Television’s Biggest Salaries Revealed: Who Makes What?

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As big names continue flocking to the small screen, one question that fans may be wondering is how much these A-list stars are being paid to appear in television series.

While it’s no secret major stars can make big bucks in movies, the same can be true in television — particularly in the ultra-competitive world of streaming with the likes of Netflix, Apple TV, etc.

Who Earns What?

Fans will wonder no more, now that Variety has issued a comprehensive list of how much some of the top TV stars are being paid for their respective projects.

As the outlet points out, a recent downturn in TV production is seeing fewer shows produced than during the era of so-called “peak TV” a few years ago, when a staggering 600 scripted series were produced during 2022.

While that number has steadily declined, what hasn’t are the salaries that top-tier talent can attract.

According to Variety, the undisputed queens of the TV payday are “The Morning Show” co-stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, who are believed to be earning $2 million per episode each for their Apple TV series. That payday, however, will soon be ending for the actresses, who recently completed production on the show’s fifth and final season.

Also in that range is Sylvester Stallone, who’s reportedly raking in $2M per episode for his Tyler Sheridan-produced Paramount+ hit “Tulsa King.”

Meanwhile, Chris Pratt is also reportedly a member of the $2M-per-episode club, due to his reported salary for Prime Video hit “The Terminal List.”

TV’s Highest-Paid Stars

According to Variety, others who have managed to negotiate seven digits per episode include “Only Murders in the Building” stars Selena Gomez, Steve Martin and Martin Short, who are reportedly each paid in excess of $1 million per episode as the Hulu hit shoots its sixth season.

Others who crossed the $1-million mark include an array of stars previously known for film.

A Competitive Field — But for a Select Few

As Variety’s list makes abundantly clear, the paychecks may be huge, but the talent pool receiving those big numbers is relatively small.

As streamers compete for subscribers, the conventional wisdom has become the bigger the star, the bigger the draw. However, there’s a flip side. Take “Spider-Noir,” which racked up high viewership yet was deemed too expensive for a second season, partly due to star Nicolas Cage’s huge salary.

“The need for stars that can anchor these television shows is bigger than it’s ever been,” one talent agent told Variety. “It used to be unheard of that someone would get $2 million an episode.”

For those elite actors deemed worthy to “anchor” a series, the money can be incredible. “Every star now is looking at how to anchor a series,” added an insider. “If you’re No. 1 or No. 2 on the call sheet, it’s really never been better financially.”

According to a talent agent, “The TV actor salary game is still a really good business. There’s still a lot of money to be made as an actor on television. Certainly for the starriest names, those people are still getting toward the upper limit of anything that anyone’s ever made on television.”

Interestingly, the top salaries in streaming are actually competitive with those in network television, due to the economies of scale. While a big name in a network show may be pulling in between $200-$300K per episode, those series shoot 22 episodes a year, as opposed to the streaming model of just eight to 10.

“It’s completely competitive with the top end of a hit show,” added one agent. “Obviously, in streaming, they’re going to pay you a hell of a lot more because they’re only doing eight episodes. But you can definitely still get paid in broadcast. It’s just without the obvious syndication windfalls that used to come with having those backend points.”