TV Guide put up an interesting article recently of TV stars and what they get paid. I had heard of the Seinfeld and Friends casts getting huge paychecks, but somehow it never struck me that those sort of numbers were common in the business. Boy was I wrong... Full article at http://www.tvguide.com/News/Top-TV-Earners-1021717.aspx What jumps out at me immediately is how can shows like Two and a Half Men and Desperate Housewives be profitable when they're paying their leads 1.75 million and 1.6 million respectively in total? Also, comedy stars appear to be able to command higher paychecks, why would that be?
Keep in mind that those are all hit tv shows. The tv business is designed around the idea that, if you get a hit tv show, you cash in for as long as you can...because it could all disappear tomorrow. 4 or 5 years on a hit tv show may have to last them the rest of their lives, and it's supposed to make up for years of being paid very little. Plus, it's a one-time fee. You're unlikely to get a major cut (or any cut) of DVD sales. Edit: The highest paychecks are often for shows that have already been hits for a good amount of years. Those shows have already made a boat-load of cash in advertisement fees and DVDS, and the actors only now have a chance to cash-in on the money train.
There's something fucked up when Charlie Sheen on a shit sitcom makes three times as much as the awesome that is Hugh Laurie on one of the best medical dramas on TV.
Two-and-a-half men ranked number 11 in the ratings last year. House was ranked number 22. House was ranked higher in some earlier seasons, but it's all about where you are when they start contract negotiations. Edit: Plus, Charlie Sheen was probably able to actually convince executives that he might not accept a lower offer (given his personal life). That probably helped up his rate.
Probably because a good comedy can make a lot more in syndication than a good drama. Also, comedy is really hard. I've noticed that good comedians tend to be good dramatic actors if & when they give it a shot, but the reverse is not so often true... Matt Bomer making $100K vs Zach Levi at $60K? Something not right bout that.
Going by the numbers I guess Jon Cryer may be the Half Man in the title. Heck, even the kid on that show makes nearly as much as Steve Carrell. Who'da thought Judge Judy outearned Letterman?
As was said up thread, consider how much money is brought in by half hour comedies in syndication. How many markets are Friends or 2 and a Half Men in repeats, how many times a day? Compared to House? AND, in regards to pay per episode, don't forget EACH actor is ALSO getting residuals from both repeats, syndication AND DVD sales.
A lot of these guys like Letterman and Laurie are also big behind the scenes and probably make far more than what these numbers show.
Most executive produce their show and they get a cut of syndication money. C'mon, that's less than what IT people make. I agree, time to renegotiate or at least around season 5.
Personally, and I know I'm saying blasphemy, but, I think it's pretty funny. Now, the past few haven't been great, but sort of the middle seasons were funny. Basically, a sex farce where you watch people (generally Jon Cryer) suffer. So, yeah, it's a Schadenfreude sitcom. Having said that, it's not a sitcom that pushes the envelope in terms of kinds of stories or HOW a story is told. It's very safe in that regard.