Ted Danson
TV Show: Cheers
Seasons: 11
Finale Episode Airdate: May 20, 1993
Show Residuals: Up to $5 million a year*
Ted Danson is making upwards of 5 million dollars a year for his reruns of Cheers. The remarkable thing about this is that the finale aired in mid-1993. For more than 25 years he’s been collecting his yearly check for doing no additional work!
Source: graceannawalker / Twitter.com
That’s largely due to the popularity of Cheers. Since the show wrapped, Danson has been in different projects like Bored to Death, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and The Good Place. He could retire today and live off his massive $5 million a year from his old sitcom.
David Caruso
TV Show: CSI Miami
Seasons: 10
Finale Episode Airdate: April 8, 2012
Show Residuals: Up to $100,000 per year*
You might recognize David Caruso from his role in CSI Miami. This show stopped in 2012, and he’s enjoying his royalties of nearly $100,000 every year.
Source: MartinaRosemann / Twitter.com
He performed as the lead character and producer for the show’s 10 seasons. A few years ago, a TV critic crunched the numbers and determined that CSI Miami attributed to nearly 14 billion dollars for CBS’s net worth.
Ray Romano
TV Show: Everybody Loves Raymond
Seasons: 9
Finale Episode Airdate: May 16, 2005
Show Residuals: Up to $18 million a year*
Ray Romano is next on the list. Everybody loves Ray, and Ray loves his royalties. His show, aptly named Everybody Loves Ray wrapped in May of 2005, but that doesn’t stop the money from rolling through Romano’s doorstep.
Source: Raymond_Quotes / Twitter.com
He makes up to $18 million a year from residuals of the show. This is partially why Romano is now the richest Emmy award-winning actor of all time.
Alan Alda
TV Show: M*A*S*H
Seasons: 11
Finale Episode Airdate: February 28, 1983
Show Residuals: Up to $1 million a year*
Alan Alda was the star on the old show M*A*S*H. The show’s finale was early in 1983, and Alda is still seeing massive yearly earnings up to $1 million. In the first season, Alda would get around $10,000 an episode.
Source: Retro_Co / Twitter.com
By the end, he had raised that number to nearly a quarter of a million dollars per episode. Sure, this isn’t as much as current-day sitcom stars make, but keep in mind that this was in the 70s and 80s. After the show was finished, Alda would act in a number of different movies, shows, and documentaries.
David Hasselhoff
TV Show: Baywatch
Seasons: 11
Finale Episode Airdate: May 14, 2001
Show Residuals: Up to $4 million per year*
David Hasselhoff was the lead hunk in the show Baywatch. He enjoyed 11 seasons of shooting before the show ended in 2001.
Source: johnsicurella / Twitter.com
At one point during the show’s tenure, it was one of the most-watched TV shows in the world. It achieved a weekly viewership of more than a billion people. Hasselhoff enjoys a yearly paycheck of around $4 million for reruns, which is pretty impressive.
Jim Parsons
TV Show: The Big Bang Theory
Seasons: 12
Finale Episode Airdate: May 16, 2019
Show Residuals: Up to $10 million a year*
Jim Parsons is the leading man of The Big Bang Theory. This is one of the most successful sitcoms of today’s age. That being said, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Parsons is bringing in big money each year from the reruns.
Source: bayliesm / Twitter.com
The star reportedly makes around $10 million every year from show residuals. On top of that, during the final season, he was making $900,000 every episode! In the first season he was making around $60,000 an episode.
David Schwimmer
TV Show: Friends
Seasons: 10
Finale Episode Airdate: May 6, 2004
Show Residuals: Up to $20 million per year*
Up next is David Schwimmer. He was on the hit TV show Friends which lasted for 10 seasons before its finale in 2004. More than 15 years later, Schwimmer is still cashing checks for his role in that iconic show.
Source: fordestiel / Twitter.com
He is making up to $20 million every year in show residuals. Every one of the 10 seasons they shot ranked within the top 10 shows on at that time. The finale was watched by 52.5 million people which explains the massive payday now.
