Who Makes What: TV's Greatest Salaries

Ashton Kutcher Many people think TV is preferable to movies nowadays. For a lot of stars, it certainly pays better. Unless of course you are in a position to play a super hero, it's difficult to obtain super-wealthy from large-screen work, so more stars are moving to series TV. The broadened talent pool has given systems and galleries extra leverage in settling salaries. "You will find so couple of gigantic stars in features and also the relaxation aren't coming to a money," states one industry executive acquainted with the 2010 deal-making. "That's useful." The overall rule over the TV clients are to maintain lead entertainers on new network prime-time series to $125,000 a chapter. (Cable systems 're going up to $150,000.) That isn't Charlie Sheen money, but it is pretty good. "Occasions that by 22, [and] you are able to maintain an excellent lifestyle depending on that which you were making in features however you are not," the executive states. You will find always exceptions for established TV stars. Hit series veterinarians Tim Allen and Kiefer Sutherland can get $225,000 a chapter to return to the weekly grind in new shows. However with lengthy-running top shows getting good costly as they age, galleries are seriously interested in trimming budgets when confronted with decreasing rankings. House lost Lisa Edelstein, and Chris Meloni is finished from Law & Order: SVU largely due to costs. Ted Danson will earn $225,000 a chapter to become listed on CSI - a savings from Laurence Fishburne's $350,000. Warner Bros.' has become the greatest-compensated sitcom actor at $700,000 per episode - far under Sheen's take of $1.two million. Whether this is a bargain will not be known before rankings are available in following the show's premiere. Network news divisions and talk- show producers will also be attempting to hold lower costs. After Katie Couric left the CBS Evening News, Scott Pelley began at within third of her $15 million annually. Regis Philbin is departing Live! With Regis and Kelly rather than going for a cut in the $15 million salary. And Piers Morgan gets under another of the items Ray King gained throughout his final year in CNN's prime-time selection. However, many stars can strike as the iron is hot. The cast from the Large Bang Theory saw their salaries grow his or her show produced distribution deals. And Current TV is attempting to go in the cable large leagues with Keith Olbermann, giving him $tens of millions of annually as well as an equity stake within the network. Time Warner, meanwhile, tangled up Physical Violence Worsens with a brand new talk show along with a new deal at CNN that pays him around $11 million annually. Which should keep him in tight black T-t shirts for any very long time. For that complete listing of TV's greatest salaries varying from drama, comedy, late evening and reality, get this week's problem of TV Guide Magazine, on newsstands Thursday, August 11! Sign up for TV Guide Magazine now!