Ed O’Neill – Married With Children
Ed O’Neill earns up to $10 million from reruns of Married With Children. The show lasted from 1987 until 1997 and helped make him a household name. He later went on to star in the popular show Modern Family.
Ed O’Neill Married With Children
Kelsey Grammer – Frasier
Kelsey Grammer spent 11 seasons over the span of 20 years playing Frasier Crane. The show was a spinoff based off of his character from Cheers, which helped Grammer become more well known. He makes up to $13 million a year from reruns of Frasier.
Kelsey Grammer – Frasier
Ray Romano – Everybody Loves Raymond
Ray Romano was the lead in Everybody Loves Raymond, which ran for 9 seasons on CBS. Romano earns up to $18 million per year for reruns of the show. He is also known for his voice acting role in the Ice Age film franchise.
Ray Romano Everybody Loves Raymond
Bob Saget – Full House
Bob Saget played the lovable Danny Tanner on the hit show Full House, and despite the fact that he earned the most in residuals from the rest of the cast, he shared that he only earned between $2 to $2000 since he was not an executive producer of the show. He tragically passed away in January 2022 at just 65 years old.
Bob Saget Full House
George Clooney – ER
George Clooney starred in ER early on in his career, making him a household name. The show, created by Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton, earns Clooney up to $13 million each year. Not too shabby, especially considering he is one of the most successful Hollywood film stars as well.
George Clooney ER
Jerry Seinfeld – Seinfeld
While Seinfeld may have gone off the air in 1998, the show’s cultural relevance lives on. Seeing as it is still one of the most referenced shows, it makes sense that Jerry Seinfeld makes up to $110 million every year in residuals. Larry David also takes home quite a bit from the show as well.
Jerry Seinfeld Seinfeld
Hank Azaria – The Simpsons
The Simpsons first went on the air in 1989 and is still going strong, making it one of the longest running shows of all time. Hank Azaria is one of the main six cast members, voicing characters like Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy, Snake Jailbird, and many more. He takes home up to $10 million per year in residuals from the show.
Hank Azaria The Simpsons
Jim Parsons – The Big Bang Theory
Jim Parsons became a household name when he starred as Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory for 12 seasons. In the final season of the show, he was making $900,000 per episode, and now makes up to $10 million a year in residuals.
Jim Parsons The Big Bang Theory
Alan Alda – M*A*S*H
Alan Alda made a name for himself when he starred Hawkeye on popular TV show M*A*S*H which lasted for 11 seasons. The show became one of the most successful and beloved shows. The show’s final episode aired on February 28th, 1983, but Alda still takes up to $1 million home each year.
Alan Alda M*A*S*H
Maureen McCormick – The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch was one of the most beloved shows of the 60’s and 70’s, launching the cast into fame. Maureen McCormick played Marcia Brady who was one of the most well known members of the cast. However, the cast has opened up about how challenging it is to get residuals from the show due to no-residuals clauses in the contracts they signed.
Maureen McCormick The Brady Bunch
Betty White – The Golden Girls
Betty White was a television staple for years, being a pioneer of early TV and winning the hearts of younger generations in her later years as well. She certainly became best known for her role on The Golden Girls as Rose Nylund between the years of 1985 and 1992. She earned up to $3 million from residuals of the show before she passed away in December 2021, two weeks shy of her 100th birthday.
Betty White The Golden Girls
David Schwimmer – Friends
David Schwimmer is best known to most people as Ross Geller, one of the main characters on hit TV show Friends. Since the show was such a massive success with seemingly endless reruns, people can’t get enough of the show even to this day. That’s why Schwimmer earns up to $20 million in residuals per year.
David Schwimmer Friends
Johnny Galecki – The Big Bang Theory
Johnny Galecki first became well known when he starred on Roseanne, but became a household name when he starred on The Big Bang Theory over the course of twelve years, playing Leonard. The show being the huge success that it was means that Galecki takes home up to $10 million in residuals.
Johnny Galecki The Big Bang Theory
Alex Borstein – Family Guy
Alex Bornstein voices the character of Lois Griffin on the hit animated series Family Guy. She earns $225,000 per episode as a part of her salary renegotiation. Though she earns up to $10 million a year in residuals, she has to split all of her earnings due to alimony pay she owes her ex-husband.