Ed O’Neill
TV Show: Married With Children
Seasons: 11
Finale Episode Airdate: June 9, 1997
Show Residuals: Up to $10 million a year*
Let’s take a look at Ed O’Neill. He was the leading male character in Married with Children. The show had 11 seasons before ending in 1997. You might also recognize him from Modern Family, but his big show residuals are thanks to his role in Married with Children.
Source: Obsev
The show famously refused to pull punches during their early episodes. This eventually led to advertisers pulling their support, so the producers and directs decided to reign it in. That means that there were a lot of unaired episodes that are only available on DVD. Even with these troubles, Ed is still making around $10 million a year in residuals.
Matt LeBlanc
TV Show: Friends
Seasons: 10
Finale Episode Airdate: May 6, 2004
Show Residuals: Up to $20 million per year*
Matt LeBlanc is another one of the leading men from Friends. He played the role of goofy Joey, who was one of the most recognizable characters from the show. He actually won three Emmy nominations for his role.
Source: andysambcrgs / Twitter.com
His character later had spinoff shows, further proving what a cult classic Friends was. From Friends, LeBlanc enjoys a hefty check of up to $20 million every year. It pays to be Friends!
Jennifer Aniston
TV Show: Friends
Seasons: 10
Finale Episode Airdate: May 6, 2004
Show Residuals: Up to $20 million a year*
Next on the list is Jennifer Aniston. She is another one of the original six from Friends. Like the other stars of Friends from this list so far, she also brings in an impressive $20 million a year in royalty checks.
Source: favechracter / Twitter.com
Aniston is one of the more popular actors from the original show. She has gone on to star in dozens of movies and shows since the finale aired in 2004.
David Hyde Pierce
TV Show: Frasier
Seasons: 11
Final Episode Airdate: September 16, 1993
Show Residuals: $40 million in total*
David Hyde Pierce was the star of the hit show Frasier. It had 11 seasons and ultimately ended in 2004. He earned four Emmys for his incredible role on the show, and the show was known as the smartest show on television with constant laughs.
Source: k8lately / Twitter.com
As time went on, more and more details came out about what happened behind the scenes, and a lot of troubles have been highlighted. Regardless, the show has managed to rack up $40 million in total so far from reruns.
Maureen McCormick
TV Show: The Brady Bunch
Seasons: 5
Finale Episode Airdate: March 8, 1974
Show Residuals: $0 per year*
You might remember Maureen McCormick from The Brady Bunch. That show was a hit in the 60s and 70s, and it stole America’s heart. McCormick, along with the rest of the cast, has since discussed the fact that they get no residuals from reruns of the show.
Source: landofthe80 / Twitter.com
They tried renegotiating, but there was a clause in their original contract that can’t be beat. She officially makes $0 a year from royalties.
Mark Harmon
TV Show: NCIS
Seasons: 18
Final Episode Airdate: N/A
Show Residuals: Up to $60 million in total*
Mark Harmon is the face of NCIS. The show is still running and recently announced its 18th season.
Source: Hq9ja / Twitter.com
It is widely considered the most popular show of today’s time, and it has a huge fan base. Harmon takes home $125,000 per new episode that’s filmed, and up to $60 million in show residuals alone.
Jerry Seinfeld
TV Show: Seinfeld
Seasons: 9
Finale Episode Airdate: May 14, 1998
Show Residuals: Up to $110 million per year*
Next is Jerry Seinfeld. Jerry is an iconic funnyman, revolutionizing how people approach sitcoms and stand-up alike. His 90s sitcom Seinfeld had some of the tightest writing at the time, and it was all thanks to his comedic prowess.
Source: MarketWatch / Twitter.com
Seinfeld is currently one of the richest comedians in the world, and it’s largely thanks to the $110 million check he gets yearly from his show’s residuals. The good news is that 2021 will bring us a 4K quality version of Seinfeld exclusively on Netflix.
Dr. Phil
TV Show: The Dr. Phil Show
Seasons: 17
Final Episode Airdate: N/A
Show Residuals: Up to $10 million in total*
Let’s take a look at Dr. Phil. The Dr. Phil Show has been running for 17 seasons now, and he’s famous for stirring the pot of popular culture. It’s hard to remember so long ago, but Dr. Phil originally started as a human behaviorist that would show up from time to time on Oprah’s show.
