>this says it all:
>https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/TV/2018/01/17/Ellen-Pompeo-ABC-execs-used-Patrick-Dempsey-as-leverage-in-pay-negotiations/2901516208255/
>"They could always use him as leverage against me -- 'We don't
>need you; we have Patrick' -- which they did for years."
>
>abc knew dempsey could completely carry the show without
>pompeo. and she knew that too. doctor mcdreamy was the
>biggest star on the show for much of its run. he already had
>an established movie career and was more recognizable. he was
>the main draw and the primary reason people tuned in.

If he was that important why didn't the ratings go down when he left ?

"So, what does it look like when he leaves the show? First, it looks like a ratings spike, and I had a nice chuckle about that." -Pompeo


>sofia vergara became the main draw for modern family. she
>started off around the same pay as the rest of the cast. now
>she gets paid the most.
>

She negotiated that. It's hard for Monique to negotiate if Netflix gets up and walks away when she challenges them.

>happy days originally focused on the cunningham family.
>fonzie became the bigger star and ended up getting paid more.
>
>its not hard to understand.
>

So why didn't Suzanne Somers get what John Ritter was being paid ?

http://www.businessinsider.com/suzanne-somers-fired-threes-company-raise-career-worth-2015-6

""When it came time for fifth-season negotiations in 1980, Somers asked for a pay hike from $30,000 an episode to $150,000," according to The Hollywood Reporter, noting the salary increase would be "equal to what her Three's Company co-star John Ritter was receiving and comparable to salaries M*A*S*H*'s Alan Alda and All in the Family's Carroll O'Connor were being paid on lower-rated shows."