Residuals

[hatwink]

Do any of the actors from Good Times get residuals?

[alienkattuk]

they should!

they made the show too.

they have the right to get PROFITS from the show.

[GARFIELDKOOL]

Originally Posted by alienkattuk

they should!

they made the show too.

they have the right to get PROFITS from the show.

I remember seeing Bernadette being interviewed on a BET program years ago, she was telling the host(I can't remember who it was) that she was living off of the reruns.

[alienkattuk]

Hopefully, from the DVD sales too.

I heard that the TV actors will not get any residuals from the DVDs.

[RetroTVNitekatt]

Originally Posted by alienkattuk

Hopefully, from the DVD sales too.

I heard that the TV actors will not get any residuals from the DVDs.

This varies from show to show - there was at least one strike regarding this. It's a bigger issue in the streaming era as streaming is technically a form of broadcast and how does SAG-AFTRA address this regarding post 1970 contracts? There was one strike wanting to make streaming separate from broadcasting with a later cut-off date for residuals.

Simple fact it comes down to the original contracts and when a show was made. Are DVD merchandise and thus subject to merchandise clauses, or they not covered at all. DVDs (and Columbia House before those) in many cases did not pay residuals as they did not have to contractually.

Some actors refuse to do commentaries and extra material without compensation because they are NOT getting residuals for the shows themselves.

As for syndication residuals,AFTRA contracts changed c.1970 where an actor would receive residuals eventually to perpetuity, or be offered a "buy-out" ie: a payment based on projected earnings from residuals to a point. That was based on contract terms. Some actors owned "pieces" of the show was well,usually your leads and other financial perks.

Before that it was standard 6 domestic runs, 6 international runs - and once those completed in each market, that was it. This is why, unless they had special deals (longer residuals) and/or owned a piece of the show, most of your classic tv stars see nothing. There were also "buy-outs" in this era, but since residuals were limited, so were the "buy-outs". (Unless an actor had a special deal or owned a piece of a show.)

So unless an actor took a "buy-out" (Which the "All in the Family" cast did and regretted it),and the terms of a contract (which would have been renewed several times over the years so there could have been "extras" added), one might be making a small residual from the show's continued airings both Domestically and Internationally.

So if an actor did a show post 1970 and didn't sign away a "buy-out" of residuals, they are still getting them. Doesn't help if a show sits in a vault for a decade or two at a time like ONE DAT AT A TIME Classic that went 16 years between U.S. airings and at least a decade between Canadian ones.

So an actor who had a pre-1969 contract is out of luck unless they had a special deal and/or a piece of the show (The Odd Couple - Jack and Tony made more from owning pieces than royalties) but post-1970 is golden time.