7.The Morning Show - $15 million per episode
Technology giant Apple is known for making fabulous investments when it comes to delivering quality to its customers, no matter how expensive it may be. The same principle applies to their Apple TV + streaming service. They have reportedly planned a $6 billion investment in the production of shows and movies for the service.
As for the Morning Show series, it featured Hollywood stars like Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. A notable portion of the budget was spent on royalties for the actresses, who received $2 million for each episode.
6.Seeing is $15 million per episode.
Another series from Apple TV+, "Seeing," also boasts a big budget, albeit for different reasons. Starring "Aquaman" and "Game of Thrones" star Jason Momoa in the title role, the series tells the story of a tribe of people in a world where people have lost their sight and adapted to a different way of life over the centuries.
Two twins are born with sight, which leads the tribes to confusion. The series is set in a future dystopian world, and uses CGI in many cases, adding a good percentage to the overall cost.
5.The Mandalorean - $15 million per episode
Created by "Iron Man" director Jon Favreau, Disney+'s "Mandalorean" was a hit as soon as it was released. The action takes place in the "Star Wars" universe, but is not directly connected to any of the main films. This allowed the series to become very flexible in terms of plot and character development.
The action and acting were praised by critics, not to mention little Yoda, who instantly became an Internet star. The space western used some cutting edge effects, and the CGI and the baby Yoda puppet itself cost $2 million.
4.Game of Thrones - $15 million per episode (last season)
I don't think anyone will see anyone catching one of the most ambitious series of all time in this ranking. HBO's "Game of Thrones" took the world by storm back in 2011, and for years it remained the most expensive and most cutting-edge series on television.
Filming in exotic locations, using CGI and tons of special effects, not to mention a great cast, all drove up costs. The last season came out the most expensive in terms of cost per episode, although the difference from previous seasons wasn't that big.
3.Pacific Ocean - $20 million per episode
Released back in 2010, Pacific Ocean remains to this day the most expensive series ever created by HBO . Producers Steven Spielberg and Tom Zanks didn't want funds when it came to recreating some of the most famous battles of World War II.
The original budget was estimated at about $100 million for all 10 episodes, but the final spending doubled. The main reason was the desire to depict World War II extremely accurately, and many practical effects were used to do so.
2.Marvel Cinematic Universe series - $25 million per episode
The dizzying success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has forced Disney bosses to turn their attention to an uncultivated field - the TV series. Those series based on the Marvel Comics, which were issued earlier, were of very peculiar quality, and there was no connection between them and the film universe. Now the series is an official part of the general film universe, and the events that occur there will be reflected in the films. And vice versa.
In the fourth and fifth phases, there will be a sea of series, which will both tell the stories of known characters and add new ones. Marvel has decided not to skimp on the series, and each will get a solid budget. "WandaVision" is rumored to have a budget of about $225 million, and if you divide that figure by 9 episodes, the budget for each series is $25 million.
1.Lord of the Rings - Total budget over $1 billion
"The Lord of the Rings" is one of the most successful franchises, so it's hard to resist the temptation not to play on the feelings of fans and get more money out of them.
Amazon is known to be developing a series of prequels, and they have already spent $250 million just for the rights. The deal also came with a commitment to release five seasons. This will bring the total production costs for the series to about $1 billion dollars, so clearly Amazon is very serious.
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