Netflix is certainly one of those streaming platforms that is known to push the boat out on their original TV series. Although big production money doesn’t always guarantee satisfactory profit and quality, Netflix has come to prove again and again that both of those are possible simultaneously. Indeed, some of Netflix's original series have been the best TV has had to offer in recent years.

Netflix arguably changed the way we consume both movies and TV shows. Although the streaming platform recently reported a loss of 200,000 subscribers, it isn't ready to give up yet. Rather, Netflix seems to be trying to win them back. In fact, there's a whole host of exciting new movies and TV series coming to Netflix this month. As such, let's take a look at ten of the most expensive Netflix original TV series so far.

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10 Orange Is The New Black — $4M Per Episode

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Netflix

Orange Is The New Black was one of the first series originally produced by Netflix itself. The plot focuses on women from all sorts of backgrounds as they all end up in prison, trying to survive with the little they have. The series was praised for its inclusion of different cultures, genders, and sexualities, as well as the tackling of important social matters. Netflix was pretty much taking a risk by paying $4 million per episode, as the series didn't even have any big names stars. But after the first season, per LA Times, "it received 12 Emmy nominations — instantly establishing the streaming network as an awards powerhouse." And it went on to do so until the last seventh season.

9 House of Cards — $5M Per Episode

Politicians in a boardroom in House of Cards
Netflix

House of Cards was officially the first-ever TV show produced by Netflix. The series is a political thriller centered around a married couple of ambitious and power-driven people: the Secretary of State Frank Underwood and his wife Claire Underwood. With its budget of $5M per episode, the show did exceptionally well and ended up with 33 Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Due to the allegations of sexual misconduct against Kevin Spacey, as covered by Vox, he did not participate in the sixth and last season of the show.

8 Bridgerton — $7M Per Episode

Kate Sharma in Bridgerton
Netflix

As of recent, Bridgerton has become Netflix's most-watched English-language series, with season one reaching a viewership of 82 million households, totaling to 625.49 million hours viewed — a record that was later surpassed by its second season. The plot is based on Julia Quinn's novels and focuses on the Regency London era when finding a suitable partner used to be the event of the season. It's only understandable that the glamorous costumes, the packed social events, and everything in between would cost as much as $7M per episode. The money is definitely well-spent, considering how much of a global success the show has become.

7 Bloodline — $7-8M Per Episode

Bloodline cast
Netflix

Although not as popular as the other titles on our lists, Bloodline's budget exceeded $7-8M per episode. Labeled as a thriller drama, the series focus on the family of Rayburns who constantly swim in the pits of lies, guilt, and dark secrets. Although the first season of 13 episodes was highly praised by the critics, the series didn't manage to continue its trajectory of quality in the other two seasons and finished altogether with season three.

6 The Defenders — $8M Per Episode

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Netflix

We all know that The Defenders is no longer available on Netflix thanks to Disney regaining the license for its featured characters, but it started as a Netflix original. With an $8 million-per-episode budget, the series is based on the Marvel Comics and stars superhero characters Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist as a localized Avengers-like team. Although the show acknowledges the MCU universe with minor references in the storyline, the fans are still wondering whether the show has finally become MCU canon as they arrived to Disney+. With the appearance of Daredevil in Spider-Man: No Way Home, we're hopeful that they are.

5 Sense8 — $9M Per Episode

Sense8-Via-Netflix-Birthday-Episode (1)
Netflix

With a multinational ensemble cast and filming locations across seven different countries, each episode of Sense8 cost $9 million. Eight actors from all over the world portray eight strangers who are the-so-called "sensates," mentally and emotionally interconnected. They can draw from each other's physical and intellectual abilities and weaknesses anytime they need. Coming from the minds of the Wachowski siblings, the show received praise for its representation of different sexualities, genders, and cultures. The fandom was extremely outraged when Netflix abruptly canceled the show, just after two seasons. The backlash was so immense that Netflix greenlit a proper two-hour final episode to end the series.

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4 The Witcher — $10M Per Episode

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Netflix

The numbers keep getting higher, and this time we have $10 million per episode for The Witcher. Starring Henry Cavill in the main role, this Polish-American fantasy drama is set in medieval times and explores the legend of Geralt of Rivia and Princess Ciri. The TV show already has two seasons released and was renewed for a third. We expect the series to do well, considering how season two had over 2 billion watched minutes in its first week of release.

3 The Get Down — $11M Per Episode

The Get Down cast
Netflix

Netflix continued its tradition of canceling well-received shows yet another time with The Get Down. This time, the musical drama was canceled only after its first season. It appears that, whenever a Netflix show has even a sniff of 'representation matters', you instantly know that you're probably not getting more than one or two seasons. With a budget of $11M per episode, the series is set in South Bronx in the late 1970s and tells the story of a group of friends as they battle through their teenage years.

2 The Crown — $13M Per Episode

Emma Corrin as Princess Diana in The Crown
Netflix

A series about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II definitely needs a budget of at least $13 million per episode. The series covers everything from Elizabeth's marriage to Philip to the Queen's reign into the 21st Century. The Crown has been highly praised for its acting and cinematography, but received some criticism for historical inaccuracies. Despite all of that, it has earned so much as 63 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, becoming Netflix's streaming jewel with multiple Emmy Award wins. Currently, season one to four of The Crown are available to stream, with season five arriving later this year.

1 Stranger Things — $30M Per Episode

Stranger Things cast in the movie theater
Netflix

​​​​​​​Season four of the science fiction horror drama television series is slowly approaching and, with it, the fact that the season reportedly carries a budget of $30 million per episode. Set in the 1980s, the plot of Stranger Things focuses on the fictional town of Hawkins and the supernatural occurrences happening in it. The series has overall received high praise from the critics, which has eventually earned it 39 Primetime Emmy Award nominations. The impatient fans have been waiting three years for the series' conclusion and The Duffer Brothers are already teasing the possibility of future spin-offs.