25 of the most expensive TV series of all time

- Budget per episode: $9 million
- On air: 2015-2018
- Network: Netflix

"The Matrix" creators Lana and Lilly Wachowski co-created "Sense8," a sci-fi thriller about a group of strangers scattered throughout the world who physically connect since they are all kin to one woman. The series had the most massive budget of all Netflix productions, jumping from $4.5 million to $9 million an episode under producer Roberto Malerba's rule. However, that didn't last long, as the show never developed a big enough audience to warrant its exorbitant costs and was promptly canceled after two seasons.

- Budget per episode: $9 million
- On air: 2014-2016
- Network: Netflix

Like many period productions, Netflix's "Marco Polo" broke budgets with its complex sets, showy costumes, and pricey props. The journey of the 13th-century Italian merchant who befriended Mongol ruler Kublai Khan was told throughout a 10-episode series that Netflix hoped would grow its content empire, but ultimately led to a $200 million loss for the streamer.

- Budget per episode: $9 million
- On air: 2007-2019
- Network: CBS

Like "Friends," the CBS series "Big Bang Theory" was one of the costliest major network series ever. The high budget was mainly due to original cast members Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, and Kaley Cuoco earning $1 million per episode (up from $60,000 per episode when the show started in 2007) by the end of the show's 12-year run. CBS was charging more than $326,260 for 30-second advertising slots in 2013 and around $258,500 in its final season. For the series finale, the network asked for $1.2 million to $1.5 million for 30 seconds of ad time.

- Budget per episode: $9 million
- On air: 2005-2007
- Network: BBC/HBO

This bust couldn't be saved even by hundreds of extras, embellished costumes, and extravagant set designs recreating soldiers fighting under the Roman Republic during the days of Mark Antony and Cleopatra. "Rome" ended after only two seasons. 

- Budget per episode: $8-10 million
- On air: 2016-2022
- Network: HBO

From the opening credits, "Westworld" was the underdog debuting after "Game of Thrones." The 90-minute pilot reportedly cost around $25 million to produce. The futuristic Western, starring Hollywood A-listers Anthony Hopkins and Ed Harris, was co-produced by famed filmmaker J.J. Abrams. It was canceled by HBO in 2022—but as of April 2024, series co-creator Jonathan Nolan still hopes to finish the show out elsewhere.

- Budget per episode: $10 million
- On air: 2019-present
- Network: Netflix

Based on a popular video game and book franchise, "The Witcher" follows a trio of superpowered monster hunters who set out to rid their world of evil. Netflix sunk hundreds of thousands of dollars into the show's elaborate sets and special effects to ensure the franchise's pre-existing audience would be satisfied enough to tune in each week—a gamble that paid off, considering the show was its most popular series in 2019. The show's former star, Henry Cavill, earned $400,000 an episode during the first season and more than $1 million an episode for the second season, but that wasn't enough to keep him from departing "The Witcher" after the series' third season ran in 2023.

- Budget per episode: $10 million
- On air: 2021-present
- Network: Amazon Prime

Scale seems to be the factor that drove the budget for Amazon's "The Wheel of Time" to such extreme heights. Based on a series of novels by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, the fantasy show is shot on elaborately decorated sound stages and specially built, full-scale sets with hundreds (or sometimes even thousands) of extras. Amazon Studios' co-head of TV, Vernon Sanders, told IGN in 2021 that even more would be spent on the show's second season, which premiered in 2023—the pattern could hold for the forthcoming third season as well.

- Budget per episode: $10 million
- On air: 1994-2004
- Network: NBC

The final season of "Friends" rang up a bill of $10 million per episode. Stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, and David Schwimmer were all interested in pursuing other projects, even though they were being paid upwards of $1 million each per episode. The six-member original cast each pulled in 2% of syndication income, which amounted in 2018 to at least $20 million each.

