List of most expensive television series

Last updated

This is a list of most expensive television series.

Contents

Cost per episode

Over US $20 million

Most expensive television series (cost per episode)
TitleYear(s)Est. costs (million US$)Ref.
Unadjusted2024 inflation
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (season 1)20225862 [1] [2]
Citadel 20235052 [3]
Secret Invasion 202335.336 [4]
Stranger Things (season 4)20223032 [5]
The Acolyte 20242929 [6]
WandaVision 20212529 [4]
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier 20212529 [4]
Loki (season 1)20212529 [7]
Hawkeye 20212529 [4]
Ms. Marvel 20222527 [4]
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law 20222527 [4]
Moon Knight 202224.526 [4]
Loki (season 2)202323.524 [8]
Andor (season 1)202220.822 [9]
The Pacific 20102029 [3]
House of the Dragon 2022–20242021 [3]
3 Body Problem 20242020 [10]
Severance (season 2)20252020 [11] [12]

Over US $10 million

Most expensive television series (cost per episode)
TitleYear(s)Est. costs (million US$)Ref.
Unadjusted2024 inflation
One Piece (season 1)20231819 [13]
The Wheel of Time (seasons 1 and 2)2021–202316.217 [3]
The Mandalorian 2019–20231518 [4]
See 2019–20221518 [3]
Game of Thrones (season 8)20191518 [14]
The Book of Boba Fett 20211517 [4]
The Sandman (season 1)20221516 [13]
Obi-Wan Kenobi 20221516 [4]
Ahsoka 20231515 [4]
Avatar: The Last Airbender 20241515 [10]
The Crown (season 6)202314.415 [15]
The Crown (season 5)202214.315 [16]
Arcane 2021–202413.814 [3]
Percy Jackson and the Olympians 202313.514 [17]
ER (seasons 6 and 7)1999–20011329 [18]
Pachinko (season 1)20221314 [3]
Band of Brothers 200112.522 [3]
The Boys 2019–20241111 [3]
The Crown (season 4)202010.913 [16]
Game of Thrones (season 6)20161013 [19]
The Crown (season 3)20191012 [16]
His Dark Materials 2019–20221012 [3]
The Witcher 2019–20231012 [3]
The Last of Us (season 1)20231010 [20]
Halo 2022–20241010 [3]

Over US$1 million

Most expensive television series (cost per episode)
TitleYear(s)Est. costs (million US$)Ref.
Unadjusted2024 inflation
Sense8 2015–2018911 [3]
The Crown (season 2)20178.211 [16]
Stranger Things (season 2)2017810 [13]
Ted (season 1)202488 [21]
The Crown (season 1)201679 [16]
Watership Down 20186.78 [22]
Game of Thrones (season 2)201268 [23]
Stranger Things (season 1)201668 [13]
The Night Manager (season 1)201657 [24]
Boardwalk Empire (season 1)201057 [23]
House of Cards (season 1)20134.56 [25]
House of Cards (seasons 2 and 3)2014–20154.236 [26]
Hemlock Grove (season 1)201345 [27]
Orange Is the New Black (season 1)201345 [27]
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (season 1)2008–20092.654 [28]
Now and Again 1999–20002.44 [29]
Cheers (season 10)1991–19922.25 [30]
Nash Bridges (seasons 3 to 6)1996–200124 [31] [32]
Miami Vice (season 2)1985–198626 [33]
Stargate SG-1 (season 10)2006–200723 [34]
Stargate SG-1 (season 8)2004–20051.73 [35]
Walking with Dinosaurs 19991.63 [36]
The Flash 1990–19911.64 [37]
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (season 1)19921.53 [38]
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (season 1)19931.53 [38]
The Untouchables (season 1)19931.53 [38]
Stargate Atlantis (season 1)2004–20051.52 [35]
The Simpsons (season 7)1995–19961.53 [39]
Stargate SG-1 (season 1)1997–19981.32 [40]
Dallas 1978–19911.23 [41]
Dynasty (season 9)1988–19891.23 [41]
Falcon Crest (season 6)1986–198713 [42]
Farscape 1999–200312 [43]
Afro Samurai 200712 [44]
Da Vinci's Inquest (season 4)2001–200212 [45]
Space: Above and Beyond 1995–199612 [31]

