17 TV stars who have made salaries of $1 million or more per episode

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17 TV stars who have made salaries of $1 million or more per episode
  • Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis are expected to earn $1 million per episode for HBO Max's upcoming "Sex and the City" revival, "And Just Like That...," according to Variety.
  • They aren't the first TV actors to join the $1 million club.
  • As big-name Hollywood talent has increasingly made the jump from movies to TV, salaries have ballooned.
  • That will likely continue as more media companies try to compete in the streaming space.

HBO Max announced on Sunday a "Sex and the City" revival called "And Just Like That..."

Three of the original stars - Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis - are returning for the series and are expected to have massive pay days. The three actresses will each make more than $1 million per episode for the 10-episode series, Variety reported on Monday.

They aren't the first to join the $1 million TV club.

As more and more big-name movie actors have recently made the jump to TV, from Nicole Kidman to Reese Witherspoon, salaries have ballooned. That will likely continue as media companies focus on their streaming businesses and look to attract A-list talent for their content.

The "Friends" cast members were even set to make "at least 2.5 million" for the HBO Max reunion special, Variety reported last year (it was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic).

Insider rounded up other actors who have scored $1 million or more per episode for recent TV projects. They range from Norman Reedus, who leads the long-running popular show "The Walking Dead," to Kerry Washington, who landed a big pay day for Hulu's "Little Fires Everywhere."

The five main cast members of "The Big Bang Theory" were all making $1 million an episode before agreeing to take $100,000 pay cuts in 2017 to help costars Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik earn more, Variety reported at the time. We've included the five actors in this list since they were at one point making $1 million.

And it doesn't stop there.

Actors like Harrison Ford and Jeff Bridges have struck big deals for upcoming TV shows. Ford is nabbing more than $1 million an episode for the true-crime adaptation, "The Staircase," and Bridges for the upcoming FX on Hulu series, "The Old Man," according to Variety.

Below are 17 TV stars who have made $1 million or more an episode:

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Reese Witherspoon, "The Morning Show" (Apple TV Plus) - $1.25 million

Reese Witherspoon, "The Morning Show" (Apple TV Plus) - $1.25 million
Reese Witherspoon in "The Morning Show." Apple TV Plus

Source: The Hollywood Reporter (2019)

Witherspoon also made $1.1 million an episode for Hulu's "Little Fires Everywhere," according to Variety, and $1 million an episode for season two of HBO's "Big Little Lies," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Jennifer Aniston, "The Morning Show" (Apple TV Plus) - $1.25 million

Jennifer Aniston, "The Morning Show" (Apple TV Plus) - $1.25 million
Jennifer Aniston on "The Morning Show." Apple TV Plus
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Kerry Washington, "Little Fires Everywhere" (Hulu) - $1.1 million

Kerry Washington, "Little Fires Everywhere" (Hulu) - $1.1 million
Hulu

Source: Variety (2019)

Steve Carell, "Space Force" (Netflix) - $1 million

Steve Carell, "Space Force" (Netflix) - $1 million
Netflix

Source: Variety (2019)

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Norman Reedus, "The Walking Dead" (AMC) - $1 million

Norman Reedus, "The Walking Dead" (AMC) - $1 million
Jace Downs/AMC

Source: Variety (2018)

Elisabeth Moss, "The Handmaid's Tale" (Hulu) - $1 million

Elisabeth Moss, "The Handmaid's Tale" (Hulu) - $1 million
"The Handmaid's Tale" Season 3 Hulu

Source: Variety (2018)

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Nicole Kidman, "Big Little Lies" (HBO) - $1 million

Nicole Kidman, "Big Little Lies" (HBO) - $1 million
HBO's "Big Little Lies." HBO

Source: The Hollywood Reporter (2018)

According to Variety, Kidman is also making $1 million an episode for Hulu's "Nine Perfect Strangers," which has not been released yet.

Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory" (CBS) - $1 million*

Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory" (CBS) - $1 million*
CBS

Source: Variety (2017)

*He had taken a $100,000 pay cut by end of the series to help costars Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik earn more, according to Variety.

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Kaley Cuoco, "The Big Bang Theory" (CBS) - $1 million*

Kaley Cuoco, "The Big Bang Theory" (CBS) - $1 million*
Michael Yarish/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Source: Variety (2017)

*She had taken a $100,000 pay cut by end of the series to help costars Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik earn more, according to Variety.

Johnny Galecki, "The Big Bang Theory" (CBS) - $1 million*

Johnny Galecki, "The Big Bang Theory" (CBS) - $1 million*
CBS

Source: Variety (2017)

*He had taken a $100,000 pay cut by end of the series to help costars Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik earn more, according to Variety.

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Kunal Nayyar, "The Big Bang Theory" (CBS) - $1 million*

Kunal Nayyar, "The Big Bang Theory" (CBS) - $1 million*
CBS

Source: Variety (2017)

*He had taken a $100,000 pay cut by end of the series to help costars Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik earn more, according to Variety.

Simon Helberg, "The Big Bang Theory" (CBS) - $1 million*

Simon Helberg, "The Big Bang Theory" (CBS) - $1 million*
CBS

Source: Variety (2017)

*He had taken a $100,000 pay cut by end of the series to help costars Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik earn more, according to Variety.

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These stars struck big pay days for upcoming shows that haven't been released yet, from Harrison Ford to Jeff Bridges.

These stars struck big pay days for upcoming shows that haven't been released yet, from Harrison Ford to Jeff Bridges.
Jeff Bridges at the film's premiere Eric Thayer/Reuters

Jeff Bridges, "The Old Man" (FX on Hulu) — $1 million

Nicole Kidman, "Nine Perfect Strangers" (Hulu) — $1 million

Harrison Ford, "The Staircase" (HBO Max) — $1.2 million

Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis; "And Just Like That..." (HBO Max) — over $1 million