Alex Borstein Family Guy
David Caruso – CSI Miami
David Caruso is best known for portraying Detective Horatio Caine on CSI: Miami, one of the many popular CBS forensics crime shows, from 2002 until 2012. Caruso earns up to $100,000 a year from residuals of the show, which is still popular and has many reruns going all the time.
David Caruso CSI Miami
Jennifer Aniston – Friends
Jennifer Aniston became a major Hollywood fixture after she starred as Rachel Green on Friends. Warner Bros. rakes in over $1 billion per year thanks to the continual popularity of the show, which means that Aniston earns up to $20 million each year from residuals.
Jennifer Aniston Friends
Matthew Perry – Friends
Speaking of Friends alums, Matthew Perry, who played the hilarious Chandler Bing, also earns up to $20 million every year from residuals of the show. Reruns of Friends run on Nickelodeon. The show was on for an entire decade and 10 seasons, making it one of the most successful shows of all time.
Matthew Perry – Friends
Carol Burnett – The Carol Burnett Show
Carol Burnett was a pioneer in comedy and normalizing women in comedy. Her show, The Carol Burnett Show, was truly groundbreaking when it featured her as the main character. However, due to music copyrights, she doesn’t earn much from DVD sales of the show. She earns an estimated one penny per sale, which is pretty unfortunate.
Carol Burnett The Carol Burnett Show
Tim Allen – Home Improvement
The Toolman Tim Allen starred on Home Improvement for 8 entire seasons. The show, produced by Disney, ran from 1991 until 1999. He earns payments from the show every month and it all accumulates to about $18 million per year.
Tim Allen – Home Improvement
Courteney Cox – Friends
Courtneney Cox played Monica Geller on Friends. She also earns up to $20 million a year from residuals. Following her time on Friends, Cox went on to star as the lead in the show Cougar Town, which earned her a Golden Globe award.
Courteney Cox Friends
Ted Danson – Cheers
Ted Danson became well known when she starred as former baseball player Sam Malone on hit TV comedy series Cheers. Following his time on the show, he went on to star in countless more TV shows and films. He earns up to $5 million per year from residuals from Cheers.
Ted Danson Cheers
David Hyde Pierce – Frasier
David Hyde Pierce played Dr. Niles Crane, the younger brother of Dr. Frasier Crane on the hit series Frasier. He appeared on the show from 1993 until 2004, and he earned four Primetime Emmy Awards for his role. The show has earned $40 million total from reruns, and surely Pierce has taken home a significant amount from that total.
David Hyde Pierce Frasier
Patrick Stewart – Star Trek: The Next Generation
Patrick Stewart played Jean Luc Picard of Star Trek: The Next Generation from 1987 until 1994. He has since reprised the role in Star Trek: Picard. He claims that he hasn’t received any residuals from the original show, but he did earn up to $13 million from his role in the Star Trek movies he starred in.
Patrick Stewart Star Trek The Next Generation
David Hasselhoff – Baywatch
When Baywatch aired in 1989, the show became an absolute phenomenon. It was on air until 2000, and David Hasselhoff played L.A. County lifeguard Mitch Buchannon, who was often seen running around shirtless. It’s believed that he earns up to $4 million a year from residuals.
David Hasselhoff Baywatch
Fred Savage – The Wonder Years
Fred Savage starred as Kevin Arnold on the sweet show The Wonder Years from 1988 until it ended in 1993. After 115 episodes, the show abruptly ended following disputes between studio executives and the show’s producers. Savage reportedly does not earn any money from the show now, but has since worked on the revival of the show.
Fred Savage – The Wonder Year
Mark Harmon – NCIS
Mark Harmon first appeared as Leroy Jethro Gibbs on the hit show NCIS in 2003. He also became a producer and executive producer of the show since 2008. He left the show as a season regular in 2021. Harmon earned $125,000 per episode and certainly receives syndication royalties as well.
Mark Harmon NCIS
Matt LeBlanc – Friends
Matt LeBlanc appeared on Friends playing the role of Joey Tribbiani from 1994 until the show ended in 2004. He earned three Emmy nominations for his role on the show and landed a lead role in the show’s spinoff, Joey, but it unfortunately never took off and was cancelled after two seasons. He earns up to $20 million per year in residuals from Friends.
