17 eye-wateringly expensive TV shows that bombed spectacularly

Small-screens flops

Not every TV show is destined for success. For every Stranger Things or Friends, there are countless series that fail to find an audience or flop spectacularly from the off.

We've ranked 17 of the biggest and most expensive small-screen disasters ever. From ill-fated sitcoms to big-budget productions that bombed spectacularly, click or scroll on to discover which shows make our list...

All dollar amounts in US dollars

How did we arrive at our ranking?

Assessing the success or failure of a TV show can be a tricky business. When it comes to movies, widely available data on everything from production and marketing costs to worldwide box office takings makes it relatively easy to judge if a film hit the mark or missed by miles. But when it comes to TV shows, it’s a little more opaque, particularly in the age of streaming.

To decide which shows made our ranking and where they placed, we’ve taken into account production costs (adjusted for inflation), viewing figures (where available), what the critics said and, perhaps most important of all, how audiences responded.

So without any further ado, read on to discover our list of TV turkeys...

17th. Rome (2005)

The HBO swords-and-sandals epic Rome boasted a $100 million per season budget (equivalent to $167m today). The first season attracted an average of seven million viewers per episode, which, while modest, was enough to greenlight another season. But audience numbers rapidly declined, with just 2.4 million people watching the season two finale.

Despite ambitious plans for a five-season arc, HBO had no choice but to axe Rome. Subpar viewership and huge production costs combined to make the series unsustainable.

Although it was canceled prematurely, the series achieved critical acclaim and won seven Emmy Awards across its two seasons. On the review aggregation site Metacritic, Rome holds a 70/100 critic score, while general audiences rated it even higher with a stellar user score of 8.8/10.

16th: Vinyl (2016)

Despite having all the makings of a hit, the period drama Vinyl marked another major flop for HBO. The series, which explored the New York City music scene of the 1970s, featured legendary director Martin Scorsese and rock icon Mick Jagger as creators and boasted a $100 million budget ($135m today).

Despite its star power and blockbuster budget, the series struggled to find a wide audience. Only 764,000 people watched the first episode, making it one of the smallest premieres for an HBO series. Unsurprisingly, Vinyl was canceled after one season.

On a more positive note, Vinyl clearly resonated with those who bothered to tune in. The series scored two Emmy nominations and solid reviews, with a 71/100 critic score on Metacritic and a 7.1/10 audience score.

15th: The Get Down (2016)

Musical drama The Get Down, which chronicled the New York City hip-hop scene in the 1970s, was helmed by acclaimed director Baz Luhrmann, famed for big-budget blockbusters such as Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge.

Netflix splurged an incredible $120 million ($162m today) on the series, hoping it would become the next big streaming hit. The show premiered to positive reviews, with a Metacritic critic score of 69/100 and an even better user score of 7.9/10. However, like the similarly-themed Vinyl, The Get Down struggled to find a wide audience.

In its first month of release on Netflix, the show drew just 3.2 million viewers, falling dramatically short of expectations. It soon became clear that the premise was too niche to sustain such a huge budget, and Netflix axed the show, despite generally favorable reviews.

14th: Joey (2004)

Following the roaring success of Friends, fan-favorite character Joey, portrayed by Matt LeBlanc, landed a spin-off series in 2004. While the total budget is unknown, LeBlanc's salary alone was an eye-watering $15 million ($26m today) per season.

The spin-off got off to a successful start, with 18.6 million people watching the first episode. However, viewership decreased to just 10.2 million by the end of season one. Despite this, a second season aired in 2005, but just 4.1 million people tuned in for the final episode. In contrast, 52.5 million people watched the finale of Friends. 

It soon became clear that Joey would never live up to the greatness of its predecessor. The series holds a user rating of 6.3/10 on Metacritic, while Friends scored 8.7. Unsurprisingly, NBC did not renew the ill-fated sitcom for a third season.

13th: Kaos (2024)

Netflix's Kaos debuted in 2024, offering a modern twist on Greek mythology. With the star power of Jeff Goldblum as Zeus and a budget of $53 million, expectations were understandably high.

The show premiered to generally positive reviews and currently holds a Metacritic critic score of 70/100 and a user score of 6.6/10. Critics praised the unique premise and Goldblum's hilarious portrayal of Zeus. However, many viewers found the plot disjointed and hard to follow.

