Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer
TV Show:Two and a Half Men
Seasons:12
Finale Episode Airdate: Feb. 19, 2015
Where to watch it now: YouTube, Fubo, and Philo
Charlie Sheen may have been the main character, and main draw for audiences when he started on the show Two and Half Men, but it was Jon Cryer who was still on the show when it ended in 2015. As Charlie Harper, Sheen was an absolute womanizer, playing alongside his brother in the show, whose name was Alan Harper.
In 2011, Sheen went berserk, and not only was he written off the show, but he claimed he was blacklisted too. Cryer went on for four more seasons alongside replacement Ashton Kutcher, but Sheen and Cryer have similar amounts of money off of reruns, as each has taken in over $20 million since the show wrapped.
Betty White
TV Show:The Golden Girls
Seasons:7
Finale Episode Airdate:May 9, 1992
Where to watch it now: Hulu
At 98-years-old, there isn’t a person on planet earth with more television experience than Betty White. The eight time Grammy nominee has been on TV for 80 years, and the most popular role in that time was as Rose Nylund on the NBC hit, The Golden Girls.
The Golden Girls wasn’t her first hit, but it was her biggest. From 1985-1992 White, along with an all-star cast, kept us laughing as the upbeat, slightly naive Nylund, while also grappling with issues that were way ahead of their time. White has stepped out of the public spotlight, but that’s alright, because she nets up to $3 million a year for Golden Girls reruns.
Ed O’Neil
TV Show:Married… With Children
Seasons:11
Finale Episode Airdate:June 9, 1997
Where to watch it now: Hulu
Ed O’Neil maybe living the good life now as Jay Prtichet on ABC’s Modern Family, but years before that O’Neil played the grumbling, dim-witted husband and father of two in Fox’s Married… with Children. Al Bundy, played by O’Neil, wasn’t exactly a role-model, but he had us laughing as the slightly less than lovable loser.
Married… with Children had an impressive run between 1987-1997, producing 11 seasons and 259 shows. That’s not bad for Fox’s first hit, as it was only eclipsed in number of episodes by The Simpsons (673 episodes and counting). All this earns Ed O’Neil a whopping $10 million per year.
Lucille Ball
TV Show: I Love Lucy
Seasons: 6
Finale Episode Airdate: May 6, 1957
Where to watch it now: Hulu, CBS, Philo
Lucille Ball is the O. G. female TV comedian, having played the part of Lucille Ricardo for six seasons on the show I Love Lucy. I Love Lucy was incredibly popular, as the show was rated number one for four seasons, and was the first show to end while being the most watched show on television.
Ball was incredible in the show, concocting half-brained schemes that had us dying with laughter. She reprised her role as Lucy several times after 1957, and enjoyed success on those show too. But it’s I Love Lucy that made her the most, as she collected $17 million per year for reruns.
John Goodman
TV Show:Roseanne
Seasons:10
Finale Episode Airdate: May 22, 2018
Where to watch it now: Crackle, Vudu, Sling, and Amazon Prime
Roseanne Barr has made waves in headlines these days, as she managed to get her own reboot show cancelled. But the original Roseanne, which lasted 10 seasons from 1988-1997, was far more successful, and reruns from it have been steady for over 20 years.
John Goodman not only played Roseanne’s husband Dan Conner, but he also has an extremely long list of successful Hollywood films. Even so, Goodman loved playing Conner, and was sorry to see the show get cancelled in 2018. However, the nearly $1 million per year he makes off of residuals will probably make him feel better.
The cast of The Brady Bunch
TV Show:The Brady Bunch
Seasons:5
Finale Episode Airdate:March 8, 1974
Where to watch it now: Hulu and CBS
The Brady Bunch has lived on in television lore as one of the most well-known shows ever. However, it’s more of a cult classic, in that during it’s five year run from 1969-1974, it received only modest ratings. But generations of children and families have enjoyed the show for 50-years now.
For their efforts in making perhaps the most family friendly show in television history, each actor receives a grand total of $0 per year for all the many reruns. Oh, Marcia, Marcia, Marcia! What have you done?! The Brady Bunch is one of the most re-watched shows of all time, but we’re guessing the former cast struggles to put it on their TV.
