http://www.tvguide.com/News/Top-TV-Earners-1021717.aspx

Aug 10, 2010 09:55 PM ET
by Stephen Battaglio

Hugh Laurie, Oprah Winfrey, Charlie Sheen

If you're an actor who lands a lead role on a TV series, you can count on a big payday. But it won't be as big as it used to be.

Network and studio executives tell TV Guide Magazine they've adopted a get-tough policy on salaries for stars of the new fall shows. While the salary for a lead has been $150,000 to $200,000 per episode in recent years, most deals for stars of new series were between $75,000 and $125,000. "No one broke the bank on anything this year," says one former studio head.


A case in point is a negotiation with a veteran film actor who for years has been coveted by several networks to do series TV. He was in discussions for a lead role in one of the new dramas that made the fall schedule. His asking price was $250,000. The network and the studio said no way. When the actor refused to go below $200,000, the network and studio moved on and hired someone else.

Why the hard line? The broadcast networks have been in a cost-cutting mode since ad revenues were hard-hit by the recession. While the ad market is recovering, they are also coping with a changing long-term financial picture as DVR playback and online viewing have greatly diminished the ratings on the second network run of shows, once the source of windfall profits.

There is an effort to keep talent costs down on their veteran hits as well. ABC's Brothers & Sisters, which once had four actors earning $150,000 or more per episode, will lose Rob Lowe and have only 18 episodes next season instead of the typical 22. Some regulars will appear in fewer episodes. Marg Helgenberger's new deal with CSI also calls for her to have a lighter workload next season and helps to trim the show's budget in the face of declining ratings.

Check out TV veterans returning in new shows this fall

If a show is on the rise, it's a different story. The stars of The Big Bang Theory—Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco—all currently make well under $100,000 per episode. Their bank accounts are about to benefit from the show's rise to the top of Nielsen rankings among viewers in the 18 to 49 age group and a successful sale into syndication. "I think they'll give an extra year to their studio, Warner Bros., in exchange for each of them getting $150,000 to $200,000 an episode," says one network executive. "They'll get bumps from there and could get up to $300,000 an episode. If it's a hit show, you start paying."

Additional reporting by William Keck and Michael Schneider

The top earners, by category:

Drama (per episode)

Hugh Laurie (House) $400,000+
Christopher Meloni & Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU) $395,000 (each)
David Caruso (CSI: Miami) $375,000
Marg Helgenberger (CSI) $375,000
Mark Harmon (NCIS) $375,000
Laurence Fishburne (CSI) $350,000
Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) $350,000
Denis Leary (Rescue Me) $350,000
Gary Sinise (CSI: NY ) $275,000
Patrick Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy) $250,000
David Boreanaz (Bones) $200,000
Jeffrey Donovan (Burn Notice) $200,000
Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife ) $175,000
Dana Delany (Body of Proof ) $150,000
Lauren Graham (Parenthood) $150,000
Jada Pinkett Smith (HawthoRNe) $150,000
Jimmy Smits (Outlaw) $150,000
LL Cool J (NCIS: Los Angeles) $125,000
Chris O'Donnell (NCIS: Los Angeles) $125,000
Mark Feuerstein (Royal Pains) $125,000
Jason Lee (Memphis Beat) $125,000
Joe Mantegna (Criminal Minds) $125,000
Tom Selleck (Blue Bloods) $125,000
Michael Weatherly (NCIS) $125,000
Matt Bomer (White Collar) $100,000
Nathan Fillion (Castle) $100,000
Thomas Gibson (Criminal Minds) $100,000
Jon Hamm (Mad Men) $100,000
Cole Hauser (Chase) $100,000
Alex O'Loughlin (Hawaii Five-0) $100,000
Timothy Olyphant (Justified ) $100,000
Scott Caan (Hawaii Five-0) $80,000
Angie Harmon (Rizzoli & Isles) $75,000
Anna Paquin (True Blood) $75,000
Blair Underwood (The Event) $75,000
Zachary Levi (Chuck) $60,000
Ian Somerhalder (The Vampire Diaries) $40,000
Shailene Woodley (The Secret Life of the American Teenager) $40,000
Ashley Tisdale (Hellcats) $30,000

