‘The Get Down’ News, Updates: Baz Luhrmann’s Musical-Drama Costs Netflix Estimated $16 million per Episode, Still Can’t Compete with ‘Stranger Things’

‘The Get Down’ is a musical-drama created by Baz Luhrmann and Stephen Adly Guirgis. It reportedly cost Netflix an estimated $16 million per episode. However, it still ranks at no. 14 with the 18-49 year old demographic as opposed to ‘Stranger Things’, which ranks at no. 3.

According to Deadline, Luhrmann’s musical drama television series reportedly costs an estimated $16 million per episode for Netflix making it a ridiculously expensive series. Once a television show spends around $6 million per episode, it is already considered expensive side. In comparison, HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ costs roughly $10 million per episode.

Netflix reportedly spends $16 million per episode including worldwide rights to the original series. Out of the $16 million, $11 million went to the final production expenses per episode and the rest covered visual effects, start-up, music rights and production design.

The show reportedly went $3 million-$4 million over the initial budget after it underwent filming shutdowns, staffing changes, as well as script rewrites. Although the series is yet to wrap, it is already totaling in $120 million-$190 million plus range.

Despite the series’ ballooning expenses, it has not met the same “runaway hit” reception compared to Netflix’s other series ‘Stranger Things’. According to The Independent, Symphony Advanced Media’s chart showed that the science-fiction and horror series ‘Stranger Things’ ranks at no. 3 for viewership among the 18- to 49-year-old market. ‘The Get Down’ is all the way down at no. 14.

However, the show ranks at no. 1 among African Americans and Hispanics and has drawn out a younger demographic, including high-schoolers. Netflix’s chief content officer Ted Sarandos acknowledged the costs during the company’s quarterly earnings call saying, “Yes, it’s an expensive piece of television. Mostly because it’s very large-scale, cinematic. The reason why Baz Luhrmann’s films work around the world is that kind of attractiveness. We’re still seeing how it’s going to unfold for the first season.”

Sarandos continued, “All the shows land at a different level of noise in the press and probably depending on what circles you run in, whether or not your friends are talking about it. We’re very excited about how the show has been performing, particularly in a quarter where we had four shows that turned out to be kind of big event programs for us.”

‘The Get Down’ is a musical-drama series set in the 1970s. It was created by Baz Luhrmann of ‘Moulin Rouge’ fame together with acclaimed playwright, screenwriter, and director Stephen Adly Guirgis. It debuted on Netflix on August 2016 with season 1 consisting of six episodes produced by Sony Pictures Television.