Part 6/11:

A particularly egregious comparison circulating online involves Breaking Bad. Some have mistakenly claimed The Acolyte’s budget was comparable to the initial season of Breaking Bad. This is inaccurate and misleading: Breaking Bad’s first season, with seven episodes, cost approximately $3 million per episode, totaling around $21 million—a fraction of The Acolyte’s reported expenditure if total costs are considered.

This misrepresentation highlights a broader misunderstanding of production costs and revenue models: Breaking Bad earned money through advertising and syndication, whereas The Acolyte, like most streaming shows, relies primarily on subscriptions. As Disney+ remains unprofitable, funding a costly flop like The Acolyte becomes increasingly unsustainable.