At the 2025 ATX TV festival, “Andor” creator Tony Gilroy made some surprising revelations about the making of the series, according to Laughing Place.

Reports confirm that the show’s two seasons had a combined budget of $650 million, translating to over $27 million per episode. this represents a considerable investment for a streaming series.

More surprisingly, Gilroy told attendees that the studio allowed him considerable creative control: “I never took a note”. The only instance of studio intervention occurred when “We said ‘F- the Empire’ in the first season. They said, ‘Can you please not do that?'”.

The line was then changed to “Fight the Empire.” or else, he and writer Beau Willimon enjoyed complete creative freedom. This led to unique choices,including Gilroy’s aversion to excessive exposition,minimizing explanatory dialog and allowing for multiple viewing interpretations.

Gilroy also aimed to defy expectations from the start. Addressing criticism about the first season’s pacing, he embraced a deliberate approach in the second season’s opening: “I want everyone to think this is going to be really tedious… and then – bam – we’re going to steal a ship.”

This freedom meant no test screenings or focus groups, enabling the show to fully embrace its mature themes, morally complex characters, and adult humor.

Gilroy stated that he “became so much of a better writer on this show because of the prospect and because of the instruments that I had to conduct for and compose for and write to.”

The complete second season of “Andor” is currently available on Disney+. The season is anticipated to receive multiple Emmy nominations and is a strong contender for Best Drama Series, alongside shows like “Severance,” “The Last of Us,” “The Pitt,” “The White Lotus,” “Slow Horses” and “The Diplomat”.

“I never took a note.”