Amazing ratings don't mean an Amazing Paycheck when you work for ABC TV. Can the residents of picture-perfect Wisteria Lane get a break? Now that their show Desperate Housewives is a smash hit, the ladies are threatening to revolt if their salaries are not increased -- and pronto.
The "housewives" - Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Nicolette Sheridan and Eva Longoria are demanding bigger paychecks to cash in on the worldwide success of the ABC sitcom.
Now seen in more than 40 countries, the American comedy is has been consistently in the top ten in the US television ratings, regularly attracting more than 30 million viewers.
Reportedly, the actress are upset by the high ratings and their small paychecks. Each earns somewhere between $47,000 to $76,000 PER episode - yet this pales compared to the pay received by the Friends star ensemble, which finally reached a lofty $1.8 million per episode.
The housewives feel they deserve a slice of the big bucks they're generating from US and world ratings. Last month, Sheridan told a People magazine interviewer, "I'm the poorest actress on television. I heard (the cast of) Friends got cars when they had such amazing ratings. But I got flowers. I'm still waiting for the Porsche."
