Most expensive show currently on air?
- Thread starter JoeZhang
- Start date
As I replied in that thread, I believe that poster was way off on the budget numbers. Lost's two-part pilot episode cost $12 million and it was the most expensive pilot ABC had ever made. Most pilots cost a lot less than that, and per episode budgets certainly don't approach that range. A big budget network series will typically have a per episode budget of $3-4 million.
Back in 98 ER was costing 13 million per episode, Simpsons was expensive that was until they outsourced the animation to Korea. A lot of what drives up cost is the price of over-paid actors and expensive guest stars which is why Desperate Housewives was so expensive. The new Terminator show was very pricey but Band of Brothers produced by Steven Spielberg is supposed to be one of the most expensive, costing 125 million for a mini series. Then there was the original Battlestar by Glen Larson, in today's dollars, adjusted for inflation the show would still be one of the highest costing productions ever made.
Last edited:
You're right about Lost but the thing about it is, if you put the series in context that's not so expensive compared to some of the really pricey productions. Lost blew most of its budget early on with the pilot, the whole plane crash, explosion fx etc....once the series was green-lit it continued on for many seasons at a cheaper cost, its production costs fell dramatically because they already had the fx of the wreckage, the sets built etc
Lost would still be an expensive show to shoot on a per episode basis. Most big budget series will have a per episode budget of $3-4 million. Looking around at the numbers it looks like the per episode budgets for established mega-hits can soar up to over $ 10 million, so the poster who mentioned that number for CSI may be right - the big cost factor in these cases, and this would go for ER at its peak too, would be the huge per episode salaries commanded by the producers and stars.
So it looks like $3-4 million for a new big budget series and perhaps just over $10 million for established mega-hits.
So it looks like $3-4 million for a new big budget series and perhaps just over $10 million for established mega-hits.
The West Wing average per-episode cost was reportedly in the neighborhood of $8-10 million during the mid to later years, including roughly $8 million from the network and at least $1-2 million burned by the studio as a long-term investment (Bravo repeats, DVD sales, and syndication rapidly earned this back).
One thing about Lost that makes it more expensive than other shows is the high level of on location shooting. At least half of every episode is filmed outside. On location shooting can be expensive.
I don't know enough about television budgets to say what is a high estimate and what is not. But for a point of reference, the first season of HBO's Rome, which built entire elaborate sets, cost about 100 million for the first season (12 episodes).
Edit:
Last edited:
What? Dude, way off. I am a HUGE fan of CSI and have been following it for years as well as having been lucky in actually getting to know some behind the scenes people involved. The average ep costs about 3.3 million, maybe 3.5, but NOWHERE near 10 million. Even with the ratings they get plus syndication, 10 mill would be way too much.
ETA: Re Rome, which I loved, that was on cable and they have more money, plus they spent a shitload of money on sets, which - in the end - I guess never managed to amortize fully, seeing as it didn't last beyond a 2nd season. That said, I can't see a network show spending more than 4 mill per ep (for a drama) to recoup its money.
That's true, but in the last season they were getting, what was it, a million an episode each? And it's only a 20 minute show AND it's shot in front of an audience. That is some serious $ per minute of work
That's what I originally thought - although the info about ER threw me off and made me think CSI might have scaled to that very unusual level.
TheArsenal, yes, HBO puts a lot of money into some of their mini-series and series. Rome and Band of Brothers were hugely expensive TV productions. But broadcast network shows with seasons of 22 to 26 episodes usually come in below $4 million per episode, even at the big budget end. There may be one or two exceptions, but that's generally the upper range.
Thing about comedy shows filmed in front of a live audience vs dramas that you have to take into account is the fact that comedies are extremely cheap to produce. Established and already built sets, no SFX, almost no location shoots. Hence comedy actors tend to get more (strike me down, but I believe Kelsey Grammar was the first actor to get more than a mill per ep for Frasier). Well deserved, but they can afford that sorta money seeing as they save on everything else.
That's true, but in the last season they were getting, what was it, a million an episode each? And it's only a 20 minute show AND it's shot in front of an audience. That is some serious $ per minute of work
True, although in the case of Frasier it was only one indispensable star, with Friends they had 6. That's already outstripped the budget of any star trek episode, and it's only half as long, a fraction of the cast and has no special effects. $6 million per episode just on the stars is unbelievable.
^ Which I totally agree with and it goes to show why I tend to dislike comedies (Frasier, aside, as a matter of fact). Friends was one of a kind and a BIG ratings winner as well as doing well all over the globe.
That said, not sure to what degree the actors' salaries play a part in the eventual "official" cost of an ep.
And ETA: love your icon. Makes me think of Jeeves and Wooster, awww.
That said, not sure to what degree the actors' salaries play a part in the eventual "official" cost of an ep.
And ETA: love your icon. Makes me think of Jeeves and Wooster, awww.
Last edited:
^ Jeeves and Wooster rocks! As does Frasier. Sorry, nothing substantial to add to the thread.
And did you see Blackadder?
And did you see Blackadder?
The other thing is the Friends actors were very smart and all did a deal with each other that they would all get equal pay at every renegotiation. Effectively, they formed their own little cartel and could demand whatever they wanted and the studio couldn't divide and conquer. Very inflationary, given that it then meant that if just one actor wanted to leave and had to be paid more to stay, they ALL got pay increases.
Without their cartelling together, you can bet that their salaries wouldn't have gone so high. Matthew Perry probably, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer and Courtney Cox possibly but not Lisa Kudrow or Matt Le Blanc.
Shrewd cookies, the Friends.
