STRANGER THINGS AND THE 9 MOST EXPENSIVE NETFLIX SHOWS.

Stranger Things and the 9 most expensive Netflix shows.#netflix #NetflixSeries
Over the years, Netflix has put out some amazing, high-quality content, but it comes with a hefty price tag. Obviously, Netflix wants to stay ahead of its competitors, and to do so, they have to keep investing and giving the audience more of what they want. Sadly, the streamer sometimes releases new Netflix shows that completely miss the mark. And these shows cost a pretty penny.

However, this doesn’t stop the streamer from spending beaucoup amounts of money on new content to please subscribers. They’re willing to take chances because, at the end of the day, it’s a business. In order to keep and increase their subscriber base, the top streamer has to keep investing and hope there are more hits than busts.

Here are 10 of the most expensive Netflix shows below!

1. Stranger Things
Estimated budget: $30 million per episode (as of season 4)

Stranger Things is not only one of Netflix’s top original series but now is the streamer’s most expensive series. According to Screenrant, each episode of the upcoming Stranger Things season 4 cost Netflix $30 million. This is a huge jump from season 1’s estimated budget of $6 million per episode, season 2’s budget of $8 million per episode, and season 3’s budget of less than $10 million per episode. Netflix has not confirmed this budget amount, but we wouldn’t be surprised if this is actually true.

2. Bridgerton
Estimated budget: $7 million per episode

Bridgerton is an extremely popular show and it’s only getting more popular with each season. Season 1 reportedly cost $7 million per episode to make. Most of the cast in season 1 were newcomers to the entertainment industry, so we doubt the high budget was from their pay. The expensive budget most likely comes from the various locations and intricate costumes. It’s unclear how much season 2 cost to make, but there probably was a bump of about $1-2 million.

3. The Witcher
Estimated budget: $10 million per episode

The Witcher‘s budget isn’t shocking at all. If you just watch 5 minutes of an episode, you’ll understand why it cost so much to make. As reported by gamepressure, the first season of the fantasy series cost $10 million per episode to make. The detailed sets, fight choreography, CGI monsters, and special effects all play a part in the cost. And Henry Cavill’s salary for the show is pretty impressive itself.

4. Orange Is the New Black
Estimated budget: $4 million per episode

Orange Is the New Black is one of Netflix’s first original series and it was an instant success with viewers. The prison drama reportedly cost Netflix $4 million per episode to make. This show had a huge ensemble cast, so it was expected that the budget would be on the higher side. Plus, the show became more popular over its run which likely meant a raise for the actors. Lastly, it had a series run of seven seasons. The more seasons, the higher the budget.

5. House of Cards
Estimated budget: $5 million per episode

House of Cards is Netflix’s first original series, so of course, the streamer would put a lot of money into making the political thriller. Plus, it starred some pretty popular actors like Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright. The actors’ pay alone was costly. The show reportedly cost $5 million per episode to make.

6. Bloodline
Estimated budget: $7-8 million per episode

Bloodline was personally one of my favorite television series. Sadly, the thriller series was canceled after three seasons. Netflix never gave the reason why the show was canceled, but it wasn’t hard to figure it out. Bloodline had rising production costs and people had started losing interest in the show. It just didn’t make sense financially for Netflix to continue the show.

7. The Defenders
Estimated budget: $8 million per episode

One of Netflix’s Marvel shows The Defenders reportedly cost around $8 million per episode to make. This isn’t shocking because other Netflix Marvel shows like Jessica Jones and Daredevil had budgets of around $40 million per season with 13 episodes in each season. This means each episode would be about $3 million to make. The Defenders brought all the superheroes from the other Netflix Marvel shows together, so a higher budget makes sense.

8. Sense8
Estimated budget: $9 million per episode

Sense8 was received well by critics and viewers alike, but the positive response wasn’t enough. The sci-fi show’s production costs were pretty expensive with filming taking place in various countries and not enough people were watching the show to warrant additional seasons. Fortunately, Netflix gave fans a two-and-a-half-hour series finale to wrap things up.

9. The Get Down
Estimated budget: $11 million per episode

The Get Down was given only one season before being canceled by the streamer. I mean, the show was insanely expensive to make. The first season was only supposed to cost the streamer around $97 million to make and ended up costing about $120 million. The show didn’t require any special effects or have a well-known cast, so there’s no reason for the show to have cost this much.

10. The Crown

Estimated budget: $13 million per episode

The Crown premiered on Netflix in November 2016 and was an instant hit. It is the most expensive original series that Netflix has ever created, but it looks like Stranger Things is coming for the crown. The expensive budget mostly comes from the rich set designs, costumes, cinematography, and production values. The Crown season 5 is slated to arrive on Netflix in November 2022.

What do you think about the budgets of Netflix shows? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section!
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