Profit From Reruns: Nothing
When Ryan Murphy began writing “Glee”, he wrote the role of Rachel with Lea Michele in mind, and she was just as interested. The show about a high-school glee club ran for six seasons, and Michele and her singing, dancing, dramatic co-stars were earning a million dollars per episode.
And it’s a good thing they earned that much while the show was on the air because none of them are getting residuals – the rights are owned entirely by Fox, and Michele and the rest of the actors failed to ask for residuals in their contracts. Bad move, Lea.
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.
Daniel J. Travanti: Hill Street Blues
Profit From Reruns: $10,000 a Year
Thanks to his role as Captain Furillo in the police drama "Hill Street Blues", Daniel J. Travanti earned plenty of nominations, including a Golden Globe and two Emmy awards.
Thanks to seven seasons and a total of 146 episodes, "Hill Street Blues" has plenty of powerful competition from shows such as "Criminal Minds" and "Blue Bloods" as well as similar cop dramas. But Travanti still brings in a cool ten grand a year thanks to reruns and residuals. It's nothing like the millions seen on this list, but it's still a good bit of scratch.
Henry Winkler: Happy Days
Profit From Reruns: $65,000 in Total
There's nothing as cool as the Fonz. For eleven seasons, viewers tuned in to watch this show during the seventies and eighties, starring Henry Winkler and Ron Howard, who would both go on to appear as part of the show "Arrested Development".
ABC owns the reruns, but both of these stars would go on to sue ABC for the residuals, and a settlement was reached years after the show ended. Both stars earned $65,000 in total, on top of payments from DVD sales. Sixty-five grand is nothing to sneeze at, but it's very likely the actors could have earned much more.
Sam Waterson: Law & Order
Profit From Reruns: $5,000 a Year
Sam Waterson from the "Law & Order" series has a contract that stipulates up to a mere five thousand dollars a year from the residuals. But don't feel bad for Waterson.
He has several revenue streams still funneling, including his movie career, which includes an Oscar-winning performance in The Killing Fields. He's also made his mark on the sitcom world with the Netflix show Grace & Frankie. Plus, he has a role in the Law & Order spinoff Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, which brings in plenty more for him.