TV Guide's recent unveiling of the small screen's highest paid actors provided a lot of surprises. For example, would anyone have guessed that Demi Moore's boo, Ashton Kutcher, would rise from dismissible rom-coms to top of the pops within a matter of months? Or how about the fact that we assume our friends on cable are rolling in dough when the money is really in crime dramas you can watch with your crusty-old antenna?

Forget everything you think you know about who's loaded and prepare to be bitter at a whole new crew of stars, some of whom you know, some of whom you've probably never heard of, and some whose names you probably can't pronounce without looking up. Either way, here's our assessment of TV's highest paid actors of 2011. Who's earning their keep, and who's wasting buckets of cash? Let's find out.