# Actors rolling in residuals bucks from long-running roles on TV **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [September 23, 2021, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-rolling-in-residuals-bucks-from-long-running-roles-on-tv/951192 "2021-09-23T13:50:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-rolling-in-residuals-bucks-from-long-running-roles-on-tv/951192/1 "2021-09-23T13:50:42Z")
In the afternoon here, I’ve been watching _early_ Law & Order episodes. So early that Lenny Briscoe had to run to a pay phone to call in. At one point, Lenny’s partner was Chris Noth as Mike Logan. I got to thinking-- L&O, Sex and the City, The Good Wife. The checks just keep on coming. Another one is Ted Danson. Cheers, Becker, CSI, The Good Place. Who are some other residuals kings? Any queens? (I couldn’t think of any.) ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-rolling-in-residuals-bucks-from-long-running-roles-on-tv/951192/2 "2021-09-23T13:57:06Z")
I’m sure Seinfeld et al are doing just fine. Also the Friends cast. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-rolling-in-residuals-bucks-from-long-running-roles-on-tv/951192/3 "2021-09-23T14:05:10Z")
Oops. After you write the OP, **THEN** you realize what you should have clarified. 🤦‍♀️ I meant from **multiple roles in different series**. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-rolling-in-residuals-bucks-from-long-running-roles-on-tv/951192/4 "2021-09-23T14:22:59Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > In the afternoon here, I’ve been watching _early_ Law & Order episodes. So early that Lenny Briscoe had to run to a pay phone to call in. Briscoe wasn’t even in the first couple seasons of _L&O_. Jerry Orbach played a lawyer in one episode before he was Lenny. Ed O’Neill is probably doing pretty well on residuals. Ten years on _Married… with Children_ and about the same on _Modern Family_. IMDb shows a couple other series for him that didn’t catch on; I remember a _Dragnet_ reboot he starred in. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-rolling-in-residuals-bucks-from-long-running-roles-on-tv/951192/5 "2021-09-23T14:26:50Z")
Betty White may get money from both the Mary Tyler Moore show and Golden Girls. That’s probably a bit of cash. Katey Sagal from Married with Children, Futurama and Sons of Anarchy gets multiple residual checks, too. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-rolling-in-residuals-bucks-from-long-running-roles-on-tv/951192/6 "2021-09-23T14:30:24Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Briscoe wasn’t even in the first couple seasons of _L&O_ . Oh yeah, I watched those, too. Pre-Jack McCoy. S. Epatha Merkeson (Lieu Anita) played the mom of a murdered kid in one episode. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-rolling-in-residuals-bucks-from-long-running-roles-on-tv/951192/7 "2021-09-23T14:33:40Z")
Kelsey Grammer’s gotta be doing OK financially, despite what I think were some big payouts to an ex-wife or two. ---
**Author:** ![2\_More\_Bits](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2_more_bits/32/4148_2.png) [@2\_More\_Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2_More_Bits)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-rolling-in-residuals-bucks-from-long-running-roles-on-tv/951192/8 "2021-09-23T15:03:03Z")
Is it a given that every actor in every TV show receives residuals when it is aired? Indefinitely? ---
**Author:** ![Ziberian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/919ad9/32.png) [@Ziberian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ziberian)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-rolling-in-residuals-bucks-from-long-running-roles-on-tv/951192/9 "2021-09-23T15:10:38Z")
Julianna Margulies – ER & The Good Wife Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Seinfeld, SNL, Veep, New Adventures of Old Christine Christine Baranski – mostly supporting roles rather than the star, but she’s been in everything from Cybill to The Good Wife to Big Bang Theory, and a _lot_ of movies. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-rolling-in-residuals-bucks-from-long-running-roles-on-tv/951192/10 "2021-09-23T15:14:33Z")
> [@2\_More\_Bits](#): > > Is it a given that every actor in every TV show receives residuals when it is aired? > > Indefinitely? It is not. Not all jobs involve residuals; that’s a negotiated thing, and an actor might prefer to get more dough up front. At the lowest level, a new or little known actor will just get scale or a bit more and will never get residuals. Well known actors probably will, but not necessarily. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-rolling-in-residuals-bucks-from-long-running-roles-on-tv/951192/11 "2021-09-23T15:16:22Z")
