Somewhere along the way in television history, studios decided that audiences would only flock to the biggest and most splashy shows. Their focus became mostly on series that required gigantic budgets, but that they hoped would allow them to reap the benefits of their investments. Shows such as Netflix’s Stranger Things, and countless Marvel series on Disney+ seemed to indicate that audiences required fancy special effects and over-the-top storytelling in order to tune in. However, there are actually many series, like Breaking Bad, that have been made for far less money and still have brought in major ratings and a devoted fan base. Streamers might be moving towards greenlighting more shows that are extremely expensive to make, but this might be a mistake in the long run, since most viewers are simply looking to get lost in a good story.
Big Budgets Don’t Always Save Shows, Like ‘The Acolyte’
It makes sense that streamers would assume that all big-budget shows will be surefire hits. As evident from summer blockbuster movies, audiences tend to love big explosions, car chases, and superheroes. Who doesn’t enjoy getting lost in a fantasy world that allows them to escape for a while? However, sometimes these elements don’t always end up interesting viewers if the storytelling isn’t top-notch. One of the best examples of a big-budget dud is the recent cancellation of The Acolyte, set in the Star Wars universe. The series takes place before the events of the Skywalker Saga, and follows a Jedi Master as he investigates crimes. Starring Amandla Stenbergand Lee Jung-jae, the eight-episode series premiered on Disney+ in June 2024. Although critics seemed to like The Acolyte, fans just weren’t tuning in, and it was cancelled a mere two months after its debut. Now, not all television series are destined for multiple seasons, but The Acolyte just happened to cost $29 million an episode to make, with a bloated overall budget of $230 million. That’s quite a lot of dough for what’s now considered a flop.
There are plenty of other examples of shows like The Acolyte that saw studios shelling out tons of cash for very little return on their investment. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is now officially the most expensive show ever made, at over $1 billion. Amazon Prime now seems to be committed to making the series work with a third season in production, even after the second season saw a dip in viewership. Another of the streamer’s fantasy series, The Wheel of Time, only aired for two seasons (2021-2023) and cost over $260 million to produce. Amazon isn’t the only streamer who’s been trying to entice audiences with huge budgets and lots of CGI. Disney+ gave another Star Wars series, Andor, two seasons, and spent more than $650 million on the project. It seems like sometimes these massive investments just don’t pay off. Citadel has been a hit for Amazon Prime (at a cost of $300 million), but its spinoffs,Citadel: Honey Bunny and Citadel: Diana,have since been canceled due to budget concerns.
‘Breaking Bad’ Illustrates That Audiences Just Want High-Quality Shows
For as many shows that have colossal budgets, there are just as many series that have earned devoted fans on a tight budget. Breaking Bad, the beloved AMC drama that aired from 2008 to 2013, actually had a fairly small production budget to bring Walter White’s (Bryan Cranston) world to life. In fact, episodes cost around $3 million each. The first season also only had 7 episodes, which means creator Vince Gilligan spent around $21 million to launch one of the most iconic dramas. When compared to The Acolyte, that’s a steal! The series was located in Albuquerque, New Mexico because shooting there would be fairly inexpensive (compared to a big city like Los Angeles), but that only ended up adding to the unique setting and feel of the show. The five-season series would go on to be considered one of the greatest television series ever produced and was both a critic and Emmy darling (with 58 total nominations and 16 wins).
Breaking Bad truly demonstrates that audiences will flock to series that are well-written and keep them glued to their screens (no special effects required). Shows like The Bear, Jury Duty, and Schitt’s Creek have all been brought to the screen on pretty limited budgets. Many of the cast members weren’t huge stars that required giant salaries and no fantastical sets or costumes needed to be used. These high-quality shows simply relied on fantastic storytelling and narratives that would make people want to continue following along. Many of these shows also relied on word-of-mouth or water cooler chatter to continue building their audience. When studios take the time to invest in shows that really deserve a chance, their investments are certainly likely to be paid back in full. The Office might have only cost NBC around $2 million an episode, but it’s still hugely popular to this day, allowing the studio to earn mega bucks in syndication and streaming (with nary a spaceship or dragon in sight).
Studios Need To Lean Into Fostering Original Ideas, Such as ‘The Bear’
Streamers need to pay attention to the successes of shows like Breaking Bad or The Bear. These shows have merely capitalized on talented writers and actors, and they didn’t necessarily need an IP that people were already familiar with in order to earn fans. These types of shows are based on fresh ideas, without a lot of flashy presentations. Plus, for every major investment like The Acolyte that is a bust, so many more original ideas could be brought to the screen (which could eventually help the studios make their money back tenfold).
Hopefully, streamers will start to realize soon that viewers just want well-made shows, and they don’t necessarily need all the expensive elements in order to want to tune in. You would think that studios would be far more into saving money, so they’ll need to learn that they can avoid breaking the bank by just focusing on making shows that keep viewers interested. Although there’s certainly still room for costly series like Lord of the Rings, House of the Dragon, and The Boysto be produced, it would be great for streamers to also lean into fostering original ideas that can be made without shelling out hundreds of millions of dollars every season.
Seasons 1–5 of Breaking Bad are available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
Breaking Bad
- Release Date
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2008 – 2013-00-00
- Network
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AMC
- Showrunner
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Vince Gilligan
- Directors
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Vince Gilligan, Michelle Maclaren
- Writers
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Peter Gould, Gennifer Hutchison, Vince Gilligan, George Mastras, Moira Walley-Beckett, Sam Catlin, Thomas Schnauz
