Expensive TV Shows (16 gifs)
15. Westworld – $9 million per episode
Fun Fact: Early on, producers had talked about Clint Eastwood portraying the Man in Black.
14. The Witcher – Approx. $10 million per episode
Fun Fact: An adaptation of the books, not the video games. In fact, showrunner Lauren Schmidt revealed in an interview that the show will never adapt the video games.
13. Rome – $10 million per episode
Fun Fact: Ancient Romans didn’t use saddles with stirrups, but they were required for safety. In close-up shots, the stirrups were removed.
12. The Get Down – Approx. $10 million per episode
Fun Fact: Much of the graffiti art on the subway cars is based on and copied from real artwork found on New York City I.R.T. cars from the 1970s and 1980s.
11. Friends – $10 million per episode
Fun Fact: When Courteney Cox dressed as fat Monica for the first time, Matthew Perry walked right past her without recognizing her.
10. Band of Brothers – $12.5 million per episode
Fun Fact: By the third episode of shooting, the special effects department had used more pyrotechnics than were used in the entire production of Saving Private Ryan (1998).
9. ER – $13 million per episode
Fun Fact: This was the most Emmy-nominated show in television history, at 123 nominations, until Game of Thrones surpassed it on 2018 adding 128.
8. The Crown – $13 million per episode
Fun Fact: When Gillian Anderson was cast to play Margaret Thatcher, many fans argued that she was too sexy for the part.
7. The Morning Show – $15 million per episode
Fun Fact: The Wall Street Journal tabulated an average of 32 shots per episode contain Apple products, though the producers of the show stated they weren’t pressured by Apple to include their products.
6. See – $15 million per episode
Fun Fact: Sylvia Hoeks actually shaved her head for the part of Queen Kane.
5. The Mandalorian – $15 million per episode
Fun Fact: One of the people in the Mandalorian suit is Brendan Wayne, who is the grandson of legendary actor John Wayne. John Wayne was known for doing Westerns, and The Mandalorian is heavily influenced by Westerns.
4. Game of Thrones – $15 million per episode (final season)
Fun Fact: Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister) has been nominated eight consecutive times (once for each season) for the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series at the Emmys. He won for the first, fifth, seventh and eighth season, setting a new record for most wins in the Outstanding Supporting Actor category for the same role.
3. The Pacific – $20 million per episode
Fun Fact: Originally the project was estimated at $100 million to produce, but ended up costing over $200 million, making The Pacific the most expensive television miniseries ever created by any network up until the release of WandaVision (2021).
2. Disney + Marvel TV Shows – $25 million per episode
Fun Fact: Matt Shakman cites the alternate reality films The Truman Show (1998) and Pleasantville (1998) as an influence on the show.
1. The Lord of the Rings – Total Budget of $1 BILLION
Fun Fact: Amazon was in a bidding war with Netflix for the rights to the novels, with Amazon acquiring the rights in the end at a cost of $250 million.
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