10 Most Expensive TV Show Pilots Ever

Based on the 1973 film of the same name, Westworld has thrilled and infuriated viewers in equal measures for three seasons now. While some have given up on the show, looking back to the beginning, it is easy to see why so many fell in love with the sci-fi western when it first debuted.

The series had been in development for a long time, even before J. J. Abrams, Johnathan Nolan and Lisa Joy got their hands on the project. The show was meticulously crafted over a few years, with producers acquiring state of the art on-location sets, visual effects and an all-star cast, including Evan Rachel Wood, Thandiwe Newton, Jeffrey Wright, James Marsden, Ed Harris and Sir Anthony Hopkins.

The show also came at a crucial time for HBO. Their flagship series, Game of Thrones, was nearing the end of its story and there was increased competition from rival networks and streaming platforms. The studio needed Westworld to be bigger and better than anything else and as such gave the creators more money to make the show as ambitious as possible.

With so much talent in front of and behind the camera, Westworld’s pilot, The Original, cost $25 million. This is quite a remarkable sum, given that the production costs for the entire first series came in at around just $88 million, meaning that almost a third of the show’s initial budget was spent on the pilot. Given how highly rated The Original was though, HBO definitely invested well here.

Here’s hoping the upcoming fourth series can return the show to its glory days.