ago!  Sigh, love or hate 'Modern Family,' with cash like that we aren't likely to see the end of it any time soon.

Do you think the cast deserves a salary bump, or would you rather see the 'Family' fall apart for demanding such exorbitant amounts?  Give us your bank statements thoughts in the comments below!

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