Profit From Reruns: $13 Million a Year
This famous medical drama was created by Michael Crichton, the author of “Jurassic Park”. Everyone’s favorite smoldering lead actor starred a the main character for five seasons. The reruns make Clooney up to $13 million a year!
He loved his role as Dr. Doug Ross, the most handsome doctor on television since 1994. Clooney has, of course, gone on to make it big in Hollywood in dozens of movies, big and small, but as far as his finances go, he’s really just doing it for fun.
Jim Parsons: The Big Bang Theory
Profit From Reruns: $10 Million a Year
While Kaley Cuoco was already a star, this brainy sitcom catapulted Jim Parsons and his other co-star Johnny Galecki to stardom. Parson's character, Sheldon Cooper, despite being an eccentric and strange man-child, loves to drop zingers and smart jokes.
When the show finally ended after twelve seasons, he was making almost a million dollars per episode. With DVD sales and syndication, he can look forward to something like ten million dollars a year. While the show does get hated on in some circles, it still proved popular enough to nerds and non-nerds alike to take it to the top of the charts.
Patrick Stewart: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Profit From Reruns: Nothing
As the captain of the Enterprise, Jean-Luc Picard exudes charm, stature, and wit. After the first season, anyway. The cast put a ton of work into the show and still appears on the convention circuit. However, Patrick Stewart has said that he never received any residual payments from the show.
It was one of the shows that made science-fiction big again, and the whole series is still going strong. Well, going. Jean-Luc himself is the title character of "Star Trek: Picard". Stewart did make plenty from his time on the show and a few more millions from the "Star Trek" movies.
Michael J. Fox: Family Ties
Profit From Reruns: Nothing
It was the show that made Michael J. Fox famous, and a high-earner for NBC, but it didn't make him much money. The cast got a total of zero dollars from residuals – when was the last time you saw this show as a rerun? – and Michael J. Fox had to hitchhike to work near the end of the show because it paid so badly.
Interesting fact: Fox was almost fired from the show because they didn't think he was handsome enough to sell merchandise. His time on the "Back to the Future" series would prove them quite wrong.
Morena Baccarin: Gotham
Profit From Reruns: $10,000 a Year
Morena Baccarin plays Doctor Leslie Thompkins on "Gotham", who ends up married to Jim Gordon. The chemistry didn't stop there – Baccarin and Ben McKenzie (Gordon's actor) got married in 2017.
"Gotham" proved popular with Batman and superhero fans. Baccarin is a certified geek icon, having played Inara on "Firefly", Vanessa in "Deadpool", and she's also appeared in the shows "The Mentalist" and "Homeland". From reruns of "Gotham", she earns up to ten thousand dollars a year. The show just ended, and reruns are still going strong on top of being a Netflix favorite.