- Budget per episode: $10 million
- On air: 2022-present
- Network: Paramount+

Based on the popular video game franchise of the same name, "Halo" is a science fiction show set in the 26th century. It's safe to assume that nearly all of its $200 million budget went toward its visual effects (VFX, physical sets, or costume design), as none of the actors are big enough to demand high salaries. It's also unclear whether the large budget was worth it, as the series' first season garnered mixed reviews from critics and fans, but the future second season may turn things around.

- Budget per episode: $11 million
- On air: 2016-2017
- Network: Netflix

"The Get Down" could not get back up due to its bloated budget of $120 million, stemming from the show's expensive sets and exorbitant licensing fees for R&B and funk songs used in the series. Set in the 1970s during the birth of hip hop and disco in famed New York City clubs like CBGB and Studio 54, the period drama musical starred Justice Smith and Jimmy Smits.

- Budget per episode: $12.5 million
- On air: 2001
- Network: HBO

The period costumes, European location, and star-studded cast did not come cheap for co-creators Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. Critics acclaimed performances by actors Damian Lewis, Michael Fassbender, and David Schwimmer for the D-Day realism of the "Easy" Company 2nd Battalion of the 506th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. The 10-hour World War II show cost more than $125 million.

- Budget per episode: $12.5-15 million
- On air: 2019-present
- Network: Disney+

The first live-action series in the "Star Wars" franchise, "The Mandalorian" was also Disney+'s first major original series. And while it didn't receive the same budget as the platform's Marvel series, Disney certainly invested in the project. A large portion of the show's first season budget went to a new, award-winning visual effects program called StageCraft. This exciting innovation allows the actors to immerse themselves in the CG environments in real-time through massive wrap-around LED screens.

- Budget per episode: $13 million
- On air: 2016-2023
- Network: Netflix

It cost approximately $37,000 to recreate the wedding dress of Queen Elizabeth II in the first episode of "The Crown," and things only got more expensive from there. Along with the extravagant wardrobe of Elizabeth (Claire Foy), the series used up to 7,000 costumes and a life-sized replica of Buckingham Palace. Netflix initially committed to spending $130 million on the first two seasons of "The Crown," but the series' penultimate, fifth season would later rack up a price tag of more than $143 million.

- Budget per episode: $13 million
- On air: 1994-2009
- Network: NBC

When the 15-season series first aired in 1994, George Clooney and fellow actors Noah Wyle and Julianna Margulies were not the household names they are today. As that changed, so did the budget—which eventually peaked at $13 million per episode. Add in the one episode directed by Quentin Tarantino, and "ER" goes down as one of the most expensive series of all time.

- Budget per episode: $15 million
- On air: 2019-present
- Network: AppleTV+

One of the most successful AppleTV+ series to date, "The Morning Show" follows the anchors of a popular morning news program (a la "The Today Show" or "Good Morning America") as they deal with the fallout of a scandal. The show stars Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, who, according to The Hollywood Reporter, each earned $1.25 million per episode. Toss in big-name recurring stars like Steve Carell and Julianna Margulies and an upcoming guest arc from Jon Hamm, and it's easy to see how the budget could skyrocket thanks to actors' salaries alone.

- Budget per episode: $15 million
- On air: 2019-2022
- Network: AppleTV+

"See" is set 600 years into the future in a post-apocalyptic world where humans are blind. According to the show's star, Jason Momoa, the stark setting and the sighted cast members' commitment to making their performances believable caused the budget to balloon. In one interview, he described how they went to great lengths on both accounts—changing the actual landscape of the areas outside Vancouver where they were shooting and undergoing a month of "blindness training" before filming began.

- Budget per episode: $15 million
- On air: 2022-present
- Network: Netflix

Fans spent decades awaiting a "Sandman" series, so Netflix knew that they couldn't spare any expense. Based on a series of Neil Gaiman comic books, the show's setting is an array of bizarre dream worlds. The recreation of these worlds (through physical sets and special effects) caused the streaming service to allocate such a big budget for each episode. The cost was so significant that some questioned whether Netflix would renew it for a second season—happily for fans, though, that season has been confirmed and is now expected to be released in 2025.