Source: DrPhil / Twitter.com
His solo show started in 2002, and you’ll find an episode airing on the Oprah Winfrey Network almost every day. He takes home an impressive $10 million a year in show residuals.
Kristen Bell
TV Show: The Good Place
Seasons: 4
Final Episode Airdate: September 26, 2019
Show Residuals: $0*
Kristen Bell is a hilarious and very talented actress. If you’re a fan of The Good Place you’re probably sad that it’s over and love Bell’s performance as much as we did.
Source: io9 / Twitter.com
If you want to get sadder, you should realize that none of the cast is going to get royalties from the reruns (most likely). Hopefully, her Frozen money is keeping her warm!
Tim Allen
TV Show: Home Improvement
Seasons: 8
Finale Episode Airdate: May 25, 1999
Show Residuals: Up to $18 million in total*
Tim Allen played The Toolman in Home Improvement.
Source: LADbible
This fun show wrapped right before the new millennia. To this day, Allen enjoys a big residual check every year up to $18 million. Not too bad for a man and his tools!
Kelsey Grammer
TV Show: Frasier
Seasons: 11
Finale Episode Airdate: May 13, 2004
Show Residuals: Up to $13 million a year*
Kelsey Grammar is another big name from the old show Frasier. He played Frasier Crane on the show Cheers before the spin-off show Frasier was introduced.
Source: Digital Spy
During the final season, Grammar was making a massive $1.6 million per episode. In royalties alone, Grammar takes home $13 million every year.
Jon Cryer
TV Show: Two and a Half Men
Seasons: 12
Finale Episode Airdate: February 19, 2015
Show Residuals: Up to $20 million in total*
Jon Cryer is next on our list. When you think of sitcoms in the past 20 years, you can’t forget Two and a Half Men. It’s the show that Charlie Sheen was appearing on during his public outbreak.
Source: pinterest
Cryer is the best-paid member of the original cast of three. During the peak episodes, he would make around $620,000 an episode. In royalties alone, he received a check up to $20 million a year!
Sam Waterston
TV Show: Law & Order
Seasons: 20
Finale Episode Airdate: May 24, 2010
Show Residuals: Up to $5,000 per year*
Sam Waterston was an icon during Law & Order’s 20 season run. He even won a Golden Globe from his performance.
Source: THR / Twitter.com
Despite his incredible performance, the star only makes around $5 thousand dollars a year in show royalties. He’s doing just fine though, recently appearing in the reboot of Grace and Frankie.
Johnny Galecki
TV Show: The Big Bang Theory
Seasons: 12
Finale Episode Airdate: May 16, 2019
Show Residuals: Up to $10 million per year*
Johnny Galecki is another big name from The Big Bang Theory.
Source: digitalspy / Twitter.com
All of the stars became millionaires from the franchise, and Galecki is walking away with a huge check of $10 million a year in royalties. It quickly became the most-watched sitcom of today’s age, and the show has a massive fan base.
Alex Borstein
TV Show: Family Guy
Seasons: 18
Finale Episode Airdate: N/A
Show Residuals: Up to $10 million per year*
Alex Borstein is the voice of Lois Griffin on Family Guy. Family Guy has been on the air for 19 seasons now, and Borstein is getting around $225,000 per episode thanks to a recent re-negotiation.
Source: Hungary Today
On top of that, she’s raking in nearly $10 million a year in royalties alone. That’s not too shabby considering the show is still running, considered one of the funniest sitcoms running today.
Tom Ellis
TV Show: Lucifer
Seasons: 5
Final Episode Airdate: TBD
Show Residuals: Unknown
Next up is Tom Ellis. He’s a star on the show Lucifer. The show started on Fox before getting canceled then picked up by Netflix.
Source: lilyseyes47 / Twitter.com
Ellis makes $50,000 per episode, and his contract allows for a huge payday in residuals when everything’s said and done.
