Getting what they are worth! As viewers enjoy their favorite TV shows across cable, network and streaming platforms, a new report released by Variety earlier this month revealed the biggest salaries.
Chris Pratt has come out on top with a $1.4 million per episode paycheck for his role in the upcoming Amazon Prime show The Terminal List. While stars usually were able to bring in more in the past based on syndication, one talent agent told Variety that with a changing television landscape, it is hard to tell when a show has found true success based on viewership.
“Back end doesn’t mean anything anymore in television, unless you’re Dick Wolf or some mega-producer who is doing network procedurals,” the agent shared with the outlet in August 2021. “Anything you get in terms of back-end compensation at this point is just gravy.
A guaranteed pay off though is longevity, with stars like Angela Bassett seeing a major pay raise for 9-1-1. Deadline previously reported that the Oscar nominee received a big bump ahead of the upcoming fifth season.
Bassett is now reportedly making around $450,000 an episode, which includes her involvement in the hit Fox series’ spinoff, as an executive producer alongside creator Ryan Murphy.
Meanwhile, Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis proved that bringing back an iconic series definitely pays off. The main trio, who are currently filming the Sex and the City revival series, And Just Like That, are reportedly earning around $650K to $750K per episode for the 10-episode HBO Max season.
Original writer Michael Patrick King, who is also involved in the revival, previously discussed the pay differences between the main cast for the final season of the original series. The executive producer explained that with Parker coming back as both a lead and a producer, she was able to bring in a much larger salary as a result.
“The show doesn’t exist if Sarah Jessica wasn’t the blonde star of the show, that’s No. 1,” he detailed during an appearance on the “Origins” podcast in 2018. “Kim [Cattrall] was not at the height of her career, Kristin was under her in terms of notability, Cynthia was a theater actress — and their contracts reflected that status.”
One thing is clear: As more big names join television shows, the paychecks will only continue to grow.
“I don’t see salaries diminishing at this point,” another agent noted to Variety.
Scroll down to see what current stars are making for their hit TV shows:
