9-1-1 stars earn raises: Angela Bassett could become TV's highest-paid drama actress of color

Deadline

Ahead of Season 5, Bassett has agreed to "a major bump that I hear takes her to north of $450,000 an episode," reports Deadline's Nellie Andreeva. "That is believed to be among the top salaries on network television for any actor — male or female — and could be the highest ever for an actress of color on a broadcast drama series. For Oscar-nominated Bassett, it encompasses other services beyond acting. She was involved in the development of 9-1-1, whom Ryan Murphy created for her. She serves as an executive producer on 9-1-1 as well as spinoff 9-1-1: Lone Star." Andreeva also reports that Peter Krause, 9-1-1's male lead, will command the second-biggest salary on the show in the "$300K per episode range." Jennifer Love Hewitt will have the show's third-highest-salary. Meanwhile, Aisha Hinds, Rockmond Dunbar, Kenneth Choi, Oliver Stark and Ryan Guzman -- who joined in Season 2 -- will all get a 25% raise to $80,000 per episode that is expected to go up to $100,000 per episode for Season 6. Andreeva also reports there was some contention among the cast after Stark, who was the least-paid due to fewer acting credits, received a pay raise that nearly doubled his salary last season. "Ultimately," adds Andreeva, "everyone signed their new deal, and the close-knit cast remain friends, I hear." As TVLine's Matt Webb Mitovich, the last drama actress of color to have a network salary close to Bassett's was Viola Davis, who "mayyyy have been closing in on $450K" toward the end of How to Get Away With Murder‘s run. Ellen Pompeo remains the highest-paid drama actress, earning $575,000 per Grey's Anatomy episode.