From House Of The Dragon to Game Of Thrones, to The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power here are the most expensive TV shows till date.
With the era of streaming well and truly into its golden age, TV shows today know that the same ol’ stuff just isn’t going to cut it. ‘Bigger is better’ is the word on the street.
Hence, TV shows with fantastical production qualities, star-studded casts, and even sure-shot revivals that have breathed new life into classics – when it comes to getting the attention of a Tiktok-fed audience, studios are pulling out all the stops.
But pulling off these big-ticket shows comes with an equally hefty price tag. When you’re looking at a cinematic quality, you’re going to have to shell out a considerable amount to deliver. Whether it works or not is always a gamble – one that studios are more than willing to take, apparently. Here are some of the most expensive TV shows ever produced… so far.
The Crown: $13 million USD (approx. $20 million AUD) per episode
Historical dramas are always an expensive affair: getting those historically accurate costumes and sets costs a pretty penny, not to mention the attention to detail required, right down to the food on the table or the characters’ accents.
Bringing the British Royal Family to the small screen would have been a bigger challenge for Netflix, since nearly all characters in the series have not just been public fixtures for decades, but also have a dedicated following that scrutinises every aspect of their life – right down to their gait. No wonder Netflix shelled out a whopping $13 million USD an episode to make sure every bow and courtesy was perfect. Given that the show is about to release its fifth season, we’d say it paid off.
Game of Thrones: $15 million USD (approx. $24 million AUD) per episode
Before we all collectively erased the last two seasons of Game of Thrones from memory, this bloody, cutthroat race to the Iron Thrones – based on the books by George R. R. Martin – was HBO’s biggest and most expensive offering in history (although it has since been dethroned by his successor).
While initial seasons clocked in at anywhere between five to six million USD per episode, the tail-end of the show was easily billing HBO a good $15 million USD per episode.
See: $15 million USD (approx. $24 million AUD) per episode
With shows under competitor banners reigning supreme, Apple TV+ knew they had to commit to See. That they did, bringing on Jason Momoa and director/producer Francis Lawrence. The star-cast aside, the show also went to great lengths to create its sets, draining an entire lake in Vancouver to shoot and refilling it after they were done.
The Mandalorian: $15 million USD (approx. $24 million AUD) per episode
Disney+ has entered the chat. The Mandalorian was among the first of the streaming platform’s ambitious ventures, coming around the same time they became Marvel Studios’ gateway into the TV show circuit. The Mandalorian expanded the world of Star Wars through some pretty neat filming techniques, which is why it cost so, we reckon.
House of The Dragon: $20 million USD (approx. $31 million AUD) per episode
After the disaster that the last two seasons of Game of Thrones were, one would have thought committing a whopping $20 million USD an episode to its successor would have been a bold move. We’re so glad the higher-ups at HBO went all in on creating the extravagant and opulent, yet gritty and immersive – and incestuous – world of the Targaryens, not least of which were the majestic dragons. Although they could have given us better lighting.
WandaVision: $25 million USD (approx. $40 million AUD) per episode
The MCU had a lot riding on WandaVision. Not only was it the first TV show to come out of the studio, but also the first major offering after the explosive Avengers: Endgame.
Knowing they had to go all out while still doing justice to Wanda’s intricate world that blended comedy and chaos, the studio poured capital into intricate creative execution and world-building. Perhaps this is why WandaVision remains a crowning jewel of the MCU’s new age.
Stranger Things: $30 Million USD (approx. $47 million AUD) per episode
Along with The Crown, Stranger Things has been one of Netflix’s longest-running and most popular offerings. It may technically be set in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana, but Stranger Things’ immersive universe has brought to life some terrifying monsters, sinister laboratories, and an entire parallel realm that’s out to end the living world – we’d say that warrants the jaw-dropping amount of money.
The Lord of The Rings: Rings of Power: $58 Million USD (approx. $92 million AUD) per episode
Yep, you read that right. When it came to telling the story of how the rings of power came to be – which (spoiler) may spark a ton of fan-fiction about Galadriel and *ahem* you-know-who – The Dark Lord demanded only the very best – with a total budget of $465 million USD, the show is not only the most expensive show in history, but also puts the $281 million USD budget of the original trilogy to shame.
The result was a spectacular, visually stunning, mesmerising rendition of Tolkien’s world, not only taking us back to the nostalgia-laden days of the original movies but also leaving us simmering in anticipation for more to come.
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