While on-location film and television production decreased by 12.7% in the second quarter of 2026 compared to the same period last year, state tax credits continue to create new opportunities for Southern California, officials announced Thursday.
On-location production in the second quarter, between April and July, totaled 4,711 shoot days, a 12.7% decrease compared to 5,394 shoots days during the same period in 2025, according to a report from FilmLA Research.
At the same time, the nonprofit noted there were a total of 170 projects that received tax credits through the California Film and TV Tax Credit program to date. That figure also includes 41 new film projects announced in July.
Many of those projects will film in the Greater Los Angeles region. Projects that film on-location, as opposed to on soundstages, will be counted in Film LA permit records once they begin production.
“Recent Emmy nominated productions such as ‘Hacks,’ along with California Film and TV Tax Credit recipient ‘The Pitt,’ have demonstrated the strong economic and creative contribution these types of shows can bring to the region,” FilmLA CEO Denise Gutches said in a statement.
“Because scripted television production supports more industry jobs than any other production category, helping to attract these types of productions is an important step towards bringing filming back to the region, restoring jobs, and strengthening our local production economy,” Gutches added.
FilmLA’s report found that television production continued to be the biggest driver of employment and overall shoot days in Los Angeles. The category was up 34.4% over the previous quarter, posting 1,607 shoot days in quarter two versus 1,196 shoot days in the first quarter this year.
Television production stood at 1,607 shoot days in the second quarter this year, or a 27.7% decrease, compared to the second quarter in 2025 with 2,224 shoot days.
The brightest spots in the television category were TV dramas. That category stood at 732 shoot days in the second quarter of 2026, or a decrease of 6.4%, compared to 782 shoot days in the second quarter of 2025.
Officials said incentivized productions in the category now account for 38.3% of shoot days.
Television comedies stood at 57 shoot days, or a decrease of 43%, compared to 100 shoot days in the second quarter of 2025. FilmLA described the figure as “disappointing,” but not alarming as most of the projects are stage-based and not accounted for in the latest research.
About 36.8% of on-location TV comedies were incentivized productions, officials added.
Television reality production continued a multi-year downward trend. It was down by 39.9% in the second quarter of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025.
Feature films had 443 shoot days, a 19.9% year-over-year decrease compared to the same period in 2025. FilmLA noted 33% of all shoot days in this category came from projects that received tax incentives.
Commercials struggled with 543 shoot days, a decrease of 21.5%, compared to 692 shoot days in the second quarter of 2025. Lastly, other projects such as still photo shoots, student films, short films, online content, among other things, declined by 10% in the second quarter compared to the same period in 2025.
“While there is still much work to do, FilmLA’s quarterly report is proof that incentives are working: local incentivized productions are on the rise, creating good-paying union jobs and realizing economic opportunity for Angelenos,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement.