10 Most Expensive TV Shows
Entertaining audiences is an expensive business, and this doesn't just apply to the film industry. TV series have to rely on a similar formula in order to succeed. With that in mind, here are 10 TV series with the largest budgets.
10. Terra Nova (Cost: $4M/Episode)
Fox was ambitious when they ordered the time-travel/dinosaur sci-fi series to be picked up in 2011. Possibly due to the attached Steven Speilberg stamp-of-approval, the network skipped the standard litmus test of a pilot episode. Instead, they purchased a 13 instalment season of Terra Nova, including a two-hour premiere episode that cost $14 million USD to produce.
9. Deadwood (Cost:$4.5M/Episode)
Starring Timothy Olyphant in a Western period drama, HBO committed hard to this series, and went so far to build an actual old west town, not just a set with building fronts.
With all-time favorite characters like Sherrif Seth Bullock (Olyphant), Al Swearengen (Ian McShane), Joanie Stubbs (Kim Dickens), and Calamity Jane (Robin Weigert), Deadwood offered a cuss-filled, rough around the edges look at life in the old west.
8. Boardwalk Empire (Cost: $5M/Episode)
Borrowing from the Deadwood school of doing it real, the pilot episode of Boardwalk Empire cost $18 million to make, as it entailed the complete recreation of the 1920s Atlantic City boardwalk. Complete with authentic music, cars, clothes, and guns from the roaring twenties, the show became famed for its depiction of historical figures and America during the Prohibition-era.
7. Frasier (Cost: $5.2M/Episode in final season)
Frasier started with the main character & actor, Kelsey Grammer, who firmly established himself with the network. Therefore, NBC didn't have the luxury of a few contract negotiations before Grammer earned a top level salary for his role of Dr Frasier Crane.
Add to that the cost of co-stars David Hyde Pierce ($750,000), John Mahoney ($700,000), and Jane Leeves ($367,000) and it inflates the total production cost pretty dramatically. Combined, the stars took home 66% of the total per episode budget.
6. Game Of Thrones (Cost: $6M/Episode)
Often a series can quote one of a few reasons for high production costs; remote locations, massive sets, cast salaries, or special effects. HBO's Game of Thrones can boldly lay claim to conquering all of these issues, as well as requiring and satisfying a need for period dress for the large main cast and even larger numbers of extras in each battle sequence, mob, or city street scene.
Luckily, much of the budget is underwritten by Northern Ireland Screen, a government agency tasked with promoting Northern Ireland. Because of the added press the region gets from the show's massive appeal, an initial $15 million investment into the series has returned an estimated $100 million in added tourist revenue.
5. Camelot (Cost: $7M/Episode)
With a cast made up of recognizable actors including Joseph Fiennes, Jamie Campbell Bower, and Eva Green, the Arthurian origin show received heavy promotion and good pre-launch reviews.
Unfortunately, the premiere episode aired only two months before HBO juggernaut Game of Thrones started. As with all other period dramas, sets, costume, and transport proved to be a substantial burden on the budget, and without ratings to match, Camelot was cancelled after the first season.
4. Marco Polo (Cost: $9M/Episode)
When incorporating elements of culture entirely foreign to the production, as Marco Polo does with Kublai Kahn's Mongolia of the 1200s, costs can rise even faster than other period dramas. With a budget of $90 million for the 10 episode 1st season, Marco Polo was a considerable gamble for Netflix, which is funded solely on small monthly subscriptions. Confident in its success so far, Netflix has ordered a second season of the show for release in 2016.
3. Friends (Cost: $10M/Episode in final season)
Comedies are often much cheaper than dramas. However, Friends faced a particular financial obstacle rarely encountered in Hollywood: star-powered collective bargaining. Entering into negotiations after early, almost predatory, contracts, the cast of Friends banded together and demanded to be paid at the same rate. This deal made working together more harmonious, but it also meant that, as the cast rose in fame, salaries rose across the board. By the final season, Friends was the biggest show on TV, and stars David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, and Matt LeBlanc were some of the biggest names in the world.
2. Rome (Cost: $10M/Episode)
An enormous critical success, Rome won seven Emmys, was nominated for two Golden Globes, and was well received by both critics and historians. The show went to great lengths to recreate ancient Rome, with a massive set in Italy, a crew of hundreds, and huge numbers of extras. These details added up, and HBO tried to keep a tight rein on the production.
After two seasons, it was no longer justifiable to continue production, and the show was cancelled. The narrative pace of the second season picks up considerably, as the writers tried to wrap up the story in a limited time frame.
1. ER (Cost: $13M/Episode [1998-1999])
Credited with launching George Clooney's career, ER was a huge drama hit for NBC in the 90's and was the biggest hour on TV during that time. Created by Jurassic Park writer Michael Crichton, the emergency medical nature of the series allowed for major guest stars on a regular basis and massive ratings. Coming off two record-setting seasons in 1996 and 1997, NBC was faced with the possibility of losing one of the network's major stars, George Clooney, to an inevitably massive movie career, having already starred in Batman & Robin. To retain him and keep the ratings high, NBC agreed to an enormous two-year budget to pay the salary of the large cast.
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