Top 23 Australian TV stars laughing all the way to the bank
The tide is turning on our TV screens - and with it, a change in who has the power. Here are our top 23 most bankable stars - and who are the wildcards to watch. Vote and have your say.
TV
Don't miss out on the headlines from TV. Followed categories will be added to My News.
While it was once current affairs and mornings show stars such as David Koch, Karl Stefanovic, Carrie Bickmore, Lisa Wilkinson who were TV’s heavy hitters, the tide has turned and there’s a slew of new TV titans with a distinctly comic touch woven through the list of who’s holding the power on the small screens.
Here’s our 23 most bankable stars of 2023. Vote for your favourite below and have your say on who enjoy watching on TV in the comments below:
Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer
The real-life couple who created, wrote and starred in Colin from Accounts were already favourites in Australia for their roles in Offspring, Glitch and Love Child. But their Binge series has catapulted them to greater international recognition becoming Foxtel Group’s most-watched original scripted series of all time, with season one sold to multiple territories around the world – most recently the BBC. The couple also bagged the Logies trifecta of Most Outstanding Comedy, Most Outstanding Actress for Dyer and Most Outstanding Actor for Brammall.
Asher Keddie
She’s been dubbed the Golden Girl on Australian TV for her huge volume of work from Love My Way to seven seasons (and seven Logies) as Nina Proudman on Offspring. She’s currently one of the stars on The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart which saw the biggest global opening weekend viewership for any Australian launch. The seven-episode series has reached the top five in 78 countries and top three in 42 countries. She’ll next be seen in Binge original Strife, based on Mia Freedman’s memoir.
Tom Gleisner
In 1993, five friends formed a production company, Gleisner is just one part of the Working Dog TV partnership – along with Rob Sitch, Santo Cilauro, Jane Kennedy and Michael Hirsh – turning out shows including The Late Show, The Hollow Men, The Panel to recent programs such as Utopia and The Cheap Seats. The Gleisner-hosted Have You Been Paying Attention has gone from a ratings underperformer to its 11th season now regularly attracting more than 900,000 total viewers, while the revival of the super-popular Thank God You’re Here drew almost 1.3 million for its first episode.
Sonia Kruger
She was rumoured to have been offered $1.3 million to leave Nine in 2019. And Channel 7 has certainly made her their most high profile presenter with the 56-year-old helming The Voice, Big Brother, Celebrity Big Brother, Holey Moley and Dancing With The Stars. The network’s almost relentless Logie campaigning – Onya Sonia – further secured her top status, earning her the Gold Logie.
Osher Gunsberg
Affectionately referred to Ten’s host-with-the-most shows, Gunsberg has juggled The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise and The Masked Singer, alongside his enormously successful podcast Better Than yesterday. It’s a marked change from the years after Australian Idol wound up in when he struggled to find work, he was candid about his joy at being nominated for the Gold Logie saying “to be considered and accepted by my industry and the public, that’s the prize for me. I’ve already won.”
Stephen Peacocke
He’s possibly the busiest actor in Australia – at one point you could tune into almost any network – plus a few streamers – and watch the down-to-earth hardworking bloke on shows such as ABC’s The Newsreader, Seven’s RFDS, Ten/Paramount+ Five Bedrooms. He’s cemented himself his status as one of TV’s most in-demand leading men, with Nine’s crime drama Human Error still to come this year.
KittyFlanagan
The much-loved comedian hasn’t been on stage to accept either of her back-to-back Most Popular Actress Logies – in 2022 she was working on the second series of Fisk, the award-winning comedy in which she starred, and created and wrote with her sister Penny. Last month she was performing, unwilling to let down her stand-up fans. The award-winning Fisk continues to do great things for Flanagan, smashing into Netflix’s weekly Global Top 10 on its release. Quite apart from Fisk, she’s been media manager Rhonda in five seasons of Utopia and is a regular guest on Have You Been Paying Attention.
Sophie Monk
One of Australia’s favourite repeat reality stars went from wannabe popstar to the host of many Channel 9 shows including Love Island Australia and the local version of Beauty and the Geek. The Australian reported earlier this year that she’s paid some $800,000 for those roles and her self-deprecating humour has seen her add another string to her bow as a regular panellist on The Hundred with Andy Lee.
Hamish Blake
He was the bookie’s – and tipsters’ favourite – to take out his third Gold Logie, and while it was a shock when he didn’t, it’s still hard to go past Blake as TV’s number-one man. The quick-witted and likeable family man is rumoured to pull in $2 million a year for hosting Nine’s LEGO Masters, according to The Australian.
Andy Lee
Blake’s long-time comedy and radio partner, may have once been seen as being in his good mate’s shadow, he’s gone on to forge his own path with roles on Nine’s reboot of Talkin’ Bout Your Generation, Seven’s Front Bar, Ten’s The Cube and now as host of The Hundred on Nine – for which the Australian revealed he’s rumoured to be earning up to $1.2m.