Matt LeBlanc Friends
Tracey Ullman – The Tracey Ullman Show
Tracey Ullman was the leading woman in her variety show, The Tracey Ullman Show that first aired in 1987 before ending in 1990. She only earns up to $5000 from reruns of the show.
Tracey Ullman The Tracey Ullman Show
Lucille Ball – I Love Lucy
Lucille Ball was an absolute TV pioneer and legend. She and her husband Desi Arnaz actually were the ones to create the concept of earning income from reruns. She was the main character of I Love Lucy, which pioneered the concept of a sitcom show. She and Desi earned up to $17 million a year in royalties and eventually sold their production company, Desilu, to CBS.
Lucille Ball In “I Love Lucy’
Sam Waterston – Law & Order
Sam Waterson first started out on Law & Order in 1994, playing the role of Jack McCoy until 2010 on the original show and then reprising his role on the 2022 revival. He also played the character on Homicide: Life on the Street, Law & Order: SVU, and Law & Order: Trial By Jury. He reportedly only earns up to $5000 a year from reruns of the show.
Sam Waterston Law & Order
Nancy Cartwright – The Simpsons
Nancy Cartwright voices the character of Bart Simpson on The Simpsons, which has been running for 32 seasons and counting. The show earns up to $20 million from reruns, and Cartwright earns $400,000 per episode.
Nancy Cartwright The Simpsons
Daniel J. Travanti – Hill Street Blues
Daniel J. Travanti played the role of Captain Furillo on police drama Hill Street Blues, which ran for 146 episodes and earned him a Holden Globe and two Emmys. He earned up to $10,000 per year from rerun royalties of the show, as competition from other popular crime shows like Blue Bloods, Law & Order, and CSI meant less money earned from reruns.
Daniel J. Travanti Hill Street Blues
Jon Cryer – Two and a Half Men
Jon Cryer appeared on Two and a Half Men as Alan Harper from 2003 until 2015. After 12 seasons, the show ended but it was still one of the most successful TV shows of all time. Cryer still earns a hefty amount from rerun royalties from the show.
Jon Cryer – Two and a Half Men
Ricky Gervais – The Office UK
Ricky Gervais created the original show The Office, which lasted for two season in the UK and inspired the U.S. version, which went on to become one of the most popular shows of all time. He starred as David Brent, the UK version of Michael Scott. He receives up to $1 million in residual payments from the show.
Ricky Gervais The Office UK
Marg Helgenberger – CSI
Marg Helgenberger played the role of Catherine Willows on CSI: Crime Scene Investigations from 2000 until 2013. She reprised the role in 2015 in CSI: Immortality and in 2022 for CSI: Vegas. She earns up to $10,000 a year in residuals.
Marg Helgenberger – CSI
Kristen Bell – The Good Place
Kristen Bell played Eleanor Shellstrop for four seasons on the show The Good Place from 2016 until 2020. Since NBC owns the rights to the show, it is not likely that any of the actors who appeared on the show will be receiving any rerun royalties.
Kristen Bell The Good Place
Dr. Phil – The Dr. Phil Show
Dr. Phil made a name for himself on his show The Dr. Phil Show, on which he gives advice to people in need. He started out as the resident human behavior expert on Oprah, and she was so impressed with him that she offered him his own show. It started in 2002 and continues to air on the Oprah Winfrey Network. He earns up to $10 million a year in reruns.
Dr. Phil The Dr. Phil Show
Jackie Gleason – The Honeymooners
Jackie Gleason played Ralph Kramden on The Honeymooners between 1955 and 1956. The show was one of the first to show working class couples living in less-than-ideal situations. Gleason never got residual payments as his contract said since he agreed to earn $70,000 per episode while the show was on air.
Jackie Gleason The Honeymooners
Tom Kenny – Spongebob
Tom Kenney has voiced Spongebob since Spongebob Squarepants first aired in 1999. The show is as popular as ever, mostly running on Nickelodeon and also available on streaming platforms like Hulu and Netflix. The show generates millions in residuals, which Kenny certainly receives a cut of.
Tom Kenny Spongebob
John Goodman – Roseanne
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John Goodman Roseanne