- Budget per episode: $15 million
- On air: 2011-2019
- Network: HBO

The most watched program in the history of the HBO network raised the bar for costumes, set design, and breakout talent, all of which cost millions per episode. The fantasy drama, featuring dragons and deathly weddings, gained worldwide attention in its eight seasons for its plot, special effects, and astronomical budget.

- Budget per episode: $20 million
- On air: 2022-present
- Network: HBO

The prequel to George R.R. Martin's "Game of Thrones," "House of the Dragon" may have been 2022's most anticipated series. Its huge budget caused quite a stir before it even premiered, with many worrying the show would wind up overhyped. Thankfully, most fans were pleased with the final product, especially once they realized showrunners spent so much of the budget on things that mattered to the plot, like bringing 20 CGI dragons and an elaborate fantasy world to life.

- Budget per episode: $21.7 million
- On air: 2010
- Network: HBO

Steven Spielberg, known for his multimillion-dollar productions, spared no expense to recreate historically accurate battle scenes in "The Pacific." Additionally, co-executive producer Tony To told the Hollywood Reporter that the scene where Eugene Sledge, played by Joseph Mazzello, lands on the island of Peleliu cost $5 million. The scene required 300 actors to stay on an Australian beach for four days.

- Budget per episode: $25 million
- On air: 2021
- Network: Disney+

Here's the deal with MCU shows: to make them must-watches for the legions of MCU fans, Disney+ has to ensure the quality is on-par with all of the theatrically released MCU movies. That means sinking millions of dollars into sets, costumes, special effects, and actors' salaries (you can't just swap actors in and out and expect fans to just roll with it, after all). In the case of "WandaVision," showrunners spent a large portion of the budget on 3,010 special effects shots and the complete redecoration of the set for each episode.

- Budget per episode: $25 million
- On air: 2021
- Network: Disney+

Similarly to "WandaVision," "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" spent a good portion of its budget on special effects and actors' salaries. The series marked the first time Anthony Mackie would play Captain America, and Sebastian Stan reprised his role as Bucky Barnes.

- Budget per episode: $25 million
- On air: 2021
- Network: Disney+

When Disney+ ordered seasons of its 2021 MCU shows ("WandaVision," "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," and "Hawkeye"), it reportedly bought out the backend on all three. Essentially, they purchased all of the backend rights so that the production company (Marvel Studios) could never sell the series into syndication to another network, like ABC or CBS, ensuring you'd have to subscribe to their platform if you ever wanted to see it. Likewise, creators and principal cast members lose potential syndication earnings. Disney paid more upfront for all three projects to compensate for the loss.

- Budget per episode: $30 million
- On air: 2016-present
- Network: Netflix

Making the first season of the sci-fi horror series "Stranger Things" look like a 1980s Steven Spielberg movie was costly. Because of the series' limited budget, the show's creators, the Duffer brothers, had to switch up their original ideas, which included changing from a coastal town setting to a minimalist Midwest location. But the series' budget grew substantially after "Stranger Things" became a runaway hit for Netflix, and the show's fourth season cost a whopping $30 million per episode. It's been reported that the fifth and final season, which is set to debut in 2025, will cost north of $20 million per episode.

- Budget per episode: $58.1 million
- On air: 2022-present
- Network: Amazon Prime

The most expensive TV series of all time, "The Rings of Power" has a budget of just under $1 billion for its first five seasons. The money is representative of the pure scale of the show—Amazon spent its budget on things like massive physical sets and groundbreaking special effects—and the fact that this is a "passion project" for founder Jeff Bezos. Additionally, Amazon reportedly spent $250 million to obtain the rights to the "Lord of the Rings" appendices from the book series.