The Most Expensive Television Shows of All Time, Ranked

34. True Blood – $5 Million per Episode

True Blood is among HBO's most expensive TV shows, as you might expect. A 173-year-old vampire crosses paths with Louisiana waitress Sookie Stackhouse in True Blood, a dark fantasy. Twilight made vampires popular again, but True Blood brought them to adults. That market came at a price: $5 million per episode. "True Blood shows HBO's willingness to invest in good-looking television," wrote Seth Kelley in Marketplace. Unlike other high-budget HBO shows that lasted only two or three seasons, True Blood aired for seven.