From long-lasting sitcoms to beloved dramas, there are some television series that everyone knows— even if they've never actually sat down to binge it. These popular shows bring in a lot of attention, and, therefore, a lot of dough. It's only fair that a lot of this goes to the cast that brings it to life, and some TV stars make quite the pretty penny.
From Charlie Sheen to Jim Parsons to Emilia Clarke, these are some of the highest-paid TV actors. Some of the most familiar faces on television are making over $1 million per episode, and that's usually for seasons with many, many of those.
Updated on September 5th, 2021, by Lynn Gibbs: When a show has Hollywood's top actors in it, or a series picks up a mass following, big bucks typically follows. With so much attention on the series, more views and seasons mean more money is involved. In particular, the actors get raises for adding to the hype of the series. Whether the actors started the series with a $1 million payday or their per-episode total raised over the years, these are some of the highest-paid actors per episode of a successful series.
Steve Carell (Space Force): $1 Million
In May of 2020, Netflix released a workplace sitcom called Space Force. The 10-episode series started The Office's Steve Carell as the main character, General Mark R. Naird. But Carell didn't just star in the series, he created it alongside Greg Daniels and also produced it.
Because of his star power and integral involvement in the series, The Hollywood Reporter noted that Carell was taking in $1 million per episode.
Kerry Washington & Reese Witherspoon (Little Fires Everywhere): $1 Million
Kerry Washington's Mia and Reese Witherspoon's Elena weren't true friends in Hulu's Little Fires Everywhere but their secrets lying beneath these characters brought the show to life. It's not known if the eight-episode series will have a second season or not (considering the series is based on a novel), but Washington and Witherspoon made a pretty penny for their time on the series.
Business Insider noted that both women earned $1 million per episode for their work on the show, earning them both a whopping $8 million each.
Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, & Kristin Davis (Sex And The City: And Just Like That...): $1 Million
When it was announced that Sex and the City was getting a small reboot called And Just Like That..., fans were both excited and nervous about the outcome. With the series being so beloved, the possibility of a reboot could ruin the original beauty.
Coming to HBO Max in the future, Variety wrote that Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis are all bringing in $1 million per episode for the one-season reboot. All three actresses are bound to make $10 million each for their time in the series.
Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco & Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory): $1 Million
There's no The Big Bang Theory without Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper, or Kaley Cuoco as Penny, and Johnny Galecki as Leonard. This cast was one of the highest-paid in television history, and Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, and Johnny Galecki were all earning around $1 million per episode, according to Distractify.
With over two dozen episodes per season, that's a lot of money for this trio to rake in! These three also took a pay cut in the final season so their co-stars could earn a more decent salary. Still, the cast were some of the highest-paid sitcom actors.
Jerry Seinfeld (Seinfeld): $1 Million
Between Friends and Seinfeld, there's really no bigger sitcoms from the 1990s. Jerry Seinfeld one of the funniest characters and was the lead of this show, bringing in a million bucks for every 20-minute episode, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Since the show ended, Seinfeld has also been earning millions and millions every year in royalties. While he still dabbles in comedy, there's really nothing more to love about this actor than his iconic role on this beloved sitcom.
Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid's Tale): $1 Million
This might be the most shocking entry on the list, but Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale gave a lot of fame to Elisabeth Moss. As big as this show is, fans might be surprised to see Elisabeth Moss as one of the highest-paid actors on television.
Celebrity Net Worth notes Moss earns about $1 million per episode of the series. With the ending of season 4, fans are already theorizing about season 5. Elisabeth Moss is definitely the perfect June for this soon-to-be classic novel adaptation.
Reese Witherspoon & Nicole Kidman (Big Little Lies): $1 Million
Big Little Lies took off as a drama on HBO, and fans couldn't get enough of this stellar cast and the thrilling drama that it offered. Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman were executive producers and stars of the series, and they negotiated their salaries for the second season, leading to $1 million per episode, according to Hello magazine.
The show wouldn't be the same without these two women that fans love, but this is a pretty impressive salary for a short drama series. Still, no one is arguing that they didn't earn every penny from their paycheck.
The Cast Of Friends: $1 Million
Business Insider notes that Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer were one of the first full casts to receive such high salaries. The six cast members banded together to raise their Friends salaries to a whopping $1 million per episode.
Friends has become timeless and absolutely iconic, and it goes without saying that it was one of the most popular television shows then, and even now. They earn tons of money in royalties, but they also all received over $20 million per season of the series.
Norman Reedus & Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead): $1 Million
The Walking Dead is inarguably one of the most popular and long-running drama series out there. It isn't too far of a leap to imagine that Norman Reedus and Andrew Lincoln would earn as much as $1 million per episode, noted Style Caster.
As Rick and Daryl, these two stars definitely make the show what it is, and, after 12 seasons, it's safe to say they deserve some recognition for that. They definitely earned their fame from this show and dedicated their careers to it.
Emilia Clarke & The Cast Of Game Of Thrones: $1.2 Million
Most of this list is dedicated to long-running sitcom stars, but that doesn't mean there aren't some drama actors that didn't receive a hefty salary. Emilia Clarke is one of the actors from the hit HBO series, Games of Thrones, to rake in 1.2 million per episode.
Standard noted that along with Clarke, Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, these five were the more prominent actors on the series, and therefore raked in the most cash, and this isn't even including sales from merchandise, discs, and more! Due to its success, a prequel is on the way — House of Dragon.
Kelsey Grammer (Fraiser): $1.6 Million
Frasier Crane was a huge character on the iconic show Cheers—so much so that he got his own spin-off series named after him: Frasier. He was the popularity of the show, and he apparently argued that when he was negotiating his salary.
Cheatsheet wrote in the final two seasons, Kelsey Grammer was pulling in $1.6 million per episode. That's quite a hefty amount, and, clearly, it worked out. This show is still one of the most popular out there, and Kelsey Grammer has been solidified as Frasier Crane.
Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond): $1.7 Million
Everybody Loves Raymond really was a total hit in the late '90s. This was one of Ray Romano's best TV shows as he earned instant and long-lasting fame from this role, and it showed in his incredible $1.7 million earnings per episode of its run, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Plus, this is just one actor that continues to rake in a whole bunch of royalties since the show's finish, so it's safe to say his starring role on this series really set him for life. Plus, fans will never tire of it.
Charlie Sheen (Two And A Half Men): $1.8 Million
Charlie Sheen was the highest-paid TV actor, according to Who, for the last few seasons he was on Two and a Half Men, and he was making a whopping $1.8 million per episode. When he started the show, he was making $800,000, but his salary grew with the show's popularity.
Ashton Kutcher ended up making around $700,000 per episode when he replaced Charlie Harper's character as Walden Schmidt, but that's really nothing compared to the massive paycheck Charlie Sheen was earning, making him one of the highest-paid ever.