As a long-time resident and avid fan of the Los Angeles entertainment scene, I’ve seen my fair share of ups and downs in the industry. But the latest FilmLA production report has left me feeling uneasy about the future of reality television in our city.
In the second quarter of 2024, reality TV filming in Los Angeles saw another notable decrease, defying predictions of increased activity due to the shrinking industry and cost-cutting measures following the strikes.
Based on FilmLA’s most recent report, there was a significant decrease of approximately 57% in the number of shooting days for film and television productions from April to June 2024, amounting to a total of 868 days. In contrast, reality TV production during the previous quarter experienced a decline of nearly 18%, with only 1,317 shoot days recorded.
During the second quarter, a few shows filmed in Los Angeles stood out: “Selling Sunset,” “John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in LA,” “American Idol,” “90 Day Finance,” “The Golden Bachelorette,” “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” and “Accident, Suicide or Murder.” Despite these successes, the decline in reality TV production days significantly impacted the entire television sector in the region. This category, which has historically contributed significantly to production in Los Angeles, experienced an estimated 28% decrease compared to the same period the previous year. It’s important to mention that the Writers Guild of America strike started during this period in 2023, resulting in a decline in scripted production as well.
In simpler terms, unscripted TV shows filmed on location result in a large number of permits being required, according to Philip Sokoloski, FilmLA’s vice president of communications. The job creation from reality television is smaller than that of scripted TV, and these projects don’t receive incentives from the California state government. Nonetheless, unscripted TV remains a significant contributor to Los Angeles’ production industry.
As a devoted fan of reality TV, I’ve noticed a concerning trend this year. Insiders in the industry have been sharing with The Hollywood Reporter their concerns about a slump in the reality television sector. This downturn has resulted in fewer job opportunities, tighter budgets, and executives becoming even more risk-averse when it comes to greenlighting new and innovative project ideas.
According to producer Patrick Caligiuri, known for shows like “Naked and Afraid” and “American Idol,” FilmLA’s data doesn’t come as a shock. He voiced concerns about the future of reality TV in a viral TikTok post and LinkedIn post earlier this year, titled “Reality TV is struggling.” Caligiuri emphasizes that many workers are still facing tough times, with few reporting wages similar to pre-pandemic levels, and everyone grateful for any job they can get.
Another possible explanation for the decline in reality TV production in the region is that these projects don’t receive tax incentives in California. Consequently, producers bear the entire cost of their productions without any financial aid, while major filming locations like Georgia and New Mexico designed their programs to offer such incentives.
According to Joe Chianese, senior vice president of Entertainment Partners, a Hollywood payroll service company, unscripted productions generally prefer to shoot at distinctive sites. If there’s an opportunity to film in Fiji or any other place that offers incentives, they will definitely choose to do so.
As a gamer, I can relate to this situation by saying: “I’ve been following the gaming industry closely, and let me tell you, it’s a tough time for unscripted production in California. The number of projects is decreasing industry-wide, and that’s not all. Other places are offering better incentives for producers in unscripted productions, making it increasingly difficult for us here to compete.”
Recently, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker approved a legislation that broadened the state’s tax credit scheme, now encompassing game shows, national discussion programs, and reality contests amongst its eligible categories.
As a huge fan of the film industry, I’ve noticed that California is currently unique among major production hubs by not allowing above-the-line costs to be eligible for incentives. But starting from 2025, an exciting change is on the horizon! For the first time since the inception of this program back in 2009, credits will become refundable. This means that producers can receive cash back instead of just tax savings when they shoot their projects in California, making it even more enticing to choose our beautiful state as their filming location.
During the three-month span from April to June, there was a decrease of approximately 12% compared to the same timeframe in the previous year (5,749 shooting days vs. 6,566). This represented a decline of over 33% when compared to the average for the past five years, excluding the production suspension in Los Angeles County in 2020. The majority of this decrease was due to a significant drop in reality television production. However, scripted content performed better than during the earliest months affected by the 2024 strikes. TV drama and comedy production saw a substantial increase, nearly doubling to a combined total of 885 shooting days (714 for drama and 171 for comedy).
As a dedicated gamer, I’ve come across some exciting news about the television shows filmed in Los Angeles during the last quarter. I was thrilled to discover that several incentive-backed projects were among them. For instance, Netflix’s “Forever,” CBS’s “S.W.A.T.,” ABC’s “Orphan,” Max’s “Bookie,” NBC’s “Suits: LA,” and Apple TV+’s “Shrinking” all made it to the list! These shows are not only a treat for me as a gamer, but also for anyone who enjoys great storytelling and top-notch production values.
I was excitedly looking forward to the FilmLA report based on sound stage occupancy data from January to June 2023. However, my enthusiasm took a dip when I noticed a significant decrease leading up to last year’s strikes. Prior to the work stoppages, occupancy levels were consistently around 90 percent. Sadly, these levels never bounced back in 2023, resulting in nearly a 20 percent drop in the second quarter of this year compared to the same period last year.
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2024-07-17 22:25