They must be rolling in for William Shatner. Star Trek, T. J. Hooker, Rescue 911, Boston Legal, a few reality series on the History Channel. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-rolling-in-residuals-bucks-from-long-running-roles-on-tv/951192/12 "2021-09-23T15:19:04Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > Katey Sagal from Married with Children, Futurama and Sons of Anarchy gets multiple checks, too. Don’t forget _8 Simple Rules_. She basically carried the series after John Ritter died. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-rolling-in-residuals-bucks-from-long-running-roles-on-tv/951192/13 "2021-09-23T15:24:13Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > Betty White may get money from both the Mary Tyler Moore show and Golden Girls. That’s probably a bit of cash. And, likely, _Hot in Cleveland_, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-rolling-in-residuals-bucks-from-long-running-roles-on-tv/951192/14 "2021-09-23T15:39:51Z")
> [@2\_More\_Bits](#): > > Is it a given that every actor in every TV show receives residuals when it is aired? > > Indefinitely? No, it’s negotiated. Also, if an actor has already had a hit, they can frequently get a better deal and make more money on a second successful show, even if that show isn’t as big a hit or as popular. For example, Don Adams had a crappy Canadian sitcom for three years in the 1980s called Check It Out. He made more money on that show than he did on Get Smart, because he could demand a bigger piece of it. ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-rolling-in-residuals-bucks-from-long-running-roles-on-tv/951192/15 "2021-09-23T17:26:42Z")
> [@2\_More\_Bits](#): > > Indefinitely? Definitely not indefinitely. But, almost all union contracts these days (from the 90’s on) on have minimum residuals automatically built-in. Usually, these include any reruns on the original network, and the first round of syndication. The performers with more clout can negotiate bigger cuts. It’s not just actors, either! There are many contracts that require paying residuals. This blog goes over some of the rules around residual pay. > **[Producer's Guide: SAG-AFTRA Residual Pay | Wrapbook](https://www.wrapbook.com/blog/sag-aftra-residual-pay)** > > One of the perks of being a SAG actor is getting residual checks long after you've worked on a project. In this post, we outline what producers should expect with SAG-AFTRA residual pay. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-rolling-in-residuals-bucks-from-long-running-roles-on-tv/951192/16 "2021-09-23T18:17:19Z")
Judd Hirsch has Taxi (5 seasons), Dear John (4 seasons) and Numb3rs (6 seasons) plus a few other shows that probably never made it to syndication. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-rolling-in-residuals-bucks-from-long-running-roles-on-tv/951192/17 "2021-09-23T18:28:28Z")
> [@2\_More\_Bits](#): > > Is it a given that every actor in every TV show receives residuals when it is aired? > > Indefinitely? It depends on the individual contract. Back in the day when it was generally assumed that an episode would be shown once, or at most appear in occasional reruns, actors and agents didn’t worry much about the issue or traded residuals away as a bargaining chip for something that seemed more valuable. In the age of home video and streaming, obviously, they pay more attention to the issue. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-rolling-in-residuals-bucks-from-long-running-roles-on-tv/951192/18 "2021-09-23T18:30:10Z")
I can’t help but think of that _Seinfeld_ episode where Jerry was getting multiple residule checks for tiny amounts of money because some short clip of him got used in the credits of some Japanese TV show. Surely that isn’t how it actually works in real life. I would assume in reality they would get something like a monthly check (or more likely direct deposit nowadays) that covers all their residuals for that month. Surely each airing doesn’t literally generate an individual check. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-rolling-in-residuals-bucks-from-long-running-roles-on-tv/951192/19 "2021-09-23T18:59:18Z")
David Boreanaz Has checks coming from Bones, Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slaayer ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-rolling-in-residuals-bucks-from-long-running-roles-on-tv/951192/20 "2021-09-23T19:25:11Z")
Alyson Hannigan is probably getting paid from HIMYM and Buffy. I don’t know if Doogie Howser is airing anywhere, but Neil Patrick Harris would be getting Doogie money and HIMYM money. Plus I think he’s involved in the new re-boot of Doogie, too. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-rolling-in-residuals-bucks-from-long-running-roles-on-tv/951192.md?page=2)