Late Night/Talk Syndication (per year)

Oprah Winfrey $315 million
Judge Judy Sheindlin $45 million
David Letterman (The Late Show) $28 million
Jay Leno (The Tonight Show) $25 million
Conan O'Brien (The Conan O'Brien Show) $10 million
Ellen DeGeneres (The Ellen DeGeneres Show) $8 million
Jimmy Kimmel (Jimmy Kimmel Live) $6 million
Chelsea Handler (Chelsea Lately) $3.5 million
George Lopez (Lopez Tonight) $3.5 million

Reality (per year)

Ryan Seacrest (American Idol) $15 million
Joel McHale (The Soup) $2 million
Piers Morgan (America's Got Talent) $2 million
Kate Gosselin (Kate Plus 8) $250,000 per episode
Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi (Jersey Shore) $30,000 per episode

Comedy (per episode)

Charlie Sheen (Two and a Half Men) $1.25 million
Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men) $550,000
Marcia Cross (Desperate Housewives) $400,000
Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives) $400,000
Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives) $400,000
Eva Longoria Parker (Desperate Housewives) $400,000
Dan Castellaneta (The Simpsons) $400,000
Julie Kavner (The Simpsons) $400,000
Tina Fey (30 Rock) $350,000
Jeremy Piven (Entourage) $350,000
Steve Carell (The Office) $297,000
Angus T. Jones (Two and a Half Men) $250,000
David Duchovny (Californication) $200,000
Kevin Dillon (Entourage) $200,000
Adrian Grenier (Entourage) $200,000
Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly) $180,000
Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie) $175,000
William Shatner ($#*! My Dad Says) $150,000
David Spade (Rules of Engagement) $150,000
Ed O'Neill (Modern Family) $100,000
Patrick Warburton (Rules of Engagement) $85,000
Betty White (Hot in Cleveland) $75,000
Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory) $60,000
Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory) $60,000
Ty Burrell (Modern Family) $50,000
Jane Lynch (Glee) $50,000
Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) $40,000
Matthew Morrison (Glee) $30,000
Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place) $30,000
Dylan and Cole Sprouse (The Suite Life of Zack and Cody) $20,000 (each)
Rico Rodriguez (Modern Family) $15,000

News (per year)

Matt Lauer (Today) $16 million +
Katie Couric (CBS) $15 million
Brian Williams (NBC) $12.5 million
Diane Sawyer (ABC) $12 million
Meredith Vieira (Today) $11 million
Bill O'Reilly (Fox News) $10 million
George Stephanopoulos (ABC) $8 million
Keith Olbermann (MSNBC) $7 million
Shepard Smith (Fox News) $7 million
Wolf Blitzer (CNN) $3 million
Christiane Amanpour (ABC) $2 million
Lawrence O'Donnell (MSNBC) $2 million
Eliot Spitzer (CNN) $500,000

____________________________________
Twitter: nipsey
A Friend's Blog: http://trayrific.wordpress.com/
My Yelp Reviews: http://nipsey.yelp.com

XBOX Live Gamertag: slballer

Last 2 movies I saw:

Dinner for Schmucks: C-
Inception: A-

*relatively speaking of course. No reason for someone to make $1 million an episode. But I digress.
____________________________________
Twitter: nipsey
A Friend's Blog: http://trayrific.wordpress.com/
My Yelp Reviews: http://nipsey.yelp.com

XBOX Live Gamertag: slballer

Last 2 movies I saw:

Dinner for Schmucks: C-
Inception: A-

I'll break down the list later but you I see all these figures, it's ridiculous that these people are getting this much money an episode. Even scrub talk show hosts are getting a million a year.