Carol Burnett
TV Show: The Carol Burnett Show
Seasons: 11
Finale Episode Airdate: March 29, 1978
Show Residuals: $0.01 per DVD sold*
Carol Burnett is an actress from her namesake show, The Carol Burnett Show. It was a show that started in the 60s and ran for 11 seasons before ending in 1978. Thanks to a poor contract, Burnett isn’t walking away with a huge payday for her big show.
Source: The Wrap
She reportedly makes only a penny per DVD sold, though she hasn’t announced how much that converts to annually. Looking at the sale of DVDs today, we can’t imagine it’s a lot.
Jonny Lee Miller
TV Show: Elementary
Seasons: 7
Final Episode Airdate: August 15, 2019
Show Residuals: $1,000 per year*
Next up is Jonny Lee Miller. He was on the show Elementary which had a 7 season run. It wrapped in 2019, and the show got a bit of traction.
Source: Elementary_CBS / Twitter.com
He went on to do a number of different shows, but he gets around $1 thousand a year in residuals from this show. Not a huge check, but it’s free money!
Patrick Stewart
TV Show: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Seasons: 7
Finale Episode Airdate: May 23, 1994
Show Residuals: $0 (as of 2017)*
Patrick Stewart made a name for himself on Star Trek: The Next Generation. The show had its finale in 1994, and it amassed a cult following.
Source: TodayinStarTrek / Twitter.com
The franchise has put together movies and spin-off shows to gain an even bigger following. Despite that, Stewart admits to making $0 in royalties from the show as of 2017.
Tracey Ullman
TV Show: The Tracey Ullman Show
Seasons: 4
Finale Episode Airdate: May 26, 1996
Show Residuals: Up to $5,000 per year*
Tracey Ullman starred in her own show, The Tracey Ullman Show. It enjoyed 4 seasons before wrapping in 1996.
@ Tribeca / Twitter.com
She has had a full career since then – making a name for herself as a singer, actress, and dancer. With the success from her show, she makes around $5 thousand a year in residuals.
Lucille Ball
TV Show: I Love Lucy
Seasons: 6
Finale Episode Airdate: May 6, 1957
Show Residuals: Up to $17 million per year* to estate
Lucille Ball played Lucy in the iconic show I Love Lucy. The sitcom changed how people viewed television, and they were essentially the first show in the situational comedy genre.
Source: LucilleBallFan3 / Twitter.com
Luckily she and her husband owned their own production company and held the rights to their show. That translated to $17 million a year in residuals! The couple enjoyed their residual checks for more than 30 years before selling the rights to CBS a few years ago.
Nancy Cartwright
TV Show: The Simpsons
Seasons: 31
Finale Episode Airdate: N/A
Show Residuals: Up to $20 million per year*
Next up is Nancy Cartwright. She voices the character Bart in The Simpsons. The Simpsons is famously the longest-running animated comedy that television has ever seen. Some massive names come together to make the cast and special guests for each episode.
Source: IndieWire / Twitter.com
The show is currently still running, and Cartwright gets a big check up to $20 million a year for her participation in the series. For new episodes, she makes $400,000 each.
Daniel J. Travanti
TV Show: Hill Street Blues
Seasons: 7
Finale Episode Airdate: May 12, 1987
Show Residuals: Up to $10,000 per year*
The start from Hill Street Blues, Daniel J. Travanti doesn’t enjoy a residual check that’s as large as others in this list. The show ran for 7 seasons and had its finale in 1987.
Source: RetroNewsNow / Twitter.com
Travanti took home two Emmys and a Golden Globe for his performance on the show. He made a lot in royalties over the years, but today he only makes around $10 thousand a year. Still, that’s not bad for a show that started nearly 40 years ago.
Ricky Gervais
TV Show: The Office UK
Seasons: 2
Finale Episode Airdate: November 4, 2002
Show Residuals: Up to $1 million per year*
Ricky Gervais is the creative mind behind The Office UK. The UK series only had two seasons, but Gervais still takes up to $1 million a year in residuals.
Source: BBC
He’s been featured in a number of projects since the finale, so he’s definitely not relying on these royalties. In fact, he even had a small role in America’s version of the Office.
Marg Helgenberger
TV Show: CSI
Seasons: 15
Finale Episode Airdate: February 15, 2018
Show Residuals: Up to $10,000 per year*
Marg Helgenberger is another one of the names from CSI.
