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Television actors can now earn millions per episode, thanks to the rise of streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video.- Many high-paid actors have shifted to television due to increased job security and the potential for higher salaries with the expanding global reach of TV shows.
- Notable actors such as Elisabeth Moss, Tim Allen, Kevin Costner, Chris Pratt, Kelsey Grammer, Ray Romano, John Krasinski, Robert Downey Jr., Reese Witherspoon, and Jennifer Aniston have all commanded hefty paychecks for their roles in successful TV series.
Until recently, compensation of $1 million plus per episode on a television show was like spotting a penguin in the Sahara, and the highest-paid actors almost entirely stuck to the big screen.
In the early days of TV, compensation for performers was relatively meager – a stark contrast to today's era, where the A-list's highest-paid actors can earn millions per episode.
In the age of streaming, the distinction between a television actor and a movie star is increasingly blurred, and the advent of streaming giants like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video has revolutionized the television landscape.
These platforms compete fiercely for top-tier content, driving up bidding wars for actors who can improve the quality and appeal of their shows.
Many of the highest-paid actors have since defected to television projects, due in part to the level of job security it guarantees.
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As viewership increases, so does the revenue generated by these shows, which in turn translates into higher salaries for the cast.
As the industry continues to evolve, these big paychecks show that TV is a great place for the highest-paid actors to shine and make a lot of money.
10 Elisabeth Moss (Shining Girls)
Reported Pay Per Episode: $1.1 Million
Elisabeth Moss is the star and producer of Apple TV+'s mind-boggling metaphysical thriller series Shining Girls, for which she reportedly earned $1.1 million per episode across eight episodes of the show.
Moss has had a long and successful career in Hollywood, appearing in films and television shows such as Mad Men,The Handmaid's Tale, and Top Of The Lake.
She has won numerous awards for her work, including two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.
Moss is also a skilled producer; she has worked in technical roles in shows she has featured in, such as Shining Girls and the upcoming show The Veil.
Moss's salary for Shining Girls reflects her star power and her ability to deliver a high-quality performance. She is a valuable asset to the show, and her salary is justified.
9 Tim Allen (Home Improvement)
Reported Pay Per Episode: $1.25 Million
Tim Allen has been in the industry long enough for people not to mistake him for the brother of legendary (and controversial) director Woody Allen.
Allen's role as Tim Taylor on the ABC sitcom Home Improvement brought him international acclaim and a big check every episode.
The show ran for eight seasons from 1991 to 1999, and during its peak, Allen was reportedly earning $1.25 million per episode as the lead role.
Impressively, Home Improvement was Allen's first acting role on television.
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The show was a huge success, and it made Allen a household name.
Tim Allen's salary for Home Improvement is equivalent to $2.3 million today when adjusted for inflation.
8 Kevin Costner (Yellowstone)
Reported Pay Per Episode: $1.3 Million
Renowned for his illustrious and lucrative film career in the 1980s and 1990s (when he was among the highest-paid actors in the industry), Kevin Costner's role as Montana rancher John Dutton in the neo-Western drama series Yellowstone marked the first regular TV series role of his career.
For season 5 of Yellowstone, the Academy Award-winning actor earned $1.2 million per episode.
There were eight episodes in the season that aired between November 2022 and January 2023, adding up to around $9.6 million for the season.
Costner's portrayal of Dutton earned him nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Award for "Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor In A Drama Series," and the Golden Globe Award for "Best Actor – Television Series Drama."
7 Chris Pratt (The Terminal List)
Reported Pay Per Episode: $1.4 Million
In 2022, Chris Pratt was ranked among the highest-paid actors; his role in The Terminal List contributed significantly to his net salary that year.
The Amazon action-thriller television series debuted in 2022 as an adaptation of the 2018 Jack Carr novel of the same name.
For his portrayal of James Reece, a Navy SEAL seeking vengeance for his fallen comrades, Pratt reportedly earns $1.4 million per episode.
Pratt's performance as Reece has also been lauded for its emotional depth and physicality.
It's noteworthy that Pratt plays a dual role in the show, serving not only as a lead actor but also in a technical capacity as an executive producer through his production company, Indivisible Production, overseeing the show's production.
