In 2003, Ray Romano negotiated a one-year deal that made him the highest paid actor on television, earning $1.8 million dollars per episode. As the star of the show, Romano had always been paid much more than the rest of the cast, but in light of his record-breaking season eight raise, the rest of the cast, particularly Brad Garrett, seized on an opportunity to renegotiate their own contracts. "It was inevitable. When my salary came out in the papers, I knew stuff would happen," Romano told The New York Daily News (via People).

What happened was Garrett refused to show up for the taping of the first episode and demanded a raise, according to The Washington Post. Patricia Heaton, who played Romano's wife, "called out sick," and both Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle (Romano's TV mom and dad) followed her lead. The message was clear, but Garrett also made it a point to say that there was no ill will toward Romano from the rest of the cast. "Ray deserves every penny," Garrett's rep told The Washington Post, adding, "All Brad wants is compensation commensurate with what other similarly situated actors have made in the past and are making today."

The network quickly came to the bargaining table and offered raises to the cast, as well as lucrative back end deals that cut them in on syndication profits worth an estimated $20 million dollars per actor. "In the years to come, my grandchildren will always have some money coming in from syndication, and that's great," Doris Roberts said of the new deal.