Despite its narrative flaws, Kaos gained a decent following, with more than 20 million Netflix users streaming the show in the second half of 2024. Unfortunately, this figure fell significantly short of expectations.

As a point of comparison, Squid Game 2 racked up an astonishing 87 million streams in its first six days after release at the end of 2024. 

12th: Kings (2009)

The NBC drama Kings reimagined the biblical tale of King David in a modern-day setting, featuring a stellar cast with the likes of Christopher Egan, Ian McShane, and Sebastian Stan. With a budget exceeding $50 million ($76m today), the political drama was slated to be the next big small-screen hit, but only six million US viewers tuned in for the premiere.

By the time the finale aired, just two million viewers remained, leading NBC to cancel the big-budget production after one abysmal season.

Kings also received a mixed critical reception. The series holds a lukewarm critic score of 58/100 on Metacritic, with many reviewers slamming the convoluted plot. However, general audiences were more favorable, and the show boasts a significantly higher user score of 7.8/10, reflecting a small yet loyal fanbase.

11th: Terra Nova (2011)

Fox series Terra Nova sounded like a surefire hit. After all, the ambitious time-travel dinosaur show had none other than Steven Spielberg on board as an executive producer and boasted a sizable budget of $52 million ($75m today).

Despite high hopes, Terra Nova debuted to a mixed critical reception. The visual effects and CGI were highlighted as stand-out aspects, but complained the subpar plot and pacing let the show down. It currently holds a Metacritic critic score of 64/100 and a user score of 6.2/10.

As for viewership, the premiere episode attracted nine million viewers. However, by the final episode, this had dropped to seven million. The underwhelming viewership figures, combined with the huge budget, made the sci-fi series too costly for Fox to continue, and it was axed after one ill-fated season.

10th: Bionic Woman (2007)

NBC rebooted the hit 1970s sci-fi show Bionic Woman in 2007. The dark and gritty revival series boasted a $50 million ($78m today) budget.

The show debuted to an impressive 13.6 million viewers, but it wasn’t long before negative reviews flooded in, slamming everything from the storyline to the acting performances. Viewership fell to just 7.78 million by the fifth episode, leading to the series' cancellation after only one season.

Today, the show holds a Metacritic score of 57/100 from critics and a user score of 5.5/10.

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9th: Camelot (2011)

The Arthurian historical-fantasy series Camelot premiered in 2011 on Starz with a budget of $70 million ($101m today). The show boasted an all-star cast, including Eva Green, Jamie Campbell Bower, and Joseph Fiennes, and was expected to be a major hit. However, it struggled to find an audience, averaging just 900,000 viewers per episode.

A significant factor in its underperformance was stiff competition from HBO’s rival fantasy series, Game of Thrones, which premiered around the same time.

Adding to its woes, Camelot debuted to a lukewarm critical reception, earning a Metacritic critic score of 58/100 and an even lower user score of 5.2/10. Starz ultimately canceled the series after just one season.

8th: Battlestar Galactica (1978)

When Battlestar Galactica premiered in 1978, it was the most expensive show on air at the time, with a budget of $21 million ($105m today). The series aimed to capitalize on the sci-fi boom sparked by Star Wars and started strong, with the first episode ranking fifth in the network ratings.

However, as the series went on, many fans slammed it as a Star Wars rip-off rather than a gripping space epic in its own right. Viewership rapidly declined and it swiftly fell out of the top 20 most-watched TV shows. Today, it holds a 39/100 critic score on Metacritic and a 5.5/10 user score, reflecting its lackluster reception.

The final blow came when rival network CBS moved its hit sitcom All in the Family to the same time slot, leaving Battlestar Galactica struggling to compete. ABC ultimately canceled its big-budget bonanza after just one season.

On a brighter note, the show found a new lease of life when a critically-acclaimed revival series hit screens in 2004.

7th: Father of the Pride (2004)

The animated series Father of the Pride was the most expensive half-hour TV comedy when it aired in 2004, costing between $30 million and $37.5 million ($52m-$65m today) to create.

Produced by DreamWorks, the storyline followed the lives of a family of lions and marked the studio's foray into animation content for adult audiences. Episode one drew 12.3 million viewers, making it the most-watched series of the week on American television. However, this figure fell short of expectations given the show's large budget and extensive promotional campaign. Viewership steadily declined thereafter. 

To make matters worse, the critical response was also poor, and the series faced accusations of copying the humor of rival animated series South Park. NBC canceled the show before the first season had even finished, with only 12 of the 15 episodes making it to air. 

6th: Cop Rock (1990)

The musical drama Cop Rock offered a unique spin on the procedural drama genre. Released in 1990, the show boasted a $22 million budget ($55m today).

The bold premise initially piqued curiosity, with 14.3 million viewers tuning in for the premiere. However, the wacky concept ultimately failed to resonate with audiences, and by the final episode, viewership had declined to just 7.9 million, prompting ABC to cancel the series after 11 episodes.

Dubbed "the single most bizarre TV musical of all time," Cop Rock ranked eighth on TV Guide's list of the 50 Worst TV Shows of All Time in 2002.

5th: Supertrain (1979)

Released in 1979, Supertrain was the most expensive TV show ever made at the time, with a $50 million budget ($224m today). Described as a sci-fi adventure drama, this genre-bending series followed the lives of passengers and crew aboard a luxurious nuclear-powered train.

Audiences were initially on board, with 16.1 million viewers tuning in for the premiere episode. However, the series faced criticism for prioritizing the train and set design over the storyline, with the latter costing up to $2 million ($9m today). By the final episode, viewership had dropped to just 7.08 million. Needless to say, NBC did not renew the show for a second season.

The series was such a train wreck that, in 2002, TV Guide ranked it 28th on its list of the 50 Worst TV Shows of All Time – a testament to its bad plot, which has widely been cited as cheesy and slow-paced.

4th: Viva Laughlin (2007)

The musical drama Viva Laughlin premiered on CBS in 2007. Inspired by the hit British series Blackpool, it followed a businessman attempting to launch a casino in Nevada.

The show boasted serious star power, with Hollywood icon Hugh Jackman serving as both an executive producer and guest star. The pilot episode alone reportedly cost $6.8 million ($10.6m today) to produce, though the budget for subsequent episodes remains unknown.

Alas, Jackman's involvement and a big budget weren’t enough to save the doomed series. It premiered to overwhelmingly negative reviews, with The New York Times even asking at the time: "Is it the worst show in the history of television?" 

The first episode attracted 8.4 million viewers, but by the second, viewership had dropped to 6.8 million. CBS canceled the series after just two episodes, leaving five unaired. 

3rd: Marvel's Inhumans (2017)

Marvel's Inhumans aired on ABC in 2017, with the comic book adaptation boasting an estimated budget of $48 million to $64 million ($64m-$85m today).

Despite the Marvel Cinematic Universe being a juggernaut success, this small-screen adaptation was a major flop, averaging just 4.14 million viewers per episode.

To make matters worse, the series was also a critical failure. It has a Metacritic user score of just 4.4/10 and an even worse critic score of 27/100. Unsurprisingly, season two never saw the light of day.

2nd: The Acolyte (2024)

The Acolyte, which premiered in 2024, set the record as the most expensive Star Wars small-screen adaptation to date, with an estimated budget of $180 million. 

The sci-fi series debuted strongly, attracting 11.1 million viewers within its first five days. However, despite this promising start, viewership rapidly declined, and the show struggled with low completion rates.

By the finale, The Acolyte reportedly recorded the lowest viewership of any Star Wars series to date. Unsurprisingly, Disney+ did not renew the show for a second season.

The show received a generally favorable response from critics, earning a Metacritic score of 67/100. However, Star Wars fans are notoriously hard to please, and the series fared significantly worse with general audiences, who gave it a dismal user score of just 3.1/10. 

1st: Secret Invasion (2023)

Secret Invasion, released in 2023, is the most expensive Marvel series to date. With a staggering budget of $224.3 million and an all-star cast, including Samuel L. Jackson, Emilia Clarke, and Olivia Colman, the series was expected to replicate the success of other Marvel small-screen hits like WandaVision and Loki.

However, the show was viewed by just 994,000 households within its first five days, making it the second-lowest premiere for a Marvel Cinematic Universe series on Disney+. By comparison, similar shows performed significantly better, with Loki attracting 2.5 million viewers within its first five days and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier drawing 1.8 million.

While Secret Invasion received a respectable critical reception with a Metacritic critic score of 63/100, general audiences were far less impressed, criticising everything from the storyline to the production values. The series holds a low user score of 3.6/10, and, ultimately, Disney+ chose not to renew it for a second season.

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