This is why I have no sympathy for actors who dare to complain about taxes or their amount of pay, especially A/B list film actors that are getting millions to work for two to three months on a film while they spend most of their time in a sitting around on set.

At $250K/episode, the Two and a Half Men kid will make $5,500,000 for a 22 episode season. That's crazy! And Charlie Sheen will make $22 million for the season. I am surprised by some of these numbers though.

Like Jada making $150K for Hawthorne. Is she popular in the mainstream like that to command that figure for a basic cable show?

Anna Pacquin *only* making $75K for True Blood. I would've expected more.

Betty White $75K for Hot in Cleveland. They got that kinda money to pay her that much?


____________________________________
Twitter: nipsey
A Friend's Blog: http://trayrific.wordpress.com/
My Yelp Reviews: http://nipsey.yelp.com

XBOX Live Gamertag: slballer

Last 2 movies I saw:

Dinner for Schmucks: C-
Inception: A-

that Anna Paquin number doesnt surprise me too much

You know, we could all be reading a book right now.

Which channels have the most potential for revenue? I'm curious if the fact TNT/USA and such are able to get dollars through commercials while HBO and Showtime and such get their dollars I'm assuming mainly from subsciption fees that TNT/USA and such are able to get higher dollars. Am I wrong?

This is for anyone else, but how cakey were the Sopranos actors? Mainly curious because I know that show was very popular, but I don't see how HBO could make huge dollars. That is unless I am wrong in my assumptions.

...how do you get paid under a hunnid g's for a hit show on HBO??

"yes, sometimes my rhymes are sexist, but you lovely bitches and hos should know i'm tryin to correct it"- hiphopopotamus

hbo doesn't generate ad revenue. i hate to sound so simplistic but that's what it is.

- u already know

Them Entourage cats are making a hell of a lot more.

My best guess is because Entourage is like 6 or 7 seasons in and the revenue from DVD sales and other licensing affords them the opportunity to pay more. True Blood is in season 3. They will get raises once they start selling other rights.

>Them Entourage cats are making a hell of a lot more.


____________________________________
Twitter: nipsey
A Friend's Blog: http://trayrific.wordpress.com/
My Yelp Reviews: http://nipsey.yelp.com

XBOX Live Gamertag: slballer

Last 3 movies I saw:

Next Day Air: D-
Surrogates: D+
Zombieland: B-

they reached that magic number. so did curb your enthusiasm. stars make money off of syndication deals, not network deals.

- u already know

if Mark Harmon is getting 375, Weatherly should be getting at least 250. he's one of the main reasons the show has been a hit for the past 7 seasons


<================================



http://www.flickr.com/photos/20787335@N08

Man, fuck y'all!

*runs away crying to the car*




"I halfway hope people put "btw, rappers lie and shit" on CD covers, like a parental advisory sticker." - OKP Villain

www.twitter.com/lexlamont

*Cries uncontrollably* Man, you got room in that car?








Since 1976

Bow to the awesomeness of Plantman:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQiSgWGAc24

http://axecop.com/images/uploads/axecop52.png

he's all up in the title and shit.

...the icarly is makin more than the both of them ...

"yes, sometimes my rhymes are sexist, but you lovely bitches and hos should know i'm tryin to correct it"- hiphopopotamus

men are so simple, and so subject to present necessities, that he who seeks to deceive will always find someone who will allow himself to be deceived. (c)Niccolò Machiavelli

And someone is willing to pay him $150,000 a year to be on tv?

Why is Steve Carell the only person on the list not making an even number?

thats 150 an episode...not a year

...and despite damn near playin the same character on every show i've seen him on, has a REALLY funny show....

..in fact, i'd say his show (rules of engagement) is funnier than any of the other CBS shows (currently) and i love HIMYM and BBT

"yes, sometimes my rhymes are sexist, but you lovely bitches and hos should know i'm tryin to correct it"- hiphopopotamus

--------

makes more than 10 times more than you.

by your dumb logic Charlie is taking an L because Oprah is getting more money -- uh, nope. they all rich. Spade winning @ sitcom life.

