The Cast Of TV’s Best Comedy Gets Major Raise

Who are the members of the Abbott Elementary cast that will be taking home bigger paychecks? Quinta Brunson, Janelle James, Chris Perfetti, Tyler James Williams, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Lisa Ann Walter all negotiated new contracts with Warner Bros. Television.

The result is that everyone is getting paid more, which seems fitting: after all, the hit show took home the prestigious 2022 SAG Award for Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

But just how much money will the Abbott Elementary cast be taking home with these new contracts? Deadline reports that Quinta Brunson is the big winner, bringing home somewhere between $350,000-$400,000 per episode.

Of course, she’s pulling double duty, as the Golden Globe and Emmy-winning actor also serves as executive producer of the show.

Speaking of awards, Golden Globe-winning actor Tyler James Williams will be getting a cool $250,000 per episode. Meanwhile, cast members Janelle James, Chris Perfetti, and Lisa Ann Walter will be earning $200,000 an episode.

Finally, William Stanford Davis will be making $100,000 per episode, a lower amount reflecting that he began the show as only a recurring actor before becoming a regular in season 2.

Part of what makes these pay bumps for the Abbott Elementary cast (bumps that have not been confirmed by 20th Television, ABC, or Warner Bros. TV) is that few expected them to happen.

The standard practice is for cast members to sign six-year contracts during which they would be paid only what they originally agreed to.

However, it’s relatively common for studios to reward the casts of critically and commercially acclaimed shows with pay bumps in exchange for small extensions of their existing contracts.

Before the Abbott Elementary performers got a salary boost, something similar happened to the cast of fellow ABC show Ghosts.

After that quirky comedy made a huge splash in season 1, the cast received higher pay: specifically, series leads Rose McIver and Utkarsh Ambudkar began getting $250,000 per episode (double what they got before) while everyone else got bumped to $100,00 per episode.

This caused representatives for the Abbott Elementary cast to inquire about similar contract negotiations, and Deadline reports that they were told the studio would negotiate after season 2 (a season shortened due to the writer’s and actor’s strikes of last year).

The Abbot Elementary cast salary renegotiations were apparently successful, as you might expect for a show that got a season 4 renewal almost right after season 3 premiered.

In a world where network television has to compete with streamers like Netflix, shows like this keep people tuning in to watch ABC week after week.

As for us, we’re always happy to see teachers getting a raise, even if it’s only the ones on TV.

Source: Deadline