The rise of streaming platforms such as Netflix and Disney+ is pushing the budgets for new TV series into the stratosphere. And with a Harry Potter TV adaptation set to hit screens later this year, the cost of making these shows is only heading in one direction.
From cultural sensations like Game of Thrones and Stranger Things to hot new releases like Severance, we've ranked the priciest small-screen spectaculars on a cost-per-episode basis. Read on to discover the most expensive TV shows of all time.
All dollar amounts are in US dollars. Figures for shows made before 2023 have been adjusted for inflation to give you an idea of their budgets in today's money.
The Disney+ Star Wars series Skeleton Crew premiered in December 2024, just in time for Christmas.
The show boasted a reported budget of $136 million (£102m), or $17 million (£12.6m) per episode, with a significant portion of the cost attributed to visual effects.
Star salaries also contributed to the sizable budget. Lead actor Jude Law reportedly earned a cool $500,000 (£372k) per episode, or $4 million (£3m) for the season.
One Piece, based on the popular Manga series by Eiichiro Oda, debuted on Netflix in September 2023.
Each episode of the pirate adventure saga reportedly cost an incredible $17.3 million (£12.9m) to produce. A second season arrived this year, and a third is now in the works.
CGI and action-packed fight sequences were likely a significant factor in the sizable budget.
American drama series The Morning Show is Apple TV’s flagship series.
The second season was released in 2021 and reportedly cost $15 million per episode to produce, or $18.1 million (£13.5m) per episode today.
Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon star in the show and are thought to take home more than $2 million (£1.5m) each per episode.
Amazon Prime Video released its Fallout TV show in April 2024, with a second season arriving the following year.
Based on the popular video game series, the show boasted a production budget of $153 million (£114m), an explosive $19.1 million (£14.2m) per episode. CGI and recreating the post-apocalyptic 1950s Americana setting from the video games on-screen significantly contributed to the cost.
However, the hefty investment proved fruitful for Amazon, and Fallout is the second-most-watched TV show on the platform, behind only The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
HBO fantasy epic Game of Thrones boasted a $6 million per episode budget when it first began.
As its popularity skyrocketed, so did its costs. The final season, which aired in 2019, cost an incredible $15 million per episode, or $19.2 million (£14.3m) in today's money.
Showrunners spent a fortune on set design, CGI and epic battle scenes, while the cast also enjoyed juicy paycheques.
Apple TV reportedly spent a jaw-dropping $15 million per episode on sci-fi series See. That’s $19.2 million (£14.3m) per episode in today’s money.
The show first aired in 2019, with the third and final season arriving in 2022.
Expensive special effects bumped up the show's production budget, while the salary of Jason Momoa, of Aquaman and Game of Thrones fame, was another significant cost.
Netflix's mind-bending sci-fi series 3 Body Problem debuted in March 2024 and is based on the award-winning book series by Liu Cixin.
The show reportedly cost a huge $20 million (£14.9m) per episode to produce, making it the most expensive first season for a Netflix show ever.
Despite the mammoth budget – and the fact the show is created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, famed for helming Game of Thrones, along with Alexander Woo – 3 Body Problem received a mixed critical reception. After some initial confusion surrounding the show's future, Netflix renewed 3 Body Problem for two further seasons. The showrunners have said they have ambitious plans, so expect the budget to soar.
The Continental, a spin-off series of the John Wick film franchise, premiered on the streaming platform Peacock in 2023.
The miniseries consists of three episodes, each with a budget exceeding $20 million (£14.9m). The show's substantial budget easily surpassed the costs of the first two John Wick movies.
Set in the 1970s, The Continental is a prequel to the action-packed film franchise and stars Hollywood icon Mel Gibson.
The second season of Apple TV+’s mind-bending sci-fi series Severance cost $200 million (£149m) to produce, or $20 million (£14.9m) per episode.
Released in early 2025, the second season's high cost was attributed to several factors. These include salaries for leading stars such as Adam Scott and Patricia Arquette, elaborate set designs and budget overruns caused by the Hollywood strikes.