--------

And I didn't know people still cared about him enough for him to command that sort of pay.

But I do hate Charlie Sheen. And Two and a Half Men. And CBS.

I don't watch the show, and I'm sure he's good at what he does. Seacrest jokes are old, so I'm not making fun, I'm honestly asking. It seems like they could plug in any good-looking person with charisma and it would be about the same. People are watching for the contestants.

throughout all the cast changes and drama he's the one constant.

- u already know

or is he not considered a newsperson but Bill O'Reilly is?

they've GOTTA be spending major GDP on that panty waste...

---
Stoicism and chill.
---
Stay +.
---

are these salaries just for acting? cause Tina Fey and Jada (and several others) also get producing and writing credits...does this not include what they make off that. damn, they're caking up if it doesnt.

1. black people, actually all minorities stay losing in the media game outside of oprah.
2. few of these stars really give a fuck about the per episode salary so long as it falls within industry standards. it's all about reaching that magic number of 100. 100 episodes = syndication, syndication = where they make the real money.
3. the boy has been an integral part of the show since day 1, why shouldn't he get paid 250K?

- u already know

after seeing all of these numbers, which probably don't include their "Fringe" benefits, i don't wanna hear SHIT about them saying they don't have money or don't make enough or that they're being shafted in compensation of ANY type.

a lot of these cats are getting paid 3, 4 and 5x (even MORE) than what people make in the real world.


you better be happy and keep acting

http://oneyoungsta.com/

...annual salary. I'm in the wrong business.





Since 1976

Bow to the awesomeness of Plantman:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQiSgWGAc24

http://axecop.com/images/uploads/axecop52.png

HELL YEAH!

i gotta get an agent FAST!

http://oneyoungsta.com/

iCarly stylin on em like http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff89/millzontop/money.gif

<--- Big Baller World Order

i know its syndication but cot damn thats a lot of money for a crappy court show.

---------------------------------------

http://twitter.com/malael

good ratings across multiple social/cultural demographics. that's why she gets paid 45 million. it cost 100k to produce the show. everything else is all profit.

- u already know

If she is making 45 mil.

- u already know

I'm shocked he still has steady work, much less making bank like THAT.

yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww....

nir nir NIR NIIIIIIIR!

---
Stoicism and chill.
---
Stay +.
---

Is annual salary shared information among the cast and crew among TV shows? If not, just curious much much jealousy is spread with info like this leaking out.

On that note, I hope Bryan Cranston is making six figures like Jon Hamm is seeing that he has won individual awards for Breaking Bad plus dude was on a hit TV show already while Hamm wasn't.

I think it's like how this information gets out or at any company. Through the grapevine. I'm sure jealously and egos is a big thing. "Why is X making 25% more than me? People watch the show for me, not X." I'm sure that kind of stuff happens all the time.

>Is annual salary shared information among the cast and crew
>among TV shows? If not, just curious much much jealousy is
>spread with info like this leaking out.
>


____________________________________
Twitter: nipsey
A Friend's Blog: http://trayrific.wordpress.com/
My Yelp Reviews: http://nipsey.yelp.com

XBOX Live Gamertag: slballer

Last 3 movies I saw:

Next Day Air: D-
Surrogates: D+
Zombieland: B-

when the salary info for The West Wing leaked. I only remember because Dule Hill was by for the least paid cast person from the numbers I glimpsed. Dude's doing alright for himself now though because he's on a hit show, has producers credits (which I hope means more green for him), but more importantly is married to a dime piece of a woman. Who also happens to be of Jamaican decent.

