10 Most Expensive TV Show Pilots Ever
5. Boardwalk Empire - $18 Million
Before Game of Thrones came along and overshadowed all before it, Boardwalk Empire was HBO’s flagship show. Featuring a ridiculously talented cast (a recurring theme on this list), the Steve Buscemi-fronted series ran for five excellent seasons between 2010 and 2014.
As with the other period pieces on this list, the bulk of Boardwalk’s budget went into reconstructing its setting, in this case 1920s prohibition era Atlantic City, with $5 million alone spent on building a 300-foot-long boardwalk.
While over its entire run the series was not as expensive as other shows, HBO certainly went all on out on the pilot, with an estimated production cost of $18 million. This price tag can be largely attributed to one man in particular: Martin Scorsese.
The legendary director returned to the small screen for the first time in over three decades to direct the feature-length pilot and was heavily involved in the show’s development. With the likes of Scorsese, Buscemi and the writers behind The Sopranos all involved, it is no wonder Boardwalk Empire was as good (and as expensive) as it was.