Here's How Much Scott Caan Made From Hawaii Five-O
For many actors, the chance of being in front of the camera and flexing their creative muscles is reason enough to justify entering their very competitive profession. For others, it's clear that fame, and, especially, fortune, are the leading factors in their decision. Some value the almighty dollar more than others, but, at this point, it has become the industry standard in both film and television to shell out hefty sums for the best thespians in the game. The situation was no different for those starring on the rebooted hit CBS crime drama Hawaii Five-0, which said goodbye to its decade-long run back in April of 2020.
The show starred Alex O'Laughlin as the former Navy SEAL, Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett, the leader of the Five-0 task force. However, his second-in-command, Danny "Danno" Williams, portrayed by Entourage alum Scott Caan, was just as important to the show's success. The two collectively took on the responsibility of being the poster boys of the series, so it should come as no surprise that their salaries reflected their coveted status. Despite not topping the bill, Caan specifically made some serious cash during his time on the program, even managing to rival O'Laughlin's leading wage.
Here's how much he was pulling in at the peak of his Five-0 tenure, and how he pulled it off.
Caan was raking in six-figures per episode
In July of 2017, Variety reported that, according to industry sources, Scott Caan was pretty well off, even as the show began to wind down. He made a staggering $200,000 per episode during the continuity error-riddled Hawaii Five-0's eighth season, putting him neck and neck with O'Laughlin. That's an insane amount of money, for any job, and given the season consisted of 25 episodes and Caan appeared in every single one, that culminates in an astonishing $5 million grand total for the actor — who is, by the way, the son of Hollywood icon James Caan (Misery).
A number like that is nothing to shrug at, but he managed to up the ante even more. When both Caan and O'Laughlin negotiated their contracts, they scored a small portion of backend profits, meaning their payout went up depending on how well Five-0 performed. As explained by Cynthia Littleton of Variety, those behind the program worked out a major syndication deal with TNT for $2 million per episode. Although it didn't necessarily meet their expectations on the network, it remained a hit on CBS, thus padding the pockets of both actors, down the line.
Hawaii Five-0, even with the pressure of living up to the status of the original incarnation, built a legacy of its own from the ground up. Without a talented cast, Scott Cann included, the series likely wouldn't have reached the heights that it did. For playing a hand in making it happen, it's fair to say that the actor received some major compensation.