The world’s most expensive TV show boasts a staggering $1 billion budget, with each episode costing more than the entire budgets of blockbuster films like *Brahmastra*, *Singham Again*, and *Jawan*.
Television was once considered the lesser sibling of cinema, with smaller screens and budgets that couldn’t compete with big-screen productions, whether in India or the West. However, the arrival of streaming platforms changed that narrative,
Television was once considered the lesser sibling of cinema, with smaller screens and budgets that couldn’t compete with big-screen productions, whether in India or the West. However, the arrival of streaming platforms changed that narrative, giving TV shows bigger budgets and grander scales to rival films. The most extravagant of these TV productions now surpass even the priciest films in the world.
World’s Most Expensive TV Show
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power* holds the title for the most expensive TV show ever made. Premiering on Amazon Prime Video in 2022, the first season cost Amazon Studios a jaw-dropping $1 billion (₹8300 crore), according to Deadline. This total included the purchase of the rights and marketing for the season. Collider reported that the production costs alone were a whopping $465 million (over ₹3800 crore), meaning each of the eight episodes had a production cost of $58 million (₹480 crore).
How Rings of Power Overshadows Major Films
The most expensive film ever produced, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, had a production budget of $447 million—still less than The Rings of Power’s first season. By comparison, the original Lord of the Rings trilogy was made for just $260 million across all three films, showing how far the scale has grown with the TV series.
Indian films, by comparison, lag far behind. The most expensive Indian productions— Kalki 2898 AD, RRR, and Adipurush—have budgets ranging from $70-75 million, which is only about one-fifteenth of the cost of The Rings of Power’s first season. In fact, the show’s per-episode production cost ($58 million) exceeds the entire budgets of major Indian films like Brahmastra Part One ($45 million), Singham Again ($42 million), and Jawan ($36 million).
All About The Rings of Power
Based on the appendices of JRR Tolkien’s work, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power explores the rise of Sauron, the central villain of Tolkien’s universe. The show is set centuries before The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and introduces a mix of new characters and familiar faces. While the first season received mixed reviews, it garnered strong viewership. The second season, released earlier this year, has been met with more favorable reception.
