Television production costs are higher than ever, says Joshua Chaffin in the Financial Times:

The cost of making a one-hour drama episode has tripled in the past 15 years from about $1m in the early 1990s to $2.7m, according to some studio executives.

HBO raised the bar, with The Sopranos in 1999.Then, to drag younger viewers away from the computer, production companies lured movie stars with high salaries (and easier production schedules). Lost, with a $14 mil. premiere went even farther.

Now, the costs are rising at an "unsustainable" rate, according to Gary Newman, president of 20th Century Fox Television. TV Tracker is quoted as saying that the audience isn't interested in cutting costs.