ER (1994-2008)

Cost/episode: $13 million at it’s peak; $20.5 million after inflation.

This show started at a modest budget of $2-3 million/episode in 1994. By 1998, WB told NBC that the show was going to cost $13 million an episode, and they should pay up, or they’d stop producing it. NBC did.

Towards the end of the show, the costs dropped down to $8-9 million.