Summary
- The TV shows that Marvel is currently working on will have a more grounded approach, meaning they will be less expensive to produce
- This is in contrast to shows like Secret Invasion and She-Hulk, which have much higher budgets
- The success of these shows ultimately depends on the creativity and execution of the projects, not just the budget.
I just got done explaining how Marvel is broke, and now I just caught wind of scooper Daniel RPK’s tweet about Marvel focusing on more grounded TV shows.
What grounded really means is less expensive and that’s why Hollywood loves to put out “grounded” cop shows, because they are super cheap to make and people also eat them up.
So for example, while Disney coughed up the likes of $200 million for six episodes of Secret Invasion and another $200 million for nine episodes of She-Hulk, something like HBO’s True Detective only cost north of $32 million for the entire first season on a budget of around $4 million an episode.
Grounded is cheaper
TV show budgets can vary, with typically network shows being cheaper compared to their cable or streaming counterparts.
Of course, if the TV show becomes popular that affects the budget (higher pay for actors, etc.) — but something like CSI, which might have a budget of a million dollars or even three million dollars an episode, would only cost $23 million to $69 million a season.
What Disney spent on Secret Invasion and She-Hulk is comparison to shows like HBO’s Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, and Netflix’s Stranger Things, where obviously there is no comparison. Likewise, the first and best season of The Walking Dead is said to be around $3 million an episode, totaling a modest $18 million for the entirety of its six-episode debut season.
So according to Daniel RPK, with Bob Iger stating Disney is pulling back on Marvel, the scooper claims part of that includes putting out less TV content and with that a more grounded approach.
“Marvel not developing too many live action shows at the moment, focusing on animated stuff and live action movies. Next live action shows we’ll get from them will be more grounded,” he tweeted.
There is a bright side to things
The good news? If you are more of a fan of the Marvel street-level stuff, you’ll probably love what’s coming because it’s cheaper to make something like Daredevil than a heavy CGI-intensive series like She-Hulk, Secret Invasion or even Ms. Marvel (the obviously much more grounded Echo is said to have the MCU’s lowest budget).
“Grounded” likely means more Daredevil, things of that nature, exactly what Marvel TV did with the Netflix shows, and I would even go so far as to say Agents Of SHIELD and Agent Carter.
Now, of course, the question is, will it be any good?
I think it’s safe to say it’s not the budgets of the various TV shows or what have you that are to blame if something fails, but the creatives in charge and who are developing these projects. Just ask Sony.
