Recurring status
Encyclopedia
In the U.S.
soap opera
world, recurring status is a term used to describe the status of a performer
who consistently performs in less than three episodes out of a five-day work week, and is therefore let out of their multi-year contract in order for the show to save money. Contract evaluations are done every quarter, and the actors that don't meet their "quota
" of episodes are in danger of being dropped from their contract and put on recurring status. Instead of paying a flat fee for the actor over a series of a few years, the actor is then paid a certain sum for each show he or she is needed.
Almost unheard of from the beginning of television until the 1980s, more and more actors have been placed on "recurring" so the production company in charge of making the show doesn't go over-budget. Dwindling viewership and a recent economic downturn have caused all the U.S. soaps to place actors (usually veterans who have been with the series in excess of ten years, and who are usually acclimated to higher salary figures) on recurring, something which has antagonized many performers. Some actors, who have saved money from past decades and love the soap genre, accept the move to recurring status, while other actors balk at the contract cut, instead finding work on Broadway
, on prime time
television series, or even on rival soap operas who will give them a salary that they are used to.
On Australian and British
soap operas, contract negotiations are different, and a term such as "recurring status" does not exist, though many of those shows have guest stars that appear frequently enough that literally speaking they could be described as "recurring".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
world, recurring status is a term used to describe the status of a performer
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
who consistently performs in less than three episodes out of a five-day work week, and is therefore let out of their multi-year contract in order for the show to save money. Contract evaluations are done every quarter, and the actors that don't meet their "quota
Quota share
A quota share is a specified number or percentage of the allotment as a whole , that is prescribed to each individual entity ....
" of episodes are in danger of being dropped from their contract and put on recurring status. Instead of paying a flat fee for the actor over a series of a few years, the actor is then paid a certain sum for each show he or she is needed.
Almost unheard of from the beginning of television until the 1980s, more and more actors have been placed on "recurring" so the production company in charge of making the show doesn't go over-budget. Dwindling viewership and a recent economic downturn have caused all the U.S. soaps to place actors (usually veterans who have been with the series in excess of ten years, and who are usually acclimated to higher salary figures) on recurring, something which has antagonized many performers. Some actors, who have saved money from past decades and love the soap genre, accept the move to recurring status, while other actors balk at the contract cut, instead finding work on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, on prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
television series, or even on rival soap operas who will give them a salary that they are used to.
On Australian and British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
soap operas, contract negotiations are different, and a term such as "recurring status" does not exist, though many of those shows have guest stars that appear frequently enough that literally speaking they could be described as "recurring".