Actors can make a lot of money if they’ve got the right combination of success, talent, and an irreplaceable role on a major TV show. Sometimes, a show is so popular and an actor so in-demand that they can command upwards of a million dollars in payment per episode. That’s a lot of money to stack up for acting in front of a camera!
The Big Bang Theory Stars
In its final few seasons, The Big Bang Theory’s stars Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, and Johnny Galecki were all raking in $1 million each for every episode they appeared in. Adjusting for inflation, that’s $1,270,000 per episode, an astonishing amount of money to make a show as bland and mediocre as The Big Bang Theory.
James Gandolfini
On the other end of the quality spectrum, actor James Gandolfini portrayed Tony Soprano in the excellent HBO series The Sopranos. During that show’s final season in 2007, Gandolfini was paid $1 million for every episode, which would total up to nearly $1,500,000 today.
The Cast of Friends
The entire main cast of Friends made the show extremely expensive to make in its last few seasons. From 2002 to 2004, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer all brought in $1 million for each episode. That would be over $1,613,000 in today’s money.
Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser
Believe it or not, Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser are among some of the highest-paid TV actors ever for their roles on Mad About You. From 1998 to 1999, they were both paid $1 million per episode. Accounting for inflation, that’s over $1,800,000 for every shoot!
Jerry Seinfeld
When your name is on a show, you get to be paid a lot for it. That’s what happened when Seinfeld became one of the best-performing shows of the 90s. During its final season, Jerry Seinfeld was earning $1 million per episode from 1997 to 1998, pushing his earnings just over Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser when accounting for inflation.
Tim Allen
Incredibly enough, Tim Allen, of all people, was earning $1.25 million per episode for his role on Home Improvement during the last season in 1998 to 1999. Accounting for inflation, he was taking in nearly $2,300,000 for every episode he was in.
Chris Pratt
Chriss Pratt’s roles have certainly earned the actor accolades—and tons of money. For his role in the (extremely middling and very overrated) Amazon series The Terminal List, Pratt is paid an eye-watering $1.4 million per episode and has been since 2022. That adds up fast!
Kelsey Grammar
Sitcoms were big business back in the 90s. Kelsey Grammar, who starred as the title character on Frasier, was paid $1.6 million per episode from 2002 to 2004. Accounting for inflation, he was making nearly $2,581,000 for every episode of the sitcom.
Ray Romano
In another genuinely hilarious piece of trivia you now know, Ray Romano was being paid $1,725,000 for every episode of Everybody Loves Raymond from 2003 to 2005. That’s over $2,652,000 when you account for inflation. It turns out everyone really did love Raymond to pay him that much!
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Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen was infamously extremely expensive to keep around on Two and a Half Men, commanding the upsetting salary of up to $2 million per episode by 2011. That makes him among the highest-paid TV actors ever, and explains why the studio was so eager to boot him from the role when his personal conduct became a problem for the production.
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Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon
Tied with Charlie Sheen at the top are Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, who are paid a genuinely baffling salary of $2 million per episode—each! Apple is burning through some serious cash to make The Morning Show, an Apple TV+ show that’s… fine?
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