This is our third week analyzing how much money your favorite TV show characters are bringing home each year. Though their salaries are, for the most part, far less than what those of the actors who play them, these characters are generally raking in amounts far higher than the national average of $27,000 per year, sometimes even surpassing the average household income which is $55,000 per year. This week we will be taking a look at the TV show characters from the ABC network. Some of the jobs included in this piece are a marketing director, a surgeon at one of the most prestigious hospitals in the country, and a country music super star.
Dr. Derek Shepherd (Grey’s Anatomy), Neurosurgeon
Dr. Derek Shepherd may be heading to Washington D.C. to take on a new role, but the position we are going to be looking at for this article is his role as a Neurosurgeon at Grey/Sloan Memorial Hospital in Seattle, Washington. Dr. Shepherd is considered one of the very best doctors in his field, so it would not be surprising if he was making in the top 10% of all neurosurgeons in the country. If this were the case, Dr. Shepherd would bring home around $700,000 per year. Neurosurgeons in the first few years of practice make somewhere around $100,000 per year.
Frankie Heck (The Middle), Dental Hygienist
Frankie Heck is a TV show character we all want to root for to succeed. Her family has been experiencing a lot of mishaps this season including a sink that doesn’t work, a kitchen table that is suitable for a doll house, and a daughter who is eager to go to college. Frankie was able to transition from used car salesman to dental hygienist rather smoothly. Since Frankie is still new to the field, she would still be at an introductory salary which is around $50,000 per year. With that salary, plus what husband Mike is bringing home, you would think they would not be having as much money problems as they currently are having.
Phil Dunphy (Modern Family), Real Estate Agent
Phil Dunphy is many people’s favorite TV show character on Modern Family. He is clumsy and hilarious, which put together makes for an excellent combination. Phil spends his days selling homes in the suburbs of Los Angeles. Though it would appear he may not be the best at his job, Phil has proven to be a successful salesmen when he needs to be. Phil would on average bring home around $200,000 per year, which put with Claire’s salary makes the Dunphy’s a very successful family.
Olivia Pope (Scandal), Crisis Management Consultant
Olivia Pope is quite a busy woman. The TV show character is a former White House correspondent and lawyer. She now owns a crisis management firm in Washington, D.C. Maybe that is why she decides to have an affair with the President. She is too busy helping people with their problems that she does not have time to find a boyfriend. Olivia Pope makes on average $70,000 per year as a Crisis Manager. Her salary may even be higher than this as she works very closely with the POTUS.
Mike Baxter (Last Man Standing), Director of Marketing
If you are like me, you probably are not home very much on Friday nights. This is the day of the week you would find the TV show character Mike Baxter, played by Tim Allen, on the comedy Last Man Standing. The series is set in Denver, Colorado where Mike is the director of Marketing for an outdoor sporting goods store. The average Marketing Director in the state of Colorado makes $125,000 per year. Even is Mike’s wife Vanessa, who is a Geologist, did not have a job, Mike would be able to support his wife and three children.
Kate Beckett (Castle), Homicide Detective
Kate Beckett is half of the duo on the crime series Castle that takes place in New York City. She solves crimes with her partner and now husband Richard Castle, a best-selling novelist. Like Bones and Booth from the FOX drama Bones, Beckett and Castle were TV show characters that many fans were rooting to get together from the first season, but had to wait several years before the writers decided to make things official. Since she works in New York City, Beckett’s salary is slightly higher than a Homicide Detective in a different location. She brings home an average of $70,000 per year, which is not too shabby.
Murray Goldberg (The Goldbergs), Furniture Store Owner
Murray Goldberg is the patriarch on the 80’s family sitcom The Goldbergs, which is currently airing its second season. Murray runs a furniture store in Pennsylvania, while his wife Beverly stays home and tires to smother their three children. It was hard to find the exact salary for a furniture salesman in the 80’s, so the average salary for 1985 will be used. Murray Goldberg took home about $16,000 per year which would equate to $7.69 per hour. This is twice the amount of the minimum wage in 1985, which was $3.35 per hour. If Murray Goldberg was running a furniture store in 2015, his wages would much higher. Murray would bring home $51,000 a year managing a furniture store today, which would still allow Beverly to stay at home and bother the kids.
Rayna James (Nashville), Country Music Sensation
Rayna James is a TV show character who has a career that is very similar to that of Country music singers like Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, and Trisha Yearwood. She currently has a top selling album and won several accolades at the Country Music Awards that were held in November 2014. Reba McEntire was just named the highest-paid singer in the world by People with Money magazine. She has earned $58 million. If we use those statistics for Rayna James, then she makes more money than Connie Britton the woman who plays her. When Nashville premiered in 2012, Britton was taking home $100,000 per episode, which is still a very high salary.
Which TV show character’s salary were you most surprised about? Let us know in the comments section below.
Photo by Lester Cohen/WireImage
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