Summary

• High budgets don't always guarantee success in TV shows, as proven by the cancelation of many expensive series.
• Critically acclaimed and commercially successful shows, such as Game of Thrones, have had high budgets but exceptions exist.
• Sometimes even large-scale, prestige productions like Rome can get canceled due to various reasons, not just costs.

Many TV shows with enormous budgets have wound up canceled, with networks cutting their losses after a season or two. Theoretically, a higher budget should set higher standards for the TV series, as, at the very least, it should look well-made and have a talented cast. In reality, so many factors are at play when making a television show that no amount of money can guarantee success. Recently, Amazon Prime developed two of the most expensive shows ever, Citadel and The Rings of Power, which received mixed critical receptions, calling into question the use of their enormous budgets.

Many of the most expensive TV shows ever made, from Game of Thrones to The Mandalorian, have been critical and commercially successful. High budgets have become more common in television, as blockbuster shows with extensive CGI and well-known franchises have become increasingly common. In many cases, however, these expensive shows didn't pan out as expected. Whether they were critically shunned or didn't have the viewership to merit such a cost, many high-budget TV series were canceled.

10 Rome

Canceled after season 2.

One of the most expensive shows ever made, especially for its era, HBO's Rome is commonly cited as a significant inspiration for Game of Thrones. The series proved that an immersive costume drama with high production value was possible on TV and that, as opposed to film, the medium might be ideally suited for adapting fantasy and historical fiction. Rome ran for two critically acclaimed, beloved seasons before its cancelation.

Given its viewership, the network decided it was far too expensive to merit continuation.

The show's cancelation led to a rushed conclusion for many of the main story arcs. Given its viewership, the network decided it was far too expensive to merit continuation. While Rome may have laid the foundation for the scale of modern television, it also set a precedent that even large-scale, prestige productions could be canceled. Still, Rome is one of the best historical TV series ever made, and it's worth watching despite the hastened ending.

9 Mindhunter

Canceled after season 2.

Its cancelation hasn't been as definitive as other shows, with questions being raised about a season 3 for years.

Netflix's Mindhunter doesn't seem like a show that would cost an exorbitant amount, but period dramas always rake up the costs. Ultimately, David Fincher's psychological thriller series was deemed too expensive for its viewership numbers, ending after two seasons. Its cancelation hasn't been as definitive as other shows, with questions being raised about a season 3 for years. For the time being, Netflix has shelved the series despite the immense talent in front of and behind the camera. Given the streaming service's recent tendency to cancel shows, it's no surprise.

8 Camelot

Canceled after season 1.

The Camelot series from Starz had the potential to be one of the biggest shows ever, pre-dating Game of Thrones as a massive-budget fantasy series with prestige acting talent. On a budget of roughly $7 million per episode, Starz only gave Camelot one chance before cutting their losses and canceling the series. The poor reviews for Camelot were likely a contributor, as it received a 44% score on Rotten Tomatoes and 6.5/10 on IMDb, resulting in a critical and commercial disaster.

7 Inhumans

Canceled after season 1.

The ABC show just wasn't good, with cheap visual effects and design sticking out like a sore thumb among the typically well-produced Marvel projects.

Marvel's Inhumans TV series was another critical disaster and one of the first Marvel projects to suffer from poor reviews. With an 11% on Rotten Tomatoes, Inhumans was canceled after only one season and has been cut from MCU canon. Despite its budget, franchise title, and the excitement of Iwan Rheon taking on a new role fresh off of Game of Thrones, the ABC show just wasn't good, with cheap visual effects and design sticking out like a sore thumb among the typically well-produced Marvel projects.

6 Marco Polo

Canceled after season 2.

The show's biggest problem was mixed reviews, though it did have a dedicated audience and showed significant improvement in its second season.

Another large-scale historical epic was Netflix's Marco Polo, which saw its titular character interacting with Benedict Wong's portrayal of Kublai Khan. As one of Netflix's earliest releases, Marco Polo was an enormous risk to test the limitations of streaming platform capabilities. Ultimately, the series was canceled after two seasons, resulting in a $200 million loss for the service (via THR). Again, the show's biggest problem was mixed reviews, though it did have a dedicated audience and showed significant improvement in its second season.

5 Jupiter's Legacy

Canceled after season 1.

Jupiter's Legacy is one of the many canceled Netflix shows that ended on massive cliffhangers and one among the slew of shows the streaming service has canceled after just one season. In recent years, Netflix seems to be searching for their next Stranger Things, attempting shows with sci-fi or supernatural elements, hoping for lightning in a bottle. Many of these series haven't seen the immediate results they've hoped for and have been quickly canceled. Jupiter's Legacy had a massive $200 million budget, making it one of Netflix's biggest flops.

4 Terra Nova

Canceled after season 1.

The show received mixed reviews during its limited run, though it was at least visible how much had been spent.

Fox tried their hand with a dystopian dinosaur sci-fi series in 2011, and with Steven Spielberg involved behind the scenes, Terra Nova seemed like a promising venture. The steep production cost of $4 million per episode made it a challenging series to uphold, and Terra Nova was ultimately canceled after one season. The show received mixed reviews during its limited run, though it was at least visible how much had been spent. Terra Nova's CGI wasn't perfect, but it was certainly ahead of its time for TV, bringing believable dinosaurs to life.

3 Vinyl (2016)

Canceled after season 1.

With so much potential, the show attracting mediocre reviews was an enormous disappointment.

In 2016, HBO launched Vinyl, hoping it would be their next big ticket prestige drama, attracting Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger to help produce. With so much potential, the show attracting mediocre reviews was an enormous disappointment. Vinyl had a $100 million budget, extortionate for a period drama about the music industry, and after a single season, HBO canceled the series. According to THR, the premiere episode only had 764,000 viewers, an abysmal turnout for an HBO debut.

2 Supertrain (1979)

Canceled after season 1.

Supertrain had $7 million for its first episode alone. Adjusted for inflation, that's $31 million in 2024, an outrageous amount for a show where the main appeal is that it takes place on a high-speed train.

High-budget TV show experiments aren't just a recent endeavor. Back in 1979, NBC produced a sci-fi series called Supertrain, which has since been dubbed one of the worst TV shows ever made. One of the many big-budget shows that didn't live up to its value, Supertrain had $7 million for its first episode alone. Adjusted for inflation, that's $31 million in 2024, an outrageous amount for a show where the main appeal is that it takes place on a high-speed train.

1 Winning Time (2022-2023)

Canceled after season 2.

Another HBO period drama deemed unworthy of its cost was Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. After two seasons, the Adam McKay-produced show, which explored the vibrant world of NBA basketball in the '80s, was canceled. The series received consistently positive acclaim, celebrated for its writing and for performances from stars like Adrien Brody and John C. Reilly. The abrupt ending of Winning Time season 2 was a disappointing way to conclude a series, though it's still a must-watch for basketball lovers.

Sources: THR