Marta Dusseldorp
The star of Janet King, A Place to Call Home and Jack Irish formed a production company in 2019 with her husband, actor Ben Winspear, and has since set about commissioning projects that gave women a voice. She has just co-created and stars in new ABC series Bay of Fires, a dark comedy about a wealthy businesswoman on the run from hit men.
Sam Pang
The comedian is one of the few stars who have had consistent gigs on two networks – at the same time. Hosting Seven’s the Front Bar with great mates Andy Maher and Mick Molloy, while crossing swords with Ed Kavalee and quizmaster Tom Gleisner on Ten’s Have You Been Paying Attention – his stocks have continued to rise since his universally applauded Logie hosting gig.
Tom Gleeson
From completely subverting the Logies for two years including taking out the top gong in 2019, to his Hard Quiz regularly coming close to the commercial ratings juggernauts such as The Block, Gleeson has cemented himself as a popular presenter. He’s just wrapped filming with a fresh batch of comedians and his offsider “lesser’ Tom Cashman on the second season of Taskmaster Australia for Ten. Throw in regular guest spots on The Hundred and he’s fast becoming Mr Everywhere.
Claudia Karvan
She’s been smashing it both on and off camera for more than four decades, landing her first role at 8. And has barely been off our screen since from playing the relatable 20-something Alex Christensen in The Secret Life of Us, and then starting her producer career with Love My Way. Karvan’s most recent work includes creating, starring and producing three seasons of the television comedy-drama Bump, earning her an AACTA nom for best lead actress.
Tony Armstrong
The affable News Breakfast Sports Presenter has garnered a cult following, and two Logies in as many years for his charm on the usually reserved ABC morning show. He’s gone on to host A Dog’s World and Great Australian Stuff on the national broadcaster, but you’d have to wonder whether he’ll soon be lured away by a commercial network.
Nicole Kidman
The Aussie actress has possibly notched up more television in recent years including The Undoing, Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers and is currently in the new Taylor Sheridan series, Special Ops: Lioness. Dominating the world of prestige TV, means a salary to match. Hollywood Reporter says she made $1m an episode for The Undoing, Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers.
Celeste Barber
While she’s well known these days for her tongue-in-cheek parodies of the rich and famous which landed her on magazine covers, in A-list circles and an impressive 9.5 million Instagram followers, she actually started her career on long-running Seven drama All Saints. Her Netflix comedy series Wellmania sat in the Top 5 on the massive global streamer platform, and earnt her two Logie Nominations – Most popular actress and Most Popular Comedy.
Ray Meagher
As the patriarch of Summer Bay Alf Stewart, Meagher is the most familiar fixture on our screens. The 78-year-old has been on the show since its pilot episode in 1988, and given he signed a new contract earlier this year, he’ll be uttering “Flamin’ Heck” and grumbling in the diner for at least another five years. He’s just one of the reasons the iconic soap maintains its No. 1 drama status, regularly attracting one million viewers.
Chris Hemsworth
So while he’s mostly renowned for his movie bankability, the Marvel actor earns his spot here after recently joined the technical ranks as producer. His Thematic Entertainment stumped up for the Netflix action feature films 2020s Extraction and its 2023 sequel. Reports suggest he’s earning close to $16 million from Extraction 2. In addition to his movie fee, he’s expected to share in the profits too.
Justine Clarke
She’s TV royalty and has been a permanent fixture on our screens in an impressive array of roles for four decades. From Alf’s daughter on Home and Away to searing Aussie TV dramas – Tangle, The Time of Our Lives, Hungry Ghosts, and Humpty Dumpty’s sidekick on Play School, Doco host, she’s now reprising her role in the second season of Seven’s RFDS.
THE WILDCARDS
Dr Chris Brown
He’s already started earning his rumoured $1 million-a-year pay cheque hosting the Logies Red Carpet last month. And Australia’s favourite vet could rival Kruger as the network’s most visible presenter with two already announced series – reality renovation competition Dream Home and as-yet-unnamed, new animal world adventure production.
Abbie Chatfield
In just four short years, Chatfield has gone from a reality romance loser on The Bachelor to prime time screen queen, with gigs on Ten’s The Masked Singer and hosting FBoy Island. The 28-year-old has just stepped down from her nightly radio show to focus on her It’s A Lot podcast and TV commitments, after sharing just how much of a toll working non-stop was having on her mental health.
The Kates
As in comedians and actors McCartney and McLennan, who have been creating hilarious shows together such as The Katering Show and Get Krack! n for almost 10 years. Their cleverly written, dark comedy thriller Deadloch for Prime Video went gangbusters here and overseas – attracting rave reviews including from the New York Times.
More Coverage
Originally published as Top 23 Australian TV stars laughing all the way to the bank
Join the conversation
AJLT moment that ‘shocked’ Parker
And Just Like That has sparked plenty of reaction since it premiered four years ago – but one particular furore stunned its lead star.
Read more
‘Never’: Sad Harry Potter truth explodes
The beloved boy magician is set to return to screens with a new TV show, but there is a painful truth being kept silent.
Read more