Who Is Currently the Highest Paid Actor in the Streaming TV Era?

By Dustin Rowles | TV | February 28, 2023 |

By Dustin Rowles | TV | February 28, 2023 |

Back in 2004, on the 10th and final season of Friends, all six cast members earned $1 million an episode for 22 episodes. That was nearly 20 years ago, and now? There are not many more than six people in all of television who earn $1 million an episode, at least according to a report from Puck News, which reveals that, though he earns $1.2 million per Yellowstonee episode, Kevin Costner is not the highest paid actor on television.

That title, according to Puck, belongs to John Krasinski, who earns $2 million an episode for his work on Jack Ryan. There are only 8 episodes a season, so technically, both Ellen Pompeo (Grey’s Anatomy) and Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order) — who make less per episode but appear in more episodes — earn more than both Krasinki and Costner for their television work on an annual basis.

There are a few others who are in that exclusive $1 million per episode club, including Michael Keaton for Hulu’s Dopesick, Elisabeth Moss for Apple’s Shining Girls, Jason Sudeikis for Ted Lasso, Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren for 1923, and Chris Pratt for Terminal List.

The latest to join the list is Zendaya, who negotiated around $1 million per episode to continue her work on HBO’s Euphoria.

Source: Puck