'Gilmore Girls's Lauren Graham receives 'no residuals' from Netflix
What's the story
Star of the beloved series Gilmore Girls, Lauren Graham, recently revealed that she doesn't get any residuals from the show's Netflix streaming.
Despite the series' revival in 2016 and the OG series' perpetual popularity on the platform, Graham confirmed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that "there really are no residuals on Netflix."
She added, "But I've been paid in love," looking back on the show's broad reach and impact.
Expanded reach
'Gilmore Girls' reached new audiences on Netflix
Graham also spoke about the show's new life on Netflix, saying, "We have definitely reached more people than we were reaching on The WB."
She added the series (2000-2007) has made its way into the homes of people of all ages and genders.
"And now it's trickled into younger people, older people, men whose kids or wives probably have forced them to watch it. I get stopped a lot. It surprises me every time though. I don't know why."
Legal dispute
Producer Gavin Polone previously sued WB over 'Gilmore Girls's profits
Back in 2018, Gilmore Girls producer Gavin Polone had sued Warner Bros. for alleged profit-sharing discrepancies, from both the original series and its Netflix revival miniseries Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.
Polone accused the studio of "manipulating its back room accounting and distorting the interpretation of its contractual obligations."
This case dealt with payments related to online streaming of the shows but Polone had been sparring with WB and Netflix over payments for years prior.
Streaming success
Why residuals become a tricky situation in age of streaming
Residuals are the additional income some actors receive when their work is reused, rebroadcast, or released on DVD or aired on cable networks.
Earlier, more reruns of shows meant higher residuals for actors. But in the streaming age, the calculation became different with streamers retaining the right to decide the amount of residuals.
More subscriber base should technically mean higher residuals, meaning Netflix should be paying more than smaller OTT platforms. But, apparently, that's not always the case.