The 7 most expensive TV shows in history

The rankings are based on Movieweb 2023 material.

7. The Pacific - $20 million per episode

Action, Drama, Military | 4.39 out of 5 on MyShows | Season 1 | 2010

The series is based on the memoirs of U.S. Marines Eugene Sledge and Robert Leckie. They recount the battles in the Pacific during World War II, from their first battle with Japan at Guadalcanal to the horrors of the Battle of Okinawa and their triumphant return home.

At the time of its release, The Pacific was the most expensive TV series in history. Such a high budget provided outstanding for the time visual effects and big names in the author's team: the series was produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.

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6. House of the Dragon - $20 million per episode

Action, Drama, Fantasy | 4.44 out of 5 on MyShows | Season 1 | 2022 - ...

A prequel to Game of Thrones, the events of which take place about 200 years before the plot of the original and tell the story of the beginning of the fall of House Targaryen. In the story, King Viserys I Targaryen chooses his daughter Rhaenyra as his heir. However, this does not please Viserys' brother and sons, for a woman cannot rule. After the king's death, there is a split among the Targaryens, resulting in a civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons.

Even the most expensive season of "Game of Thrones" - the eighth and last - cost less than "House of the Dragon": the final part cost HBO in $15 million per episode. The costs paid off: the premiere episode attracted more than 10 million people to the screens, setting a record for original series HBO Max.

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5. WandaVision - $25 million per episode

Comedy, drama, sci-fi | 4.37 out of 5 on MyShows | Season 1 | 2021

The events of the project unfold after the movie "Avengers: The Final Destination." In the story, the superheroes Wanda and Vision live an absolutely perfect life in the suburbs, but soon begin to suspect that reality is not what it seems.

Marvel, as is the case with movies, doesn't skimp on the production of projects. Movieweb notes that the other MCU series on Disney , "Loki," " Falcon Eye ," " Falcon and the Winter Soldier," cost about the same.

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4. Stranger Things - $30 million per episode

Drama, sci-fi, horror | 4.59 out of 5 on MyShows | 4 seasons | 2016 - ...

The action of the series is set in the 1980s. In the small town of Hawkins, a 12-year-old boy named Will suddenly disappears, and his family and friends begin their own investigation. Venturing into the woods, Will's friends Mike, Dustin and Lucas discover a girl with unusual abilities who may be able to help them in their search.

The cost of "Very Strange Things" is growing with each season: according to media reports, each episode of the first season cost $6 million, the second - $8 million, the third - $10 million, and the fourth - already $30 million. Probably, such costs are associated with a long production schedule and a potential increase in salaries of the main cast.

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3. Secret Invasion - $35 million per episode

Fantastic | 3.04 out of 5 on MyShows | Season 1 | 2023

The head of the Shch. Nick Fury has to investigate an alien invasion of the Scrulls, a race of aliens who can take the form of any human being. They have been hiding among humans for a long time, reincarnating themselves as famous and significant Earthlings. But for Fury this case has a special meaning, because it is connected with his past.

The show did not have to be so expensive, but the series had to undergo a long reshoot, which lasted more than four months. And even the extra cost didn't save "Secret Invasion," which is considered one of the worst shows in the MCU.

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2. Citadel - $50 million per episode

Action, Spy, Thriller | 3.47 out of 5 on MyShows | Season 1 | 2023 - ...

Mason and Nadia are former employees of Citadel, an independent spy agency destroyed by the Manticore crime syndicate. They remember nothing about being in "Citadel" and live completely different lives, until one day their old colleague Bernard recruits them again.

The second and first place in the ranking belongs to Amazon series: the company does not mind spending a tidy sum on a project if it is sure of its success. The high cost of "Citadel" is due to the expensive creative team of the show - the series is produced by the Russo brothers ("Avengers: The Final")- numerous reshoots, as well as the simultaneous work of three shooting teams in different parts of the world.

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1. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power - $58 million per episode

Adventure, Drama, Fantasy | 3.73 out of 5 on MyShows | Season 1 | 2022 - ...

Set thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the series takes viewers into the Second Age. Starting in a relatively quiet time, the project tells about new and familiar characters who face the revived evil force of Middle-earth.

The most expensive project in the ranking also belongs to Amazon, but such a high cost is deceptive: for the filming of the debut installment, the studio had to build a large number of large-scale sets, so the price for the production of subsequent seasons should significantly decrease.

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