Profit From Reruns: $100,000 So Far
Superheroes have made big leaps in the last decade with DC and Marvel movies, as well as television shows based on the comic book entities. Stephen Amell plays Arrow, the first of the DC Comics origin story shows. It shares the “Arrowverse” with “The Flash” and “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow”.
The show is still running, and even now Stephen Amell earns thousands from reruns, as well as being paid for every episode he films. Right now totals are hard to find, but it looks like at least a hundred thousand, and that’s before the show is even done!
Jerry Orbach: Law & Order
Profit From Reruns: Unknown
Spinoffs of the "Law & Order" series continue to grace our screens to this day, but the original show ended more than a decade ago. Jerry Orbach took an interesting negotiating tactic when it came to residual payments: six percent of his original salary for the episode, every time the episode aired.
With twenty seasons of episodes to call upon, it might not seem like a lot. Also, apparently, it takes checks between nine and eighteen months to reach him after an episode airs. Still, he's going to have a steady cash flow until even the reruns are off the air – probably long in the future.
Maureen McCormick: The Brady Bunch
Profit From Reruns: Nothing
Who doesn't know and love "The Brady Bunch"? Even if it was off the air decades before you came into the world, you probably know this classic sitcom as the show that broke the mold and provided tons of fun. It turned pretty much every actor or actress into a star...yet as Maureen McCormick tells us, the cast doesn't get a single penny from residuals.
The clauses that deny them are airtight, and they haven't been able to renegotiate. Other than small fees if clips from the movies are used, the cast isn't entitled to anything. Make sure you read your contracts, folks.
Bob Denver: Gilligan's Island
Profit From Reruns: $100 Million in Total
When a three-hour tour turns into three years on a deserted island, audiences tuned in for every new episode, loving every minute. With surprisingly clean humor and hilarious antics, Bob Denver shined as the title character on the show, and "Gilligan's Island" is still appearing on televisions despite the run ending in the late sixties.
Thanks to these reruns, the show has earned almost a hundred million dollars in residuals. It kept all of the actors, including Bob Denver, sitting pretty for decades. Denver sadly passed away in 2005 from complications following throat cancer surgery, but until then he enjoyed his status as a high-earner.
Kristen Bell: The Good Place
Profit From Reruns: $125,000 Per Episode
"The Good Place" begins with a bad person getting into “The Good Place” after her death. The show has philosophical discussions, jokes about bureaucracy, and some strange theology theories. Alongside Ted Danson, Kristen Bell shines as the bad-girl who wants to earn her spot in "The Good Place".
With forty-three episodes in total, and all of them smart and unexpectedly funny, this show has been a hit. Due to the low episode count, the paychecks might be a bit smaller than others – but rewatching is sure to occur. Good news for Bell and the rest of the cast.