There’s no doubt that Hollywood is the richest movie industry in the world, and they invest in their movies and TV shows to ensure that they produce only the best. Adjusted for inflation, here are some of the most expensive TV shows ever made.
5. Camelot ($6 million/episode)
Camelot told the story of newly crowned King Arthur and his sister Morgana’s plan to steal the crown. Though it ran for just one season before it was upstaged by Game of Thrones and cancelled by Starz, the network invested a whooping $6 million to shoot one episode for the entire season it lasted.
4. Marco Polo ($9 million/episode)
Produced by Netflix, Marco Polo was inspired by Marco Polo’s early years in the court of Kublai Khan, the Khagan of the Mongol empire. Unfortunately, the show ran for only two seasons before it was cancelled by Netflix.
3. Rome ($9 million/episode):
Rome focused and told the lives of ordinary and illustrious Roman. Due to the high cost of production, HBO had to axe the show after its second season.
2. Friends ($10 million/episode)
One would be very surprised at the production cost of filming Friends since it was set in a coffee shop with minimal props. But what made the show expensive was the cast. As the popularity of the show increased, the actors started to demand more money. The producers were paying the main characters $1 million per episode which rose the entire cost of production to $10 million per episode.
1. ER ( $13 million/episode)
After the show’s rating skyrocketed in 1995/1996, NBC decided to pay Warner Bros a whooping $13 million per episode to continue showing it. Unfortunately, the show failed to keep its viewership up after those years and the budget had to drastically reduce so that a season finale could be shot in 2009.