LOS ANGELES - Laughter and two co-stars were missing from the set of "Everybody Loves Raymond."
While Brad Garrett held out for more money, Patricia Heaton's illness delayed the start of production on the CBS sitcom's season premiere.
Work on the first episode was pushed back a week to Monday, network spokesman Chris Ender said Wednesday. The series' eighth season will begin airing as scheduled on Sept. 22, he said.
Heaton, who plays the wife of series star Ray Romano, was absent from the set Monday because she was "under the weather," Ender said. He did not specify her illness.
Garrett, who told CBS he wouldn't work until negotiations opened on a new contract, was written out of the first episode. He plays Romano's brother.
In a statement, CBS praised Garrett's talent and said it has negotiated new contracts twice with him in the past four years.
Garrett's representatives at Raw Talent criticized the network's refusal to discuss a new deal, comparing his salary to Romano's - reportedly about $1.8 million an episode.
"Brad earns less than 10 percent of Ray's salary and is the lowest paid member of a grossly underpaid supporting cast," according to the statement released by Raw Talent.
The company told Daily Variety: "If we don't come to a fair deal, we feel comfortable walking away."