Source: screenertv / Twitter.com
The show ended just a few years ago, and she gets to enjoy around $10 thousand a year in royalty checks. A much smaller figure than David Caruso due to her contract and smaller role.
Linda Robson
TV Show: Birds of a Feather
Seasons: 12
Final Episode Airdate: December 24, 1998
Show Residuals: $200-300 per year
Linda Robson was a star from the show Birds of a Feather. The show had its finale in 1998 after 12 seasons on the air. It’s a British show that was canceled before given a reboot.
Source: BBC3CR / Facebook.com
The 13th season hasn’t been released yet, and there’s no saying when it ever will be. According to Robson, the reboots aren’t shown on standard television, so she only makes a couple of hundred dollars a year in residuals.
Tom Kenny
TV Show: Spongebob
Seasons: 12
Finale Episode Airdate: N/A
Show Residuals: Up to $11 million per year*
Next up is Tom Kenny. He voices the ultra-famous sponge, Spongebob. The show has been on the air for 12 seasons and it’s still going strong.
Source: SpongeBob / Twitter.com
Kenny is one of the few original cast members that still voice their character. With reruns alone, Kenny takes home up to $11 million a year!
John Goodman
TV Show: Roseanne
Seasons: 10
Finale Episode Airdate: May 22, 2018
Show Residuals: Up to $1 million per year*
John Goodman was the husband on Roseanne.
Source: BlueSea1964 / Twitter.com
He played in the original series as well as the reboot which was recently, and abruptly, canceled. From the reboot, he takes home around $1 million a year. He can add that to the money he makes from his other projects.
Lesley Manville
TV Show: Mum
Seasons: 3
Final Episode Airdate: June 19, 2019
Show Residuals: $2,000 per year*
Lesley Manville was a cast member from the show Mum.
Source: bigtalk / Twitter.com
It is a British show that had 3 seasons before ending in 2019. Since the viewership was pretty low, Manville only receives a check of around $2 thousand a year.
Lisa Kudrow
TV Show: Friends
Seasons: 10
Finale Episode Airdate: May 6, 2004
Show Residuals: Up to $20 million per year*
Time for another Friends star, Lisa Kudrow. She is also one of the original six cast members who enjoy a massive residual together.
Source: friends.tv / Facebook.com
She takes home around $20 million a year in residuals from that massive television hit that she starred on. Since then, she’s made appearances and had leading roles in too many projects to list!
Sarah Michelle Gellar
TV Show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Seasons: 7
Final Episode Airdate: May 20, 2003
Show Residuals: Up to $1 million in total*
Sarah Michelle Gellar played the leading character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Source: Netflix_CA / Twitter.com
This show was a cult classic that had 7 seasons and a finale in 2003. The reruns that are currently played bring around $1 million to Gellar every year.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
TV Show: Seinfeld
Seasons: 9
Final Episode Airdate: May 14, 1998
Show Residuals: $400 million in total*
Julia Louis-Dreyfus is another star from the hit sitcom Seinfeld.
Source: Vic_McC / Twitter.com
Although Seinfeld owns the rights to the show, Louis-Dreyfus still enjoys some sizeable residuals. To this day, she has made around $400 million in royalties from reruns of the show.
Edie Falco
TV Show: The Sopranos
Seasons: 6
Final Episode Airdate: June 10, 2007
Show Residuals: Up to $26 million in total*
Edie Falco was one of the leading ladies in The Sopranos.
Source: MaZeN_Edition / Twitter.com
This massive TV hit had 6 seasons before wrapping in 2007. The show was one of the best shows in television history, and it has a huge following. Falco rakes in around $26 million a year thanks to show residuals.
George Clooney
TV Show: ER
Seasons: 15
Final Episode Airdate: April 2, 2009
Show Residuals: Up to $13 million per year*
Next up is George Clooney. A lot of people recognize Clooney for his remarkable roles in many hit movies, but did you know that he also had a long run on television?
Source: InStyle / Twitter.com
He was on the show ER for 5 of its 15 seasons before its finale in 2009. He takes home around $13 million a year thanks to his performance.