6 Kelsey Grammer (Frasier)
Reported Pay Per Episode: $1.6 Million
The Emmy Award-winning actor Kelsey Grammer found fame in his iconic role as Dr. Frasier Crane, a sophisticated psychiatrist, in the NBC sitcom Cheers and its spin-off Frasier.
Kelsey Grammer's portrayal of Frasier Crane spanned an impressive 20 years, cementing his status as a beloved television personality and making him one of the highest-paid actors in television history by gross salary.
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Grammer shot 48 episodes total in the final two seasons, making the deal worth approximately $75 million.
There was even more cash in the deal for Grammer with the addition of royalties and syndication rights.
5 Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond)
Reported Pay Per Episode: $1.7 Million
For his role as the lovable but often exasperated patriarch of the Barone family, Ray Romano earned a remarkable $1.7 million per episode during the show's final two seasons.
Everybody Loves Raymond raked in millions of viewers in its pilot season. It was on the air during the golden age of television, alongside Friends and Seinfeld.
The show brought Romano into the spotlight, and also made him one of the highest-paid TV stars.
While Everybody Loves Raymond premiered in 1996, it hit its peak in 2003, which was when Ray Romano signed a new contract to earn $1.7 million per episode.
The new deal meant that the Emmy-award-winning actor was paid $50 million for the last two seasons of the show.
Romano still makes around $18 million a year from the show's residuals alone.
4 John Krasinski (Jack Ryan)
Reported Pay Per Episode: $2 Million
Big paychecks at the commercial end of a television show is no new thing to John Krasinski, considering he reportedly netted $14.7 million for his entire nine-season run as Jim Halpert in The Office (US).
Krasinski was paid $2 million for portraying the title character in the Amazon Prime Video thriller series Jack Ryan, which he also produced.
Krasinski secured a $2 million per episode deal ahead of the third season's premiere.
Considering Jack Ryan's season 3 comprises eight episodes, John Krasinski likely earned $16 million from the show.
3 Robert Downey Jr. (The Sympathizer)
Reported Pay Per Episode: $2 Million
A multi-million dollar paycheck is just another Monday for Robert Downey Jr., given he has appeared at the summit of the list of highest-paid actors six times in nine years.
Unsurprisingly, his foray into television is expected to be just as lucrative.
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For his role in the historical black comedy-drama, Downey will reportedly earn $2 million per episode, with The Sympathizer set to premiere on HBO in 2024.
2 Reese Witherspoon (The Morning Show)
Reported Pay Per Episode: $2 Million
Reese Witherspoon topped Forbes' list as the highest-earning actress in 2021.
Between 2020 and 2021 alone, she is rumored to have made over $20 million, which was ultimately her salary for The Morning Show's season two.
Following her transition to the small screen in the 2019 adaptation of Liane Moriarty's novel Big Little Lies, Reese Witherspoon continued her television success with The Morning Show.
The Emmy-award-winning actress, who appears in a leading role alongside Jennifer Aniston, commands $2 million per episode on the Apple+ show.
The Academy Award winner has been praised for her portrayal of Bradley Jackson, an ambitious producer.
However, Witherspoon has faced criticism for the "hefty" salary she receives on the show.
1 Jennifer Aniston (The Morning Show)
Reported Pay Per Episode: $2 Million
Jennifer Aniston is no stranger on any list of high-paying television gigs, and is something of a trendsetter in that regard.
Aniston initially earned a spot on the million-dollar TV actors list in 2002, as she famously earned $1 million per episode – along with her Friends co-stars, on the final two seasons of the show:
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Each Friends actor, apart from being popularly recognized for their roles in this series, has had a successful journey after the last episode aired.Back then, the salary of the cast of the former NBC sitcom made them the highest-paid actors on TV.
When adjusted for inflation ($1,549,000), Aniston's twenty year old Friends pay per episode could still land her on this list.
However, her entire salary on Friends pales in comparison to her paycheck for just the first season of the Apple TV+ drama series The Morning Show.
Aniston earns a reported $2 million per episode for her role in The Morning Show with her co-star Reese Witherspoon.
The show's first season consisted of ten episodes, which means that for just one season, the Emmy-Award winner walked away with $20 million richer.
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