The latest TV allocation for year three of California’s Film & TV Tax Credit Program 2.0 includes an eclectic mix of new series, recurring series and pilots.
A total of $69 million in tax credits has been reserved for 11 projects on-track to spend an estimated $339 million in qualified expenditures (defined as wages paid to below-the-line workers and payments to in-state vendors). They will employ nearly 1,500 cast members and more than 2,200 crew.
The new TV series include Ridley Scott’s “Strange Angel” (CBS Studios), “The Rookie” (Touchstone Television Productions), “Untitled Peacock Project” (Hop Skip & Jump Productions) and Mark Burnett’s “Untitled Old Story Pictures Project” (Old Story Pictures).
“Television drives much of the industry’s long-term employment and economic activity, so we’re gratified to see the tax credit program help keep so much TV production here at home,” said Amy Lemisch, executive director of the California Film Commission. “Tens of thousands of cast and crew members, as well as support service vendors, are working in California on TV projects thanks to the expanded tax credit program.”
Lemisch also referenced data released last week by FilmL.A. affirming the strength of in-state TV production. In its first Sound Stage Production Report