# The Simpsons and Residual Payments **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 2, 2015, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-and-residual-payments/714009 "2015-03-02T13:52:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-and-residual-payments/714009/21 "2015-03-02T20:04:31Z")
Nice dodge of the point there. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-and-residual-payments/714009/22 "2015-03-02T20:15:23Z")
Getting back to the subject of the thread, [this story](http://www.marketplace.org/topics/business/ive-always-wondered/how-do-actors-make-money-residuals) from the public radio program Marketplace goes into some detail on how much actors are paid in residuals. One example they use is the actor who played Gunther the barista on the sitcom Friends. (Apparently he got the part because he had worked as a barista.) ---
**Author:** ![Fleetwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fleetwood/32/271_2.png) [@Fleetwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fleetwood)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-and-residual-payments/714009/23 "2015-03-02T20:57:20Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > Those girls aren’t that broke. > [@Claverhouse](#): > > Sitcoms moved rather from plain folks — _Married With Children_, _Newhart_, _According To Jim_, latterly _Mike And Molly_ — \*\* to the very rich — _Friends_, _Rules Of Engagement_, _How I Met Your Mother_, _Two And A Half Men_ \*\* — partly because poverty is excessively boring, but also because being without money cares enables people have the time and lack of restrictions needed to engage in wacky hijinks and cross-talking misunderstandings — yet they could avoid openly mocking the destitute with such juxtapositions. And, other than the Charlie Sheen/Other Guy character in Two and a Half Men, those shows characters aren’t rich. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-and-residual-payments/714009/24 "2015-03-02T20:59:11Z")
Charlie wasn’t rich either. A major plot point on the show involved him being mortgaged out the ass on everything and living hand-to-mouth on royalty checks every quarter. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-and-residual-payments/714009/25 "2015-03-02T21:09:00Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Getting back to the subject of the thread, [this story](http://www.marketplace.org/topics/business/ive-always-wondered/how-do-actors-make-money-residuals) from the public radio program Marketplace goes into some detail on how much actors are paid in residuals. One example they use is the actor who played Gunther the barista on the sitcom Friends. (Apparently he got the part because he had worked as a barista.) That breaks it down pretty effectively. That is the SAG standard for residuals. At the end of the article it mentions that cast members can negotiate their own residual deals. I’m sure the main cast of the Simpsons have their own deal in place. The guest stars will get the SAG rate. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-and-residual-payments/714009/26 "2015-03-02T22:18:07Z")
So basically, we shouldn’t hire actors to act? ---
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-and-residual-payments/714009/27 "2015-03-02T22:35:56Z")
JFGI. I Googled simpsons residuals and here’s your answer. [http://www.backstage.com/news/fxxs-simpsons-deal-case-study-new-media-residual-structure/](http://www.backstage.com/news/fxxs-simpsons-deal-case-study-new-media-residual-structure/) ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-and-residual-payments/714009/28 "2015-03-02T22:39:58Z")
I don’t know the details of how it works but my mother-in-law still gets a couple thousand dollars a year for my late father-in-law’s various appearances. He did a couple episodes of a Batman animated series, a few movies, an episode of Seinfeld (he was one of the Japanese guys who rented out drawers in Kramer’s dresser). But where the money really is, is on music royalties. He was a music writer in Japan and did a lot of TV and commercials work. 45 years after most of that stopped my mother-in-law still can live comfortably on royalties as the music is reused for various purposes. Downside is that she doesn’t know from year to year what it’ll be, but upside is one year a pachinko machine used the theme song for a TV show he did and she got nearly six figures. But she’ll also get a check for $0.28 because a sample of some random bit of music was used in some random movie nobody’s ever heard of. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-and-residual-payments/714009/29 "2015-03-02T22:53:07Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > Those girls aren’t that broke. Have you even seen the show? They are very broke. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-and-residual-payments/714009/30 "2015-03-02T23:02:26Z")
With a horse in the basement. ---
**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:** [March 2, 2015, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-and-residual-payments/714009/31 "2015-03-02T23:24:02Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Charlie wasn’t rich either. A major plot point on the show involved him being mortgaged out the ass on everything and living hand-to-mouth on royalty checks every quarter. I don’t know. He had budgeted 80,000 a year for hookers… ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-and-residual-payments/714009/32 "2015-03-02T23:40:50Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > Which is fine by me, except I find it rancid when one of them plays a homeless person, or any other of the deserving poor. Can we drop this subject and stick to the subject of residuals? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-and-residual-payments/714009/33 "2015-03-02T23:45:30Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > The Simpsons main actors presently get $300,000 per episode ( after briefly getting $400,000 — then they took a pay cut: at least one actor was willing to take a greater pay cut in exchange for more residuals ); so unless they spend it all on blow, ought to be multi-millionaires by now. > Which is fine by me, except I find it rancid when one of them plays a homeless person, or any other of the deserving poor. Why? Does it also bother you when a gay actor plays a straight character, or vice versa? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-and-residual-payments/714009/34 "2015-03-02T23:48:24Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > No I am pretty sure residuals are automatic. My brother did a little bit non-speaking part once and they still had to buy out his residuals with a one time lump sum. Automatic if you are in SAG. SAG (or more likely a contractor) monitors the runs of shows, knows which members are on them, and sends the check to the agent who takes a cut and sends it to a manager who sends it to the actor. The standard contract 20 years ago did have a sliding scale which went on more or less forever. My daughter got money for the 20th showing or so. The amount also varies depending on the market. It all gets consolidated - she got one check for the four shows she was on in a series. And it can be small. She was an extra on a soap which got shown in Italy - and after agent commissions she got a check for two cents. However if you are a star of a show, everything is negotiable. In fact everything is always negotiable if you have a good agent/manager. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-and-residual-payments/714009/35 "2015-03-03T01:29:39Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > With a horse in the basement. I don’t know you personally so I can’t speak to your state of mind, but your posts are just looney. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-and-residual-payments/714009/36 "2015-03-03T02:46:44Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > I don’t know you personally so I can’t speak to your state of mind, but your posts are just looney. The girls of 2BG did own a horse for quite a while; it was the last vestige of Caroline’s former wealth. I think it’s gone now, though, because though the show is meant to be farcical, the horse was taking things too far. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-and-residual-payments/714009/37 "2015-03-03T03:20:33Z")
> [@johnspartan](#): > > JFGI. I Googled simpsons residuals and here’s your answer. > > [http://www.backstage.com/news/fxxs-simpsons-deal-case-study-new-media-residual-structure/](http://www.backstage.com/news/fxxs-simpsons-deal-case-study-new-media-residual-structure/) So based upon that article, here’s a theoretical answer. $1.5 million per episode over 574 episodes (including next season to be aired) = $861 million for the purchase. Actors get 6% of gross. That’s $52 million. If we assume that 5% gets broken down among the six top billed of the cast (with the 1% divided up amongst the rest), that’s $43 million total or $7.1 million per actor for the deal. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-and-residual-payments/714009/38 "2015-03-03T16:43:00Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > With a horse in the basement. You make my point. If they had money they could stable the horse but instead because they are so broke it has to live in the basement. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-and-residual-payments/714009.md?page=1)