Ashton Kutcher named highest paid actor on US TV

London - Ashton Kutcher has topped the highest paid actor list on US TV, earning 700,000 dollars for each episode of ‘Two and a Half Men.’

The 34-year-old actor replaced Charlie Sheen on the hit comedy series after his ‘drug meltdown.’

Mark Harmon is ranked second with 500,000 dollars for each episode of NCIS while Ellen Pompeo is third with 350,000 dollars, the Daily Mail reported.

Lucy Liu, who will soon be seen playing Sherlock Holmes colleague Watson in the series Elementary is the fourth highest with 175,000 dollars per episode.

The survey of salaries by TV Guide magazine revealed that TV studios were able to keep how much they paid stars well below the millions earned by their colleagues in Hollywood movies.

While Kutcher was able to secure 700,000 dollars per episode, others appearing in comedy shows did not match his earning power.

Kaley Cuoco, who stars in ‘The Big Bang Theory,’ earned 350,000 dollars an episode while Lea Michele from ‘Glee’ was paid 75,000 dollars.

According to TV guide the average salary for an actor appearing in a new series is around 30,000 dollars per episode.

Mariah Carey has leapt to the top of highest paid reality stars with her 17-million-dollar payday for ‘American Idol.’

Howard Stern is second with 15 million dollars for ‘America’s Got Talent.’

Matt Lauer’s 21.5-million-dollar deal makes him the highest paid reporter on US TV.