'1923' Likely Most Expensive First Season of a TV Show Ever, Taylor Sheridan Says

The new Yellowstone prequel series 1923 is likely the most expensive first season of a television show ever made, according to creator Taylor Sheridan. Episodes of the new series cost about $22 million to make, which is even more than episodes of House of the Dragon. 1923 stars Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford as the Dutton family leaders during the 1920s, covering prohibition and the early days of the Great Depression.

"I'm going to tell you and you can tell by watching... I would argue that 1883 was the most expensive first season of a TV show ever made," Sheridan told Deadline. "This was much more expensive. Much more expensive. I don't know what the Game of Thrones budgets were, but I don't know how they could have been more than this."

Sheridan compared the series to Lawrence of Arabia, adding that they filmed across multiple countries in Africa. They shot in South Africa, Kenya, and Tanzania. Producer David Glasser added that the production also visited Malta and Afghanistan. Sheridan also praised Paramount for keeping the checkbooks open and supporting his vision. The studio has already renewed 1923 for a second eight-episode season.

"They're so malleable to the storyteller, or at least to me as the storyteller," Sheridan said of the studio. "They will add episodes because I need it to tell the story. You think about when you talk about a show that's costing $22 million an episode and you just asked for eight more episodes, I didn't do very good in math in school, but I can multiply eight and three and add a bunch of zeroes and realize I just asked for 150 million dollars."

Sheridan estimates that 1923 costs at least $22 million per episode to produce. (The original version of Deadline's interview, still available here, had the number much higher. Sheridan's original estimate was $30 million to $35 million per episode.)

It's surprising that 1923 would cost even more than the new Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon. In April, sources told Variety the first season cost a little under $20 million per episode to produce. Towards the end of its run, Game of Thrones was costing HBO $100 million per season, with episodes reaching $15 million each during the final season.

Meanwhile, Amazon spent about $465 million to produce the first eight-episode season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Amazon reportedly spent $250 million just to acquire the screen rights from the J.R.R. Tolkein estate before cameras even began rolling. Sources also told The Wall Street Journal that Netflix spent $30 million per episode for Stranger Things 4.

1923 launched on Paramount+ on Dec. 18, with new episodes released each Sunday. In addition to Ford and Mirren, the show also stars Brandon Sklenar, Julia Schlaepfer, Jerome Flynn, Darren Mann, Brian Geraghty, Aminah Nieves, and Michell Randolph. Isabel May, who played Elsa Dutton in 1883, returns as the narrator.