Never has it been so lucrative to play for laughs on television. Particularly geeky ones.
The four male stars of 'The Big Bang Theory' have been revealed as occupying all top four slots on Forbes' list of the highest-paid TV stars in the world.
Jim Parsons, who plays Sheldon in the CBS hit sit-com, comes out on top with a whopping $29million salary over the last 12 months.
Jim Parsons (rear) and his 'Big Bang Theory' co-stars all top this year's Forbes list of highest-paid stars
And behind him are his three male co-stars, Johnny Galecki on $27million, and Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar on $20million a-piece.
Finally, sharing one of the top slots is an actor from another show - NCIS's veteran star Mark Harmon, also on $20million for his efforts.
Here are the top 15 positions on Forbes' list, with 11 being taken by stars of long-running sitcoms. Laughter pays.
Jim Parsons — The Big Bang Theory — $29 million
Johnny Galecki — The Big Bang Theory — $27 million
Simon Helberg — The Big Bang Theory — $20 million
Kunal Nayyar — The Big Bang Theory — $20 million
Mark Harmon — NCIS — $20 million
Ashton Kutcher — Two And A Half Men — $20 million
Jon Cryer — Two And A Half Men — $15 million
Ray Romano — Everybody Loves Raymond (re-runs) - $15 million
Patrick Dempsey — Grey’s Anatomy — $12 million
Simon Baker — The Mentalist — $12 million
Ty Burrell — Modern Family — $11.5 million
Jesse Tyler Ferguson — Modern Family — $11 million
Ed O’Neill — Modern Family — $10.5 million
Eric Stonestreet — Modern Family — $10.5 million
Kevin Spacey — House Of Cards — $9.5 million
'The Big Bang Theory' has been running for eight years, the brainchild of Chuck Lorre, who also created 'Two and a Half Men'. As well as his enormous pay check, Jim Parsons has earned three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe for his role of Sheldon, a man-child intent on controlling every aspect of his environment.
He's also branched out to the big screen, recently sharing voice duties with co-star Rihanna on the recent Dreamworks animation comedy 'Home'.
The ninth season of 'The Big Bang Theory' will be on air in the US from September.
