TV networks have to take big risks and invest big money into new shows and serials. But sometimes, they find out that their bet did not play and millions of dollars have been thrown out the window. We offer you 7 big, costly TV flops that became epic fails for their makers.
Over 400 TV shows are broadcast every year, and that means the competition for viewers is fierce. As a result, networks are often willing to spend big money on projects they think will lure in the biggest audience. They place their bets – and sometimes lose their shirts. Here are some of the most expensive TV flops to ever have their plugs pulled.
Battlestar Galactica. Most people today know Battlestar Galactica as the marathon-worthy sci-fi series that ran from 2003 to 2009. Hardcore fans, however, might remember that the series originated in 1978 and tanked in the ratings a year later. Setting out to be a TV take on Star Wars, the original Galactica cost roughly $1 million per episode – more than doubled that of a typical prime-time show at the time, and the equivalent of over $3.7 million today. At first, it was worth the price tag. The series’ early episodes attracted positive reviews and healthy ratings, but those ratings eventually began to slip, and behind-the-scenes issues like censorship made production difficult. Ultimately, Battlestar Galactica couldn't pull its weight as compared to other less-expensive Network hits, such as ABC's own Mork & Mindy, and the show was canceled after a single season. The Network did give it another go with Galactica 1980, but that show only lasted 10 episodes before being decommissioned due to non-existent viewers.
Supertrain. When it comes to expensive flops, you'd be hard-pressed to find a bigger trainwreck than 1979's Supertrain. As you might expect from the title, the NBC show was basically just Love Boat meets Snowpiercer, set on a massive, nuclear-powered locomotive featuring its own nightclubs and casinos that could speed from New York to Los Angeles at 200 miles per hour. The thing is, the train didn't actually exist, so the show's creators used expensive model trains while filming. Unfortunately, the models weren't particularly durable, and one of them was destroyed in a crash before the first episode was even filmed. After the show debuted to downright terrible ratings, famous celebrities were brought on to keep Supertrain on track. Tony Danza, Rue McClanahan, and Dick Van Dyke all made guest appearances, but even that late ‘70s star power couldn't stop Supertrain from going off the rails. The show was canceled after 9 episodes and remains one of NBC's costliest flops to date at a reported $4 million dollars an episode.
Father of The Pride. It makes a lot of sense that after Shrek braked it in the box office, NBC was willing to fork over big bucks DreamWorks for a computer-animated show of their own. It makes a lot less sense that they decided that the project that would be worth $2.5 million of their money would be a show that recast the white lions from Siegfried and Roy's famous Las Vegas magic act as a wacky sitcom family. The result was Father of The Pride. Unlike Shrek, which somehow spawned an unstoppable franchise that we just can't seem to get rid of, it failed to capture the hearts and minds of those who watched it. It did, however, capture plenty of unwanted attention. The Parents Television Council flooded the FCC with allegations that Father of The Pride was indecent. To make matters worse, the show came in hot on the heels of Roy being nearly mauled to death when one of his tigers dragged him offstage by the neck, the first such accident in more than 5,000 shows. With all that stacked against it, it didn't take long for NBC to make the show disappear after only 13 episodes.
Viva Laughlin. When some shows get canceled, they leave viewers feeling like they missed out on something good that never got a chance to shine. When CBS dropped the hammer on 2007's Viva Laughlin, however, it was a mercy killing that freed the audience from what the New York Times suggested might be “the worst show in the history of television”. Made in an effort to diverge from the standard lineup of police procedurals and Grandparent-focused sitcoms, CBS banked big on a remake of Viva Blackpool, a popular BBC show with a bizzare premise: a murder mystery that would occasionally break out into elaborate musical numbers where the cast sang pop songs. Despite the presence of producer and star Hugh Jackman, critics and viewers alike hated the casino-themed musical from the opening number. Its ratings were dismal, and it quickly became a go-to punchline on the E! Network’s The Soup as a show “beloved by hundreds”, which might have been overstating it. After only two episodes, Viva Laughlin danced its way off airwaves, and with the pilot purportedly costing $6.8 million, cutting losses early was probably the right call.
Camelot. As the first series ordered under Chris Albrecht, the newly crowned president and CEO of Starz, hopes were riding high on 2011's Arthurian drama, Camelot. According to Albrecht, the show was based on, quote, “an idea of hope that has resonated at different times throughout history”. Unfortunately, 2011 was not one of those times. Critical reviews of Camelot were less than stellar, but while the show still saw solid ratings during its final episodes, Starz canceled the fantasy-drama after only one season. Scheduling conflicts with lead cast members Joseph Fiennes, Jamie Campbell Bower, and Eva Green made a sophomore effort more trouble than it was worth. And it was worth quite a lot. According to The Wall Street Journal, the series cost roughly $7 million per episode. That's a Lance-a-lot of money, huh? Look, you can't blame us for trying that one.
Kings. Betting on the star-power of Deadwood's Ian McShane, the writing prowess of American Gods’ Michael Greene, and some assistance from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire director Francis Lawrence, NBC seemed poised to hit it big with 2009's Kings, an ambitious drama reimagining the life of the biblical King David in a modern setting. The two-hour premiere cost a massive $10 million, with each subsequent episode coming in at $4 million a pop. With that kind of money behind a television series, you better believe the stakes were high. In this case, producers rolled snake eyes and cashed out with dismal ratings. But Kings wasn't just costly for NBC. Liberty Mutual invested a $5 million sponsorship into the show, reportedly aiming to subconsciously piggyback on the show's message personal responsibility to encourage viewers to buy insurance. With barely anyone watching the show, however, it's safe to assume Liberty Mutual didn't exactly get what it paid for. Kings was first banished to the dog days of summer before NBC officially called it quits. Still, the show isn't as bad as its ratings imply, and it might be worth going back if you missed it the first time around.
Marco Polo. Netflix is no stranger to dropping big money on big projects, but in the case of 2014's Marco Polo, the series never really found its way to an audience, and wound up losing big in the process. At the time of Marco Polo's release, no active series was more expensive to produce, except HBO's fantasy-juggernaut Game of Thrones. The first season of Netflix's Kublai Khan-centered drama cost a staggering $90 million, which weighs in at $9 million per episode. Unfortunately for Netflix, Marco Polo never came close to Game of Thrones’ success. Despite lackluster critical reviews, Netflix gave Marco Polo a second season. The sophomore effort was less popular than the first, prompting the streaming service to give the series the axe (in this case, 13th-century Mongol axe).