The hotly anticipated third season will likely have a smaller budget, as Apple TV+ plans to scale down its spending on original content.
Academy Award-winning director Baz Luhrmann of Moulin Rouge! and Elvis fame is no stranger to a big-budget bonanza. His 1970s-set musical drama The Get Down, in collaboration with Netflix, had an initial projected budget of $11 million per episode. This cost included visual effects, set design and music rights.
However, Deadline reported that the cost per episode soared to a staggering $16 million because of filming shutdowns, staff changes and rewrites. That’s around $21.8 million (£16.2m) in today’s money.
The cost proved too much for Netflix, and the show was axed after just one season.
HBO’s ambitious Western sci-fi mash-up Westworld had some serious star power behind it. The series was co-produced by JJ Abrams, and its star-studded cast included Ed Harris, Anthony Hopkins, Evan Rachel Wood and James Marsden.
The show's fourth season, which aired in 2022, reportedly cost $160 million to create. That works out at a whopping $20 million per episode, or $22.3 million (£16.6m) today.
While praised for its mind-bending CGI, the staggering production costs were ultimately the show's downfall. Plans for a fifth and final season were axed, much to the dismay of fans.
HBO’s long-awaited Game of Thrones spin-off, House of the Dragon, premiered in August 2022.
The 10-episode first season’s budget clocked in at just under $20 million per episode. Adjusted for inflation, that's a chunky $22.3 million (£16.6m).
The series focuses on House Targaryen, a royal family infamous for its ferocious pet dragons. The CGI of these mythical creatures undoubtedly drove up production costs. However, a production insider at HBO revealed that the network’s experience in creating other epic fantasy shows like His Dark Materials and Westworld helped keep the budget from skyrocketing as high as rival shows such as The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Disney+ Star Wars series The Acolyte premiered in June 2024 with an impressive budget of $180 million (£134m), averaging $22.5 million (£16.7m) per episode.
Despite its huge budget, the series premiered to negative reviews, resulting in its cancellation after only one season.
Prior to The Acolyte, the typical budget for a Star Wars series on Disney+ was around $15 million (£11.2m) per episode.
The World War II miniseries Band of Brothers was created by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks and had a blockbuster budget of $125 million, or $12.5 million per episode. That’s an incredible $23.1 million (£17.2m) per episode in today’s money.
The war epic, which aired in 2001, featured a stellar cast, including Damian Lewis, Tom Hardy and David Schwimmer. Set design and European filming locations also bumped up the budget.
The investment paid off though, and the show scooped a string of Golden Globe and Emmy awards. It also spawned two spin-off series, but more on those soon...
Medical drama ER was one of the longest-running TV shows ever, airing for an impressive 15 seasons between 1994 and 2009.
ER made its lead star George Clooney a household name, and as Clooney’s popularity skyrocketed, so did the show’s budget.
At its peak, ER cost $13 million per episode to create, a pulse-racing $25 million (£18.6m) in today's money.
The historic epic series Shogun, based on the bestselling James Clavell novel of the same name, premiered on Disney+ in February 2024.
This big-budget bonanza cost a whopping $250 million (£187m) to create, translating to a colossal $25 million (£18.6m) per episode.
A large ensemble cast, stunning visual effects and meticulous set design that recreated the 1600s Japanese setting in all its glory contributed to the hefty cost.
Since its launch in 2019, Disney+ has been busy developing Marvel television shows to entice subscribers – and no expense is spared.
Shows like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (pictured), Loki and WandaVision are all said to cost a remarkable $25 million (£18.6m) per episode.
With such mammoth budgets, the shows are on par with what the studio spends on its superhero movies.
The highly anticipated Band of Brothers spin-off series Masters of the Air arrived on Apple TV+ in 2024.
Like its predecessor, the show boasted a massive budget, in this instance $250 million (£186m), or $27.8 million (£21m) per episode.
Produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, the gripping WWII drama followed bomber crews on dangerous missions to destroy targets inside Nazi-occupied Europe. Its impressive cast included Austin Butler, best known for his Oscar-nominated role in Elvis, and Barry Keoghan of Saltburn fame.
Before Masters of the Air hit screens, another Band of Brothers spin-off, The Pacific, aired in 2010.
Naturally, recreating World War II in all its gritty and gruesome detail didn’t come cheap. The miniseries cost a total of $200 million, or a mammoth $20 million per episode.
That’s an incredible $29.9 million (£22.2m) in today's money.
The most expensive Star Wars series on Disney+ to date is Andor, with Forbes reporting a staggering total cost of $645 million (£479m) for its two seasons. The most recent season, released in April 2025, cost $290 million (£216m), making 2022's season one the more expensive, with a budget of $355 million (£264m).
The first season featured 12 episodes, bringing the average cost to over $29.5 million, or around $32.9 million (£24.5m) when adjusted for inflation.
A large chunk of the budget went toward special effects. This paid off critically, and the series has received glowing reviews. However, the high production value failed to translate into commercial success, and Andor is reportedly the least-watched Star Wars series on Disney+.
Disney+ show Secret Invasion cost a stunning $212 million (£158m) to produce. The first season, which aired in June 2023, featured six episodes, meaning each cost a jaw-dropping $35.3 million (£26.2m).
Unlike other Marvel shows, the spy series features little CGI, though the salaries of stars including Samuel L. Jackson, Emilia Clarke and Olivia Colman likely contributed to the hefty costs.
Despite its stellar cast and mammoth budget, the show was widely considered a flop, and a second season looks unlikely.
Popular Western drama Yellowstone got a spin-off in the form of 1923, released in December 2022.
Each episode of the Western reportedly cost up to $35 million, or $39.1 million (£29.1m) in today's money.
Filming in multiple countries such as South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Malta during the pandemic no doubt contributed to the eye-watering cost. Meanwhile, leading stars Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren each took home $1 million per episode for their work on the show.
Amazon splashed out an incredible $300 million (£223m) on its action-packed sci-fi spy thriller Citadel.
The first season of the show aired in 2023 and featured six episodes, each costing an eye-watering $50 million (£37.2m). A second season is due to arrive this year.
Pulse-racing action sequences are considered a major factor in the staggering cost, while the series also boasts the star power of Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas.
The supernatural smash hit Stranger Things is one of the most successful shows on Netflix.
When it first aired in 2016, it boasted a $6 million per episode budget, reportedly doubling for seasons two and three. The fourth volume, released in 2022, cost around $30 million per episode.
The fifth and final season reportedly boasted an eye-watering budget of between $50 million (£37.2m) and $60 million (£44.6m) per episode. Star salaries and special efforts accounted for the sky-high budget as the series bowed out on an epic note.
Amazon Prime’s big-budget fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power was released in September 2022.
The first season reportedly cost an astonishing $465 million, which doesn’t even factor in the $250 million Amazon paid to secure the rights to J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy epic.
Season one featured eight episodes, meaning each had an eye-watering $58.1 million budget, or around $64.9 million (£48.2m) today. The second season premiered in August 2024, with a budget of around $57 million (£42.4m) per episode.
Straight in at number one on our list is HBO's hotly anticipated take on the beloved Harry Potter franchise, due to hit screens late this year.
Bringing the Wizarding World to life on screen was never going to come cheap, and reports suggest that each episode will cost over $100 million (£74.3m) to create. If accurate, the show will become the most expensive ever made, with the total production cost of the planned seven seasons reaching an eye-watering $4.2 billion (£3.1bn).
One major expense is set design. A 'mini city' is being constructed in the UK specifically for filming, with a reported $1.3 billion (£966m) price tag. The massive set will feature all the iconic locations from the series, including Hogwarts, King's Cross Station and Privet Drive. A school is even being constructed for the young actors who'll work on the show over the next decade. Three of them – Arabella Stanton, Dominic McLaughlin and Alastair Stout (pictured) – will be taking on the roles of Hermione, Harry and Ron.
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