>I think it's like how this information gets out or at any
>company. Through the grapevine. I'm sure jealously and egos
>is a big thing. "Why is X making 25% more than me? People
>watch the show for me, not X." I'm sure that kind of stuff
>happens all the time.
>
>>Is annual salary shared information among the cast and crew
>>among TV shows? If not, just curious much much jealousy is
>>spread with info like this leaking out.
>>
>
>
>____________________________________
>Twitter: nipsey
>A Friend's Blog: http://trayrific.wordpress.com/
>My Yelp Reviews: http://nipsey.yelp.com
>
>XBOX Live Gamertag: slballer
>
>Last 3 movies I saw:
>
>Next Day Air: D-
>Surrogates: D+
>Zombieland: B-

I want to say 100K but that seems crazy low now.

**********
a licky boom boom down

in the 80's everyone made a big deal about Jim Rice's salary because he hit a slump after he signed his big contract. that big contract made him the first baseball player to be paid 1 million a year.

in it with little pictures/figures on the cover, I think Mike Schmidt was the leader with 2.5 million then.

https://soundcloud.com/matt-koelling-666011203

www.somethinginthewudder.com

https://twitter.com/nostrabombus

https://www.facebook.com/matt.koelling.96

https://www.instagram.com/something_in_the_wudder/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-koelling-438a80

I remember from inside the actors studio or something they said they work like 14 days a year and can do it from anywhere they know of a studio being near by so they can work from wherever. Damn that would be awesome.

"This is dedicated to whom it may concern."-Donny Hathaway

http://card.mygamercard.net/lastgame/rjcc.png

www.engadgethd.com - the other stuff i'm looking at

PD is the only one I see on that list, just from skimming over it.

____________
Twitter & IG: @rulerofmyself
SC: rulerofmyself17

Yes! She's on the drugs. (c) BoHagon

and even Mark Harmon....i mean, those guys are coasting on bullshit shows making BANK....they've been in hollywood so long you almost feel like they seerve to be able to chill out, shoot the eps and let the money come in...hell, Sheen too..i like the guy, but he's the least talented, biggest paid mofo on a scripted show it seems... two and a half half men is funny, if all you watch is a couple episodes, after that it's the same running jokes, but those guys are rakin it the fuck IN

"yes, sometimes my rhymes are sexist, but you lovely bitches and hos should know i'm tryin to correct it"- hiphopopotamus

this movie... teh kid is doomed.

He's gonna slap a hooker...

Become a crack head..yadda..yadda..yadda...

---
Stoicism and chill.
---
Stay +.
---

And I finally caught some of that Jersey Shore shyt and the show itself is not as appalling as Snookie makin' 30Gs an ep! I don't care if the season was 5 eps, it's still too much. Oh well, I hope she's saving too.


"you can go ahead and sneeze, cuz my presence blessed you"

********************************************
"If you think you're too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a closed room with a mosquito."

it's all about finding your niche and honing it. people have this misconception that you have to be a ken or barbie doll to get on tv. films and shows are full of regular and average people. their supposed to be reflective of the world. you can do it.

- u already know

I love to hear supportive folks, good stuff. I
play poker for a living so I have a lot of free
time. Maybe I'll actually check out some classes
and workshops lol.

********************************************
"If you think you're too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a closed room with a mosquito."

If that's the case, here are the things I'm outraged at:
Anderson Cooper
The entire cast, especially Devito, of Always Sunny when Dennis Leary is stealing checks from the same network.
NBC is not taking care of Chevy Chase.

I just think this is a "selected" list of salaries they were able to track down. There's a ton of people not on the list who are definitely making more than the lowest person.


>If that's the case, here are the things I'm outraged at:
>Anderson Cooper
>The entire cast, especially Devito, of Always Sunny when
>Dennis Leary is stealing checks from the same network.
>NBC is not taking care of Chevy Chase.
>
>


____________________________________
Twitter: nipsey
A Friend's Blog: http://trayrific.wordpress.com/
My Yelp Reviews: http://nipsey.yelp.com

XBOX Live Gamertag: slballer

Last 3 movies I saw:

Next Day Air: D-
Surrogates: D+
Zombieland: B-