Whatever happened to the $1 million-per-episode salary?
According to a new “Who Earns What” list from TV Guide, the days of the sitcom star pulling down a seven-figure salary each week are gone — at least for now.
The list breaks out the top earners in several different TV genres — sitcoms, dramas, late night, daytime/syndication, reality and news.
And there are some surprises.
For instance, “NCIS” star Mark Harmon, who headlines TV’s top-rated drama, is earning only $500,000 per episode, according to TV Guide, while Ashton Kutcher on “Two and a Half Men” rakes in $700,000 each week, a far cry from his predecessor, Charlie Sheen — who pulled in well over $1 million per episode while headlining TV’s top-rated sitcom.
And if it looks like “Men” network CBS is saving some dough in these tough economic times, keep in mind that Kutcher will earn $15.4 million for a standard 22-episode season.
While it’s no surprise that “Judge Judy” Sheindlin earns a whopping $45 million each year for her top-rated court show, but who knew that Judge Joe Brown pulls in $20 million?
And you know it’s a weird TV world when “Jersey Shore” star Pauly “Pauly D” DelVecchio rakes in $175,000-per-episode for the MTV series — the same scratch that Kevin Bacon will earn each week for his new series, “The Following.”