There used to be a time when TV shows were considered a cheaper alternative to blockbuster movies, and while that is still true to an extent the bigger picture is much different than what it used to be. Companies today are pouring millions of dollars into the production of high-quality shows, and here are the ten most expensive ones to date.
Halo’ (2022 -) – $10 million per episode
Based on the iconic Microsoft video game, Halo saw the beloved franchise adapted for television in the Paramount+ series. Following the war between the United Nations Space Command and the alien alliance known as the Covenant, Halo brings the science fiction tale to the small screen in a big way.
As one of the most critically acclaimed and successful video game franchises, the Halo tv series could easily rely on its existing fanbase for support. However, many fans agree that considering the $10 million per episode budget, the CGI could have been better. Although season one’s production was impacted by the pandemic, with big names attached like executive producer Steven Spielberg involved, fans eagerly await for season two to be bigger and better than ever.
The Crown (2016 -) – $13 million per episode
Period dramas are inherently expensive productions. From crafting historically accurate sets, costumes, hair, and makeup, as well as casting actors who both look and sound like their real-life counterparts, Netflix’s The Crown has spared no expense when it comes to bringing the story of the British royal family to television screens.
At $13 million per episode, the budget for The Crown shines in the show’s attention to detail. Having won countless awards for costuming alone, and with its cast praised for the accuracy in which they portray the mannerisms of their real-life counterparts, it’s easy to understand how a series about royalty requires an equally lavish budget.
‘Game of Thrones’ (2011-2019) – $15 million per episode
HBO’s pop culture phenomenon Game of Thrones faced the challenge of adapting George R. R. Martin’s epic fantasy novels for TV. Following the struggle for power between several noble families, the story comes with a large cast of recurring characters spanning different locations within Westeros.
From the archipelago of the Iron Islands to the wintry North, Game of Thrones is known for its visually stunning filming locations shot all around the globe. The initial budget for season 1 was around $5-6 million per episode. By the final season, this rose to $15 million per episode, as the HBO series saw the cast and crew traveling between the United Kingdom, Croatia, Iceland, Spain, Malta, and Morocco.
‘See’ (2019 -) – $15 million per episode
Set in a dystopian future where humanity has lost the ability of sight, the Apple TV+ series See follows the story of the impact the birth of two children who are capable of seeing has in a world where this gift is considered heresy.
Although the $15 million per episode budget may be attributed to the big names behind the show such as Jason Mamoa and director/producer Francis Lawrence, the series’ budget is largely due to its filming location in Vancouver. To assist with the creation of the dystopian world, the production team drained an actual lake in Vancouver, built a village, then filled the lake up after filming concluded.
The Mandalorian’ (2019 -) – $15 million per episode
One of the earliest original series on Disney+, The Mandalorian embarked on a new chapter in the Star Wars franchise with its first live-action TV series. Set after the events of Return of the Jedi, it follows a bounty hunter (Pedro Pascal) who has rescued a young infant belonging to the same species as Yoda who is on a journey to be reunited with his own kind.
It’s $15 million per episode budget is largely due to the inventive filming techniques used throughout production. While the green screen has traditionally been used to superimpose actors onto a digital environment, The Mandalorianinstead utilized StageCraft – a way of immersing the actor within the digital environment through large LED video screens that can be rendered in real-time.
‘The Pacific’ (2010) – $20 million per episode
Revolving around the historical events of the World War II battle between Japanese and American soldiers on the island of Peleliu, The Pacific was the most expensive miniseries at the time.
At $20 million per episode, the HBO miniseries reached critical acclaim for its historical accuracy and depiction of epic World War II Pacific Ocean fight scenes. With big names like Spielberg and Tom Hanks behind the production and iconic film composer Hans Zimmer behind the war drama’s score, The Pacific truly feels like a TV show on a grand cinematic scale.
‘House of the Dragon’ (2022 -) – $20 million per episode
The prequel to Game of Thrones shattered viewership records for HBO with nearly 10 million people tuning in to watch the first episode of House of the Dragon. Building off the success of its predecessor, the series is set two centuries before the events of Game of Thrones and centers around the House of Targaryen and the civil war that led to the family’s downfall and the disappearance of dragons from Westeros.
With plenty more CGI dragons as well as the expected success that comes from being a Game of Thrones prequel, the $20 million per episode budget has given the series the chance to expand the tale of Westeros three years after the controversial conclusion of Game of Thrones.
‘WandaVision’ (2021) – $25 million per episode
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has built one of the most popular film franchises of the 21st century. With a $400 million budget for Avengers: Endgame, Marvel’s venture into television after the epic conclusion to the Infinity Saga came with equally expensive budgets in order to continue expanding the MCU.
After the launch of Disney+ in 2019, Marvel spent $25 million per episode on each of their new MCU television titles – WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, and Hawkeye. Continuing a steady flow of content throughout the year, most recently with the release of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, it’s clear that Marvel is dominating both the big screen and the small screen.
‘Stranger Things’ (2016 -) – $30 million per episode
As one of the most successful long-running series on Netflix, over its four-season run Stranger Things has gone from being a small town tale about a missing boy and ’80s references to a much darker and action-packed horror sci-fi show involving secret government facilities, Russian conspiracies, and military involvement.
Along with the ambitious storylines and production of season four came the equally ambitious budget of $30 million per episode. With much of season four taking place outside the small town of Hawkins, the bigger budget allowed for more action, more thrills, and 90-minute episodes that truly felt like movies.
The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power (2022 -) – $58 million per episode
At $58 million per episode – a total budget of $465 million – Amazon Prime’s The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power has become the most expensive television series ever made and surpasses the combined $281 million budget of The Lord of the Rings film series.
Exploring the world of Middle Earth thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit, the ensemble cast of Rings of Power takes audiences through the Elven stronghold of Eregion to the underground Dwarven kingdom of Khazad-dûm. With lavish sets, costumes, and a grand tale, it is understandable that the beloved fantasy franchise’s venture to the small screen would be met with an equally lavish budget.