10 Most Expensive TV Show Pilots Ever

To the shock of absolutely nobody, the most expensive TV series in history features on this list.

After collaborating on Band of Brothers a decade earlier, HBO, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks reunited once more to make The Pacific, a ten-part mini-series focusing on the Pacific War. Band of Brothers had already set the record for the most expensive TV series of all time, a $125 million across ten episodes and HBO initially thought about spending the same amount on The Pacific. But once production was complete, the series cost a remarkable $200 million, or $20 million per episode.

Attempting to capture the sheer scope of the fighting in World War Two was not going to be easy. Hundreds of actors were needed, replicas of costumes, locations and military machinery had to be made and thousands of visual effects shots had to be rendered. Remarkably, according to producer/writer Bruce McKenna, the battle sequences were actually completed UNDER budget, which just goes to show how much money HBO really were willing to put towards The Pacific.

What’s more, Spielberg and Hanks are set to join forces again, this time with Apple TV+, to make Masters of the Air, another World War Two mini-series. As the title suggests, it will focus on the United States Air Force and according to reports, has an astronomical budget of $250 million.