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Amazon's Lord of The Rings is expected to be the most expensive TV production upon its release next year. The show cost Amazon $250 million to acquire rights and will cost them up to 20 million per episode. It also comes with a 5-season commitment, and has 20 episodes slated for its first season. Along with the amount of hope invested in it paying off, its budget will go down in history as the first of its kind.
Next year, Marvel will also take the production game to another level, with a $25 million per episode budget on its upcoming shows on Disney+. To get a little perspective on this, let's check out how much it has cost to keep some of television's most expensive shows on the air or streaming.
SENSE8: $9 MILLION PER EPISODE
Sense8 was a short-lived science fiction series that ended despite having grabbed the attention of fans. Its nine-million-dollar budget per episode was nothing short of extravagant, with its 23 episodes shot in 16 different cities and 23 countries. To the disappointment of its fans, the show's audience was too small to keep it running.
Netflix was, however, was relieved of the burden, having evaded immense losses that would have emerged. The show became one of Netflix's best productions, leaving its supporters nostalgic. Sense8 later made a return with a two-hour finale due to public demand to put its viewers' minds at ease.
MARCO POLO: $9 MILLION PER EPISODE
The show made its debut in December 2014. The production cost of each episode peaked at nine million dollars, with its first season taking up $90 million. The show's release was, however, met with negative reviews and low ratings.
After two seasons, the show ended before airing the second due to its huge losses. Despite receiving positive reviews in its second season, the producers thought it best to prevent more failure. The president of Mongolia, however, acclaimed Marco Polo for the positive portrayal of Mongolian culture, with a big part of its budget allocated to costumes.
THE BIG BANG THEORY: $9 MILLION PER EPISODE
The CBS sitcom shot in front of a live audience had a relatively poor reception, with most reviews criticizing its lack of humor. It, however, it rose through the ranks, winning four Emmy awards and a Golden Globe award. By its seventh season, it had more than 18 million viewers per episode.
The show wrapped up in its twelfth season amidst the enormous costs incurred in its principal actors' salaries averaging at one million dollars per episode. The Big Bang Theory had a production budget of nine million dollars per episode with 24 episodes per season.
ROME: $10 MILLION PER EPISODE
Rome was an accurate portrayal of the ancient Roman times and what it took to survive. Its enormous budget of $110 million for 12 episodes was evident in the exquisite scenery created in the show. It was initially expected to be the most watched TV show globally.
Despite the excellent reception that the show got, its extravagance led to its downfall. The series was cut short in a bid to save on finances used in maintaining production resources in Italy. The fall of Rome led to the rise of Game of Thrones, which was perceived as its replacement.
FRIENDS: $10 MILLION PER EPISODE
Friends had modest production costs, but it took a ludicrously high budget to keep its actors on set. It received a string of high ratings, with its last episode making history as the most-watched television episode. In its eighth season, the actors struck a deal with NBC to pay each actor an equal amount of one million dollars per episode.
NBC spent seven million dollars per episode to air season nine and $10 million for its final season. On its 25th anniversary, Friends will be back in theaters for a reunion of the six cast members.
THE GET DOWN: $11 MILLION PER EPISODE
Before The Crown superseded it, The Get Down was at its time Netflix's most expensive TV series. The hip hop series was set in the 1970s in the New York city's South Bronx. Netflix got the show after outbidding FX on it with a $120 million budget for 11 episodes.
The decision later became regrettable after the show got canceled after its first season following outrageous expenditures. The show was destined for a fall, with difficulties already rising during filming. The production delays experienced during its filming and budget constraints made its end quite imminent.
BAND OF BROTHERS: $12.5 MILLION PER EPISODE
The war drama miniseries was based on Stephen E. Ambrose's bestseller book Band of Brothers. The skillful depiction of World War II won the show an Emmy and Golden Globe award in 2001. The show had a budget of $12.5 million per episode that adjusts to 18 million today.
In addition to a production budget of $125 million, its promotional campaign swooped up $15 million more. The show inspired a follow up limited series in 2010 and its sequel Masters of Air to be aired on Apple TV+ with a budget of $200 million.
ER: $13 MILLION PER EPISODE
With 23 wins in the Primetime Emmy awards, ER was the second-longest-running American primetime medical drama series. The 90s drama ran through the new millennium ending in 2009 with 15 seasons. The show had an initial budget of three million dollars per episode until NBC increased it to $13 million for three seasons.
With time the show went on a downward spiral with costs reducing to $11 million in the eleventh season retrogressing until its end in season 15. With inflation adjustments, NBC was investing $20.5 million per episode on ER during its peak seasons.
THE CROWN: $13 MILLION PER EPISODE
Netflix's recreation of the royal family history is set to be among the priciest shows upon its completion. The Crown is predicted to cost almost as much as the cost of being the queen of England or something close, financially at least. Other than the $35,000 it cost to create a replica of the queen's wedding dress in its first episode, total production costs per episode sum up $13 million.
With the recent renewal for the fourth season, it is intended to run up to the sixth season. The 60-episode series will cost an estimated $780 million or more if the budget goes up.
GAME OF THRONES: $15 MILLION PER EPISODE
Game of Thrones might have left fans a bit disappointed, but the stakeholders paid heavily for those eight seasons. It has gone down as a masterpiece of cinema history. The show kicked off with a moderately low budget on its first season at six million dollars per episode totaling up to about $60 million for the whole season. The next 4 seasons up to season 5 cost roughly 6-10 million per episode, but none exceeded $60 million.
The first five seasons were mega-hits, leading to increased budget allocation in the next season costing $100 million by the 6th season. By the eighth season, the numbers had gone up to 15 million per episode, making it the most expensive TV show ever. The final season's earnings were also exemplary at $88 million.
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