Warner Bros. Television
Friends, which ran from 1994 to 2004, wasn't a show containing lavish sets. Most scenes were filmed either in a coffee shop setting or in one of two apartments. What made this show so expensive was its cast. One situation that made it incredibly costly for management was that the actors in the cast banded tightly together for salary negotiations, insisting on fair payment for the entire ensemble. That made it impossible for the network powers-that-were to divide and conquer the actors when it came to salary talks.
According to Finances Online, as the popularity of Friends grew, the actors negotiated for more money in relation to the growth. By the time the show was producing its final season, each cast member was making $1 million per episode, causing the show’s budget to cost an exorbitant $10 million per.
Read about the six other most costly television shows ever made here.