Chris Pratt has topped Variety’s list of highest-paid TV stars with a staggering $1.4million per episode for the Amazon Prime thriller The Terminal List.
The boom in salaries has been put down to the aggressive streaming wars between the likes of Netflix, Apple TV+, Hulu, and HBO Max, who are willing to shell out big paydays for A-List stars.
The full list, published Tuesday, features 28 actors including Ted Lasso’s Jason Sudeikis, Mare of Easttown’s Kate Winslet, and Gillian Anderson for the upcoming series The First Lady.
Jeff Bridges came in second on the list with $1M per episode for The Old Man, which is set to premiere on FX on Hulu in 2022.
Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston was third in the list with $750,000 per episode for Your Honor, for the channel SHOWTIME that premiered last December.
However, the report notes that while Pratt, 42, is top of the list, there are rumors that Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. is earning over $2million for Vietnam War thriller The Sympathizer for HBO Max.
Though it is unclear as yet exactly how much Downey Jr., 56, is getting paid or what type of deal the movie star has secured.
Close behind are Sex and the City stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis – who are all said to be earning around $650K-$750K per episode for the reboot And Just Like That… on HBO Max.
Although, Parker, 56, is thought to be earning more than her co-stars as she is also an executive producer.
Oscar-winner Winslet, 45, is said to have received around $650,000 per episode for her hit crime drama Mare of Easttown, while Sudeikis, 45, received a $400,000 per episode check for season one of Ted Lasso.
HBO also stumped up the cash for their prestige drama Succession, which reportedly sees lead star Brian Cox take home between $400K-$500K per episode as ailing mogul Logan Roy.
NBC is reportedly splashing out $400,000 per episode to Ted Danson for his role in Mr. Mayor, coming hot off the heels of The Good Place.
The report highlights how the streaming giants have changed the TV landscape and the way in which stars get paid.
It used to be the case that actors would earn a fortune in back-end deals and syndication rights, like the cast of Friends who broke records when they scored a $1M per episode deal back in 2002.
Now it seems that stars are looking to get all their cash upfront, as the streaming companies will own the TV shows, and do not offer royalties like normal TV networks.
‘Back end doesn’t mean anything anymore in television, unless you’re Dick Wolf or some mega-producer who is doing network procedurals,’ an anonymous talent agent told the outlet.
Adding: ‘Anything you get in terms of back-end compensation at this point is just gravy.’
Other TV insiders reveal that the streaming giants are under more pressure than ever to create big hits with A-List talent at the helm, and are willing ‘to spend a ton of money.’
Hence why Hollywood stars including Michelle Pfeiffer, Steve Martin and Winona Ryder have been tempted by streaming shows.
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
