Profit From Reruns: $4 Million a Year
With eleven seasons of slow-motion beach running to play and plenty of tanned bodies to show, “Baywatch” got plenty of eyes on it. “Baywatch” got Pamela Anderson into the public consciousness – and she still hasn’t left, somehow – but Hasselhoff earned the most.
Thanks to syndication, David’s shirtless physique, and the kind of episodes that anybody can watch without worrying about continuity or plot, Hasselhoff brought in four million dollars a month while the show was still playing, despite relatively low demand for reruns. It became the kind of show that was playing somewhere – you just had to find it.
Edie Falco: The Sopranos
Profit From Reruns: $26 Million So Far
Edie Falco played Tony Soprano's wife in "The Sopranos", alongside the late James Gandolfini as Tony. It was one of the greatest crime dramas in television history. The dramatic storyline ran six seasons, and over that period Falco earned six Emmy nominations (and won three) as her role of Carmela.
Falco has also appeared in "Oz" and "Nurse Jackie". Even after the last episode of "The Sopranos" aired in 2007, Falco has earned something like twenty-six million dollars thanks to people coming back to watch this legendary show over and over again.
Betty White: The Golden Girls
Profit From Reruns: $3 Million a Year
During the nineties, The late Betty White, along with Beatrice Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty, shined as gals in their golden years. They discussed everything, from singleness and dating to marriage, motherhood, and more.
The show ended in 1992 after seven seasons, but the witty writing has kept it on television even decades after it ended. Betty White's presence was definitely one of the biggest draws to the show.
Matt Stone: South Park
Profit From Reruns: $25-30 Million a Year
Matt Stone and Trey Parker have brought in half a billion dollars each since 1997 thanks to "South Park".
"South Park" is still going strong on Comedy Central. While the show isn't what you would call kid-friendly, it attracts plenty of teenage viewers, as well as those in their twenties and thirties. Stone and Parker are certainly doing something right if their revenue has anything to say about their success.
Jackie Gleason: "The Honeymooners"
Profit From Reruns: Nothing
One season. That's how long "The Honeymooners" ran. It totaled in thirty-nine episodes but it people these days still remember it, even if it's because of the "Back to the Future" reference.
While Jackie Gleason was the lead character, he didn't get any residuals – in fact, only Audrey Meadows got money once the show ended. Reruns weren't big yet, and though Gleason earned seventy thousand dollars per aired episode, there were no details in his contract about residuals. Meadows, on the other hand, might have been a fortune teller.