Production for Hourlong TV Series Increases

California is having one of its best seasons ever when it comes to production of one-hour television series, according to a new report from FilmL.A. The state is home to 67 projects during the current television season, beating out New York, Georgia and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Ontario, according to the Hollywood nonprofit which coordinates location film permits in Los Angeles, unincorporated Los Angeles County and other jurisdictions. There were 61 such one-hour productions in the previous season. “Most of the California one-hour series are shows on basic and premium cable channels,” the study noted. “However, the fastest growing segment of California’s one-hour series is those produced for digital networks.” About one-third of one-hour scripted series filmed in the state are for streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon. Broadcast networks and cable make up the remaining two-thirds. FilmL.A. credited the state’s film and television tax credit program with the boom in television production. Twenty-seven series were enrolled in the program for the current television season. Scripted one-hour series, the study found, more than make up for what the state does not get in production of big-budget feature films. “A single season of qualified spending by (Fox sci-fi series) ‘The Orville’ ($69 million) and (HBO’s) ‘Westworld’ ($115 million) combined will spend nearly as much, if not more, than many big-budget films,” the study said. “Unlike many big-budget films, these shows can come back for multiple seasons.”