Total cost

Most expensive television series (total cost)
TitleYear(s)Est. costs (million US$)NetworkRef.
Unadjusted2024 inflation
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power 2022–present1,0001,032 Amazon Prime Video [46]
The Crown 2016–23648669 Netflix [15]
Andor 2022–25645645 Disney+ [47]
Game of Thrones 2011–19630775 HBO [48]
Stranger Things 2016–22470505 Netflix [13]
See 2019–22360443 Apple TV+ [3]
The Mandalorian 2019–2023360443 Disney+ [4]
House of the Dragon 2022–24360387 HBO [3]
The Boys 2019–24352352 Amazon Prime Video [3]
The Sopranos 1999–2007301456 HBO [3]
Citadel 2023300310 Amazon Prime Video [49]
The Wheel of Time (seasons 1 and 2)2021–2023261269 Amazon Prime Video [3]
The Morning Show (season 1)2019250307 Apple TV+ [48]
Arcane 2021–2024248256 Netflix [3]
The Witcher 2019–2023240295 Netflix [3]
His Dark Materials 2019–2022230283 BBC One
HBO 		[3]
The Acolyte 2024230230 Disney+ [6]
WandaVision 2021225261 Disney+ [4]
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law 2022225242 Disney+ [4]
Sense8 2015–2018216270 Netflix [3]
Secret Invasion 2023212219 Disney+ [4]
The Pacific 2010200288 HBO [50]
Marco Polo 2014–2016200262 Netflix [15]
Halo 2022–2024170170 Paramount+ [3]
Bridgerton 2020–2024168168 Netflix [15]
Euphoria (season 1)2019165203 HBO [51]
The Sandman 2022165177 Netflix [13]
3 Body Problem 2024160160 Netflix [10]
Fallout (season 1)2024153158 Amazon Prime Video [52]
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier 2021150174 Disney+ [4]
Hawkeye 2021150174 Disney+ [4]
Ms. Marvel 2022150161 Disney+ [4]
Moon Knight 2022147158 Disney+ [4]
One Piece 2023144149 Netflix [13]
Band of Brothers 2001125222 HBO [3]
The Get Down 2016120157 Netflix [15]
Ahsoka 2023120124 Disney+ [4]
Avatar: The Last Airbender 2024120120 Netflix [10]
Percy Jackson and the Olympians 2023108111 Disney+ [17]
The Book of Boba Fett 2021105122 Disney+ [4]
Pachinko (season 1)2022104112 Apple TV+ [3]
The Last of Us (season 1)2023100103 HBO [53]
Beast Games 2024–2025100100 Amazon Prime Video [54]
Succession (seasons 1–2)2018–201990111 HBO [48]
Obi-Wan Kenobi 20229097 Disney+ [4]
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles 1992–19962760 ABC [55]
Watership Down 20182734 BBC One
Netflix 		[22]
Amazon 1999–20002649 Syndication [56]
Tiny Toon Adventures (season 1)1990–19912558 CBS [57]
BraveStarr 1987–19882057 Syndication [58]
Water Rats (season 1)1996–20011632 Nine Network [59]
ThunderCats (season 1)19851544 Syndication [60]
The Puzzle Place (season 1)199510.321 PBS Kids [61]
Walking with Dinosaurs 19999.919 BBC One [36]
Atomic Betty (season 1)2004–2005915 Teletoon
M6 		[62]
Cosmos: A Personal Voyage 1980–19818.228 PBS [61]
WMAC Masters (season 1)1995–19975.511 Syndication [63]
Van-Pires 19975.210 Syndication [64]
Cubix 2001–20044.58 SBS [65]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Ash, Janelle (July 22, 2022). "Amazon spends $465 million for first season of 'Lord of the Rings' spinoff series". Fox Business . Archived from the original on July 23, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  2. ↑ Maas, Jennifer (April 22, 2022). "How HBO Kept 'House of the Dragon' Costs Under $20 Million per Episode (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Cataldo, Amanda; Gama, Daniela (December 12, 2024). "The 27 Most Expensive TV Series Ever Made, Ranked". Collider . Retrieved May 30, 2025.
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  6. 1 2 Reid, Caroline (September 26, 2024). "Disney Reveals Star Wars Show 'The Acolyte' Was Over Budget At $230 MIllion". Forbes . Archived from the original on September 26, 2024. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
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  9. ↑ "Star Wars Ain't Cheap: Why Andor Season 1 Had a Massive $250 Million Budget". Screen Rant . June 14, 2023. Archived from the original on June 14, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
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  22. 1 2 Chase, Stephanie (December 24, 2018). "BBC's Watership Down adaptation loses 700,000 viewers during episode as people complain about animation". Digital Spy . Retrieved May 29, 2025.
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