There was a lot of hoopla over “Friends” back in the day when it was revealed that all six stars of the popular NBC sitcom were receiving a staggering $1 million per episode. While inflation has skyrocketed since then, $1 million is still the magic number when it comes to the biggest names on TV, if Variety’s report on top television salaries is to be believed.
Kevin Costner has been the main attraction of Taylor Sheridan’s neo-western “Yellowstone” since its first season. Though it looks like the star will likely be making his exit from the hit series when it returns for Part 2 of Season 5, that won’t stop the “Dances with Wolves” star from pulling in big bank for however many episodes he has left on the Paramount Network show.
This is because Costner is said to be in this exclusive club, according to some of Hollywood’s top talent agencies. Though the economy remains a point of concern, and some fear that we could even be on the edge of a recession, streamers are continuing to pay out these kinds of numbers for a marquee star that will help to make their show a massive hit.
Other Taylor Sheridan projects are also paying big bucks
When it comes to other stars who are said to be raking in big money from television shows, Taylor Sheridan seems to have the market cornered to some degree. Sylvester Stallone of “Tulsa King” and “1923” stars Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren are also said to be on this exclusive list, according to Variety’s report, though there’s no word if Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldana from Sheridan’s latest series, “Special Ops: Lioness,” are in the club.
Elsewhere in TV land, Mahershala Ali is said to be in the same neck of the woods as the other stars mentioned thus far. Though no series is mentioned in his case, this is likely with regard to the 3rd season of HBO’s neo-noir crime series, “True Detective.” Others who were noted include Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell for “The Shrink Next Door” and Michael Keaton for “Dopesick.”
While many of Hollywood’s heaviest hitters, like Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio, have yet to throw their hats back into the ring as far as television goes, it’s likely that only that kind of star power would be the thing that could push streamers and networks to offer more than the $1 million mark in today’s unstable economy, especially as massive streamers continue to gut content to save a buck.