5 Reasons The TV Boom Is Great News for Actors
In a new report called “The Business of Too Much TV,” Vulture explores the pros and cons of the television industry’s rapid growth since the introduction of video streaming services. To summarize, there has never been as much money in TV as there is today. What does the money bubble mean for today’s actors? A lot, actually.
1. There are more roles to fill than ever before.
For the first time ever, there is no limit to how many shows can be produced each year. Television air time is no longer the ceiling for new shows because streaming networks like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon make television available at any time, not at the same hour each week. Mainstream television companies produced about 200 shows in 2009. In 2015, that number doubled to more than 400 shows. There has never been as much opportunity for actors to make a living on television as there is now, which is why big-screen stars like Drew Barrymore and Jamie Lee Curtis are spending more time on television.
2. Pilot season has changed a lot.
With more money comes more opportunity. Pilot season as it was known a few years ago lasts all year. Today’s pilot season is a smorgasbord of opportunity compared to pre-streaming days.
“I looked at my pilot casting grid last October and there were, like, 85 projects casting. The same grid eight years ago? There might have been, like, ‘They’re adding a new regular to Criminal Minds,’ or there’s an episodic arc on some show available,” an unnamed casting agent told Vulture. “Now there are literally ten Netflix shows casting … It’s amazing for almost everybody.”
3. Actors’ pay is both higher than ever and brutally inconsistent.
There’s so much money moving in the industry today that there’s no real system for deciding how much an actor should be paid. Netflix’s highest paid star, Kevin Spacey, makes $500,000 for each episode of House Of Cards. Spacey alone makes more money from a Netflix series than the company spent on the entire first season of Orange Is The New Black. Compared to Netflix, network and cable studios aren’t any more consistent. Mark Harmon makes $525,000 for every 42-minute episode of NCIS, but Big Bang Theory stars make $1 million for every 21-minute episode. For recurring guest stars and first-time cast members, pay varies from show to show.
4. The TV peak is opening doors for equality.
The surplus in shows also means more roles for minorities. As MTV explains, a peak in television “creates jobs for people who may have previously been blocked from employment by the old boys networks that once dominated television production.”
Minorities not only have a better chance at callbacks and roles, but they can expect better pay than before. In past decades, networks used a lack of funds as an appropriate excuse to not pay female actors as much as their male counterparts; the same goes for black actors and their white counterparts. Right now — and for another few years — that excuse won’t work. That’s why Robin Wright was able to corner Netflix into paying her the same as male co-star Kevin Spacey on House Of Cards.
5. Bubbles always pop.
While the next few years will provide actors more opportunities than this generation of talent has had before, time will run out. Television’s “limitless” pockets will find their limit, and any chance to take advantage of these profitable times will disappear.
No one can determine when the TV boom will hit its peak and start to diminish, so it’s time to start taking your career seriously and get in the game while the time is right. To improve your chance of success, make sure your acting resume matches what casting directors are looking for, and avoid these common career killers.