Kelsey Grammer
TV Show:Frasier
Seasons:11
Finale Episode Airdate:May 13, 2004
Where to watch it now: Hulu, Amazon Prime, CBS
Kelsey Grammer played the character of Frasier Crane for nearly 20 years, as he first appeared on Cheers in 1985. In 1993, the same year Cheers ended, he launched his sitcom as the title character in the NBC hit series Frasier, and went on an 11 year run.
Grammer was crushing it by the time the show ended, as he was earning an incredible $1.6 million per episode. The paychecks didn’t stop coming when the cameras stopped rolling, as the popular hit still nets Grammer a cool $13 million per year. That’s a good haul for the second longest played character in prime time television history.
David Caruso
TV Show:CSI Miami
Seasons:10
Finale Episode Airdate:April 8, 2012
Where to watch it now: CBS and Hulu
CSI Miami wasn’t the first CSI show to air, but it was the first spin-off in a series of four. People couldn’t get enough of the show that focused on investigations through forensic evidence. In CSI Miami, Caruso played “H” Caine, who cut his teeth in the bomb disposal unit before joining the Crime Scene Investigation team.
CSI Miami ran for 10 seasons, and shocked viewers when it was announced in 2012 that the show was wrapping. It was an extremely popular show, as Caruso wowed audiences by taking painstaking efforts to protect his team and get the job done. For his efforts, he now collects up to a cool $100,000 per year in residuals.
Ray Romano
TV Show:Everybody Loves Raymond
Seasons:9
Finale Episode Airdate:May 16, 2005
Where to watch it now: Hulu and Fubo
Depending on how you look at it, Ray Romano on the show Everybody Loves Raymond, lived a very stressful existence. On the one hand, he’s surrounded by family, with mother and father across the street and his brother close by. But on the other hand, his parents lived across the street, coming over whenever they want, and his brother wasn’t far either.
For 210 episodes spanning nine years, Romano had us laughing even at the most uncomfortable of times. He sure got plenty of flack for it from wife Debra (played by Patricia Heaton), but Romano doesn’t care too much, as he rakes in an unbelievable $18 million per year in residuals .
Hank Azaria
TV Show:The Simpsons
Seasons:31
Finale Episode Airdate:N/A
Where to watch it now: FOX, Hulu, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Fubo TV and Disney +
Hank Azaria was a veritable nobody prior to becoming one of the original voices in The Simpsons. He hadn’t really acted in anything and had only done one voice over total prior to joining the team. But the voice overs he provided for characters such as Apu and Chief Wigam had us dying of laughter.
Azaria has been hit with controversy lately after criticism arose for his portrayal of Apu, and Indian man. Azaria has said that he will never voice the character again, but that doesn’t really matter, because every time Apu or Wigam appear in a rerun, Azaria collects a check (to the tune of nearly $10 million per year).
Jerry Seinfeld
TV Show:Seinfeld
Seasons:9
Finale Episode Airdate: May 14, 1998
Where to watch it now: Hulu and Fubo
For a show about nothing, it sure generated a quite a following. Seinfeld is probably the most successful sitcom in television history and is the most re-watched show of all time. For nine incredible seasons from 1989-1998, Seinfeld had us laughing at the crazy schemes drawn up by four sociopaths, and we couldn’t get enough!
This all equates to Jerry Seinfeld netting somewhere in the neighborhood of $800 million since the show ended on May 14, 1998. His salary was astronomical, as he is said to have made $60 million. But the near billionaire has much more to gain, as he rakes in over $110 million per year in residuals. In the land of reruns, Seinfeld is king.
Fred Savage
TV Show:The Wonder Years
Seasons:6
Final Episode Airdate:May 12, 1993
Where to watch it now: Hulu
Fred Savage never quite reached the heights he climbed to when he played the main character on The Wonder Years, but that’s okay, because it’s an extremely re-watchable show. Savage played Kevin Arnold, who was a slightly nervous and mischievous boy, for six seasons.
When Arnold wasn’t hanging with his friend Paul, he was trying to win over his on-and-off again girlfriend Winnie. Disagreements among executives and producers saw the shows’ run cut short, and that particularly sucks for Savage, because he has collected a whopping $0 for reruns of the hit series.
Mark Harmon
TV Show: NCIS
Seasons:18
Final Episode Airdate:N/A
Where to watch it now:Hulu, CBS, Netflix, Fubo TV, and YouTube
Unlike all the other shows on this list, NCIS is still making new episodes and going strong. That’s thanks in large part to Mark Harmon, who’s steady acting and steadfast drive toward the truth as Navy investigator Leroy Gibbs has kept audiences captivated for almost two decades.
The show has been so successful that CBS decided to make two spin-off series’: NCIS: Los Angeles, and NCIS: New Orleans. Harmon now makes over $500,000 per episode, but that pails in comparison to the nearly $60 million he’s made off of residuals so far. It certainly helps when you’re the executive producer of your own show.
Ted Danson
TV Show:Cheers
Seasons:11
Finale Episode Airdate:May 20, 1993
Where to watch it now: Netflix, Hulu, and CBS
During the 11 seasons of Cheers that ran from 1982-1993, Ted Danson had us laughing and wishing we were him as former Boston Red Sox relief pitcher turned bar owner, Sam Malone. When he wasn’t trying to date Diane Chambers (played by Shelly Long) or Rebecca Howe (played by Kristie Alley), he went after every beautiful young woman he could find.
“Mayday Malone” was his nickname, and he had us almost feeling sorry for him when he embarrassed himself trying to pick up a woman with any sort of intellect. We certainly don’t feel sorry for him now, as Cheers was and is one of the most successful TV sitcoms ever. This fact certainly contributed to Danson earning $5 million per year for reruns.
David Hasselhoff
TV Show:Baywatch
Seasons:11
Finale Episode Airdate:May 14, 2001
Where to watch it now: Hulu
David Hasselhoff wasn’t the prettiest thing on Baywatch (or was he?), but rubbing shoulders with several of the most beautiful women in Hollywood certainly had its perks. From 1990-2001, during 11 seasons, we remember Hasselhoff’s character, Mitch Buchanon, running on the beach, but not much else.
You would think that 11 years playing alongside bathing suit clad women such as Erika Eleniak, Yasmine Bleeth, Carmen Electra, and Pamela Anderson, would be enough for “the Hoff.” But it isn’t, as not only does he get to smile when looking back on his days at Baywatch, but he also collects $4 million per year for reruns.
Carol Burnett
TV Show: The Carol Burnett Show
Seasons:11
Finale Episode Airdate: March 29, 1978
Where to watch it now: YouTube
Carol Burnett is so funny and accomplished that she has a Golden Globe Award named after her for lifetime achievement. That’ll happen when you create the first ever variety/sketch comedy show to be hosted by a woman, and do it so well that people still watch it over 40-years later.
The Carol Burneet Show had audiences rolling on the floor laughing from 1967-1978, and has been consistently ranked as one of the top TV shows of all time. That hasn’t equated to much money for Burnett, who makes roughly $.01 per DVD sold.
Alan Alda
TV Show:M*A*S*H
Seasons:11
Finale Episode Airdate:Feb. 28, 1983
Where to watch it now: Hulu
You’d never guess that the Korean War was a great place for the setting of a sitcom, but MASH did just that. Then, of all places in the war zone, the producers picked a field hospital. And what did they get? Answer: One of the most successful sitcoms of all time.
One of the main reasons why the show was so successful was the witty, and sometimes sarcastic humor of the shows main character, “Hawkeye,” played by Alan Alda. From 1971-1983 he had us laughing at the Korean War, and for his efforts he now collects a relatively modest $1 million per year in residuals.
The cast of Friends
TV Show:Friends
Seasons: 10
Finale Episode Airdate: May 6, 2004
Where to watch it now: Hulu and Fubo
Toward the end of Friends 10-year run on NBC’s Thursday night “Must See TV,” the actors made it clear that so goes one friend, so goes all of them. Even though each cast member was receiving nearly $1 million per episode in the end, if one of them had left the show would’ve been over.
Instead, the actors that played Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Ross, Joey, and Chandler, stuck it out, and now they really don’t have to work if they don’t want to. Each has gone on to star in movies and various TV shows, but perhaps it’s the nearly $20 million per year they make in reruns that make them hustle a little less these days.
