Why do movies cost so much more than TV?

Another reason why TV actors are paid less, aside from the lower prestige, is that the negotiating can be done in bulk. A typical TV season is about 20 hours, a typical movie is about 2. But it costs less than ten times as much to buy 20 hours of acting as it does to buy 2 hours. Especially since the contracts (at least for the first season) are negotiated before you can tell if the show is going to be a hit.

A lot less if you consider an episode the equivalent of a movie. If you look at the whole season, say 26 episodes, $26 million is up there in the A-list.

ETA: When you add in rerun residuals, it can get way up there.