2 million dollars per episode: the XXL salaries of series stars on the platforms

Television continues to pay its headliners very dearly. Sylvester Stallone, Chris Pratt or Reese Witherspoon can earn up to $2 million per episode…

Television remains a very lucrative business for Hollywood stars.

In a survey published by Variety, journalists Michael Schneider and Joe Otterson compiled the estimated remuneration of the highest paid actors in the series. And the platforms continue to pull out the checkbook to attract the big names in Hollywood.

The very exclusive club of 2 million

At the top of this ranking, we find Sylvester Stallone, who reportedly earns around $2 million per episode of Tulsa King, the Paramount+ series produced by Taylor Sheridan. Same price for Chris Pratt, star of The Terminal List on Prime Video. On the Apple TV side, Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon also reportedly negotiated $2 million per episode for The Morning Show.

Amounts that would have seemed unthinkable just a few years ago: “The need for stars capable of carrying these series is more important than ever. In the past, it was unthinkable that someone would receive 2 million dollars per episode…”, explains a talent agent quoted by Variety.

The millionaires

Just behind this leading quartet, the numbers remain dizzying.

Selena Gomez, Steve Martin and Martin Short would each exceed a million dollars per episode for Only Murders in the Building, on Disney +. Nicolas Cage would have received more than a million to play Spider-Noir for Prime Video, just like Zendaya for Euphoria and HBO, as well as Jake Gyllenhaal for Presumed Innocent, on Apple TV. The cast of Wild Things, the future Apple TV series dedicated to Las Vegas magicians Siegfried and Roy, will not be left out: Andrew Garfield and Jude Law have each negotiated a seven-figure fee with Apple. Riding on the success of Reacher, on Prime Video, Alan Ritchson would also have obtained similar remuneration. Finally, Harrison Ford and Jason Segel would receive around $1.3 million per episode for Shrinking, on Apple TV.

Jackpots that explain themselves

How to explain such amounts? Platforms always need big names to attract subscribers and give visibility to their productions. The stars also benefit from it: seasons of 6, 8 or 10 episodes represent a much lighter commitment than the old series from traditional channels, which could have up to 22 episodes per season.

“Each star is now looking to carry their own series. If you are number 1 or number 2 in the credits, the financial situation has never been so good,” summarizes a professional in the sector.

The market nevertheless remains less unbridled than at its peak, between 2016 and 2019, when platforms spent lavishly to supply their catalogs. “The market for television actors’ remuneration remains very lucrative. There is still a lot of money to be made, especially for the most prestigious names, who continue to receive sums close to historic records,” said an agent cited by Variety. Another tempers: “The opportunities are there, but we are no longer in 2016-2019, when everyone poured torrents of money into the sector. It was untenable in the long term.”