George Clooney
TV Show:ER
Seasons:15
Final Episode Airdate:April 2, 2009
Where to watch it now: Hulu
George Clooney was one of the original cast members of ER, which started all the way back in 1994. He played Dr. Doug Ross, who, no matter how intense and chaotic things got, was always calm under pressure. I’ve been told Clooney is not bad looking too, so that must’ve helped viewers digest the blood soaked medical drama.
Clooney departed the show after the fifth season to become one of the most successful movie actors in the history of Hollywood. But before that he played Dr. Ross, and for his five year effort on the show that ran for 15-years, Clooney rakes in up to $13 million per year in residuals.
Michael J. Fox
TV Show:Family Ties
Seasons:7
Final Episode Airdate:May 14, 1989
Where to watch it now: CBS
Before Michael J. Fox was Marty McFly in Steven Spielberg’s Back to the Future, he was Alex P. Keaton on NBC’s family comedy, Family Ties. The show ran from 1982-1987, and although we fell in love with Fox’s character, he had a terrible time on the set of the show.
Fox claims that producers almost recast his character because they said he wasn’t handsome enough. They also paid him and everyone else very little, as Fox famously claimed he had to hitchhike to work sometimes. Given these facts, it makes sense that Fox makes absolutely nothing from residuals from Family Ties.
Tim Allen
TV Show:Home Improvement
Seasons:8
Finale Episode Airdate: May 25, 1999
Where to watch it now: Philo
Tool Time … er, I mean Home Improvement, featured Tim Allen as Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor as a lovable, klutzy host of a TV show about, well, home improvement. He hosted Tool Time alongside his sarcastic and level headed sidekick Al (played by Richard Carn), who everybody seemed to like more than “The Tool Man.”
From 1991-1999 we watched Allen’s character wreck his home and cars in just about every way possible, while getting sage advice from his neighbor Wilson. Home Improvement has had modest success since it’s final episode, but Allen probably won’t complain about the $18 million he’s made in the last 21-years.
Alex Borstein (Lois)
TV Show:Family Guy
Seasons:18
Finale Episode Airdate: N/A
Where to watch it now: Fox Now, Hulu, Fubo, and YouTube
Alex Borstein maybe killing on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as Susie Myerson presently, but her most famous role has to be her voice over for the character Lois on the show Family Guy. Borstein actually has a history of voice over work, having also lent her vocal talents to movies such as ParaNorman (2012) and The Angry Birds Movie (2016).
Family Guy has followed in the footsteps of The Simpsons and South Park, as the adult themed cartoon has longevity beyond normal TV shows. For 20 seasons Family Guy has made us laugh (and let’s face it: scratch our heads from time to time), and now Borstein collects up to $10 million per year for reruns.
Bob Saget
TV Show:Full House
Seasons:8
Finale Episode Airdate:May 23, 1995
Where to watch it now: Hulu
Bob Saget was America’s dad when he played Danny Tanner on the ABC hit Full House. We found out later that the TGIF star was more of an adult humor comedian, but from 1988-1995 he taught us lessons with patience, and compassion (and made us laugh a little too).
Danny and daughters (and friends) had a great run, and the show even featured a spin-off series in Fuller House, which ran for five seasons. While Saget remains friends with fellow co-stars such as John Stamos, he may not look back at Full House so fondly, as he only nets less than $2,000 per year for reruns.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
TV Show:Seinfeld
Seasons:9
Final Episode Airdate:May 14, 1998
Where to watch it now: Hulu and Fubo
Jerry Seinfeld maybe the richest comedian in history, thanks to playing the title character in a show that he was the executive producer of, but he didn’t take all the spoils for himself. Julia Louis-Dreyfus dazzled us on Seinfeld and made us laugh as the beautiful, and slightly shade character Elaine.
Dreyfus has experienced an extremely accomplished career with a starring role on HBO’s original series Veep. She seems to never age, and while she doesn’t change, her pocket certainly swells from Seinfeld residuals, as she has raked in an astounding $400 million since the show ended.
Patrick Stewart
TV Show:Star Trek: The Next Generation
Seasons:7
Finale Episode Airdate:May 23, 1994
Where to watch it now:Netflix, Hulu, CBS, Amazon Prime, and YouTube
Attention on deck, Captain Picard has the con! Patrick Stewart played the smart and level-headed Captain Jean Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise-D for seven seasons on CBS’s Star Trek: The Next Generation. A spinoff of the original Star Trek, Swewart had some big shoes to fill after Captain Kirk (played by William Shatner) played the original role.
Stewart has played Captain Picard for over 30 years now, and had a movie released in early 2020 titled Star Trek: Picard. Stewart is making bank off of his movies, but even with all the public appearances, all the reruns, and all the comic cons, he hasn’t seen one penny of residuals.
Edie Falco
TV Show:The Sopranos
Seasons:6
Final Episode Airdate:June 10, 2007
Where to watch it now: Hulu, Amazon Prime, and HBO
The Sopranos was especially kind to Edie Falco, who played the tolerant, yet feisty wife of gangster Tony Soprano (played by James Gandolfini). Falco played Carmela Soprano, and was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress six times in six seasons, winning three of the awards outright.
We lost Gandolfini in 2013 to a sudden heart attack, but Falco has been going strong with roles such as the title character in Showtime’s Nurse Jackie. Not like she needs the money however, as Falco has raked in at least $26 million from The Sopranos residuals.
David Hyde Pierce
TV Show:Frasier
Seasons:11
Final Episode Airdate:May 13, 2004
Where to watch it now: Hulu, Amazon Prime, CBS
You’d never guess that a smart and sophisticated comedy about a psychologist set in Seattle would be a funny show, but viewers got just that with the NBC hit, Frasier. A spin-off of the hit show Cheers, Frasier followed the title character, played by Kelsey Grammer, to the West Coast.
He certainly was funny, but the show wouldn’t have been nearly as successful if it weren’t for David Hyde Pierce, who won Four Emmy’s for his portrayal of Frasier’s wimpy younger brother, Niles Crane. Because of his performance, and the shows continued popularity, Hyde-Pierce has raked in nearly $40 million since the show ended in 2004.
Marg Helgenberger
TV Show: CSI
Seasons:15
Finale Episode Airdate:Feb. 15, 2018
Where to watch it now: Hulu, CBS, Fubo TV, and YouTube
We got to enjoy Marg Helgenbeger as the hot, red headed cougar in CSI from 2003-2018 (her character was a stripper before she was a cop). But it’s important to see how a tertiary character can still rake in the dough (or not) over the years. Helgenberger played Catherine Willows, who was part of the original cast of the original CSI show.
Helgenberger had the instincts to be a great detective, and CSI made us think twice about committing any crimes (or perhaps, how to get away with it). She’s still acting and despite all the reruns she receives about $10,000 per year in residuals.
Sam Waterston
TV Show:Law & Order
Seasons: 20
Finale Episode Airdate:May 24, 2010
Where to watch it now: Fubo and YouTube
Sam Waterston was already a well established actor before he took on the role of Jack McCoy on NBC’s Law and Order, as he was nominated for an Academy Award in 1984 (The Killing Fields). Just like in The Killing Fields, in Law and Order, Waterston played the role of a tireless servant of good, who was uncompromising in his view of the truth.
Waterston played the role of McCoy for 20 seasons on Law and Order, which spanned from 1990-2010. There are so many episodes (456), it feels like the show is still on. It’s also played a lot in reruns, but that’s not huge for Waterston, who only pulls in about $5,000 per year in residuals.
Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, and Kaley Cuoco
TV Show:The Big Bang Theory
Seasons:12
Finale Episode Airdate:May 16, 2019
Where to watch it now: Hulu and Fubo
The Big Bang Theory maybe over, but the “bang for their buck” continues to payoff for the main cast members of the successful sitcom. From 2007-2019 main cast members and lovable nerds Jim Parson and Johnny Galecki (and Penny, who wasn’t a nerd, played by Katie Cuoco) had us cracking up as characters Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter, respectively.
Much was reported about the actors salary toward the end of their run, as by the 12th and final season the main actors were raking in nearly $1 million an episode. Their streak of good fortune continues as the show maintains a popular following, netting each of these actors nearly $10 million a year for reruns.
