“Buddies” made six proficient sitcom actors very, very wealthy. For 10 entire seasons, Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, and Matthew Perry – who died at age 54 in 2023 — have been the tight-knit group of the NBC sitcom, and earned a reasonably penny for the gig. On the late-game heights of the present’s powers, the forged of “Buddies” obtained paid as a lot as $1 million per episode every.
This is the factor, although: the cash did not cease coming after the present led to 2004. Actually, as of 2015, the syndicated sitcom continued to rake in an estimated $1 billion yearly, which in flip might have continued to earn every of the six stars as a lot as $20 million per yr in residual funds. Although unconfirmed by both Warner Bros. or the actors, this determine most not too long ago turned up within the wake of Perry’s passing, and since “Buddies” has remained a preferred and surprisingly related present, it does make sense that the residuals proceed to be hefty. Even when they are not as large as $20 million a yr, let’s be trustworthy: even a fraction of that sum could be gangbusters cash for a job that ended twenty years in the past.
Buddies has proved its longevity many occasions over
The key sauce of “Buddies” and its longevity is easy, actually. The present resonates with the viewers, and whereas it was by no means the sort of essential darling “Seinfeld” was, it did obtain constant good critiques. Because of its copious reruns, it has remained accessible over time. It does not damage that “Buddies” is a superb go-to sitcom consolation present throughout tough occasions, and has been capable of flip its vital popular culture presence into a permanent reputation. This makes the present an absolute workhorse that any platform would little doubt like to have.
Simply have a look at the way in which the present has carried out throughout the streaming period. “Buddies” continued to be there for you on Netflix when the platform first licensed the present for $30 million a yr. In 2019, it agreed to bump the payment to $100 million earlier than the streaming wars separated the present and the U.S. leg of Netflix in January 2020. “Buddies” moved to HBO Max (now simply Max), and shortly grew to become its prime canine.
The present even managed to hit a contemporary bullseye with 2021’s unscripted “Buddies: The Reunion” particular, a predictably big hit that was watched by 29% of all streaming households within the U.S. on the day it dropped, Could 27. It additionally earned every of the six forged members a cool $2.5 million, minimal. It could not all the time be straightforward to play a principal character on a traditional sitcom, but it surely definitely is profitable … and appears to stay that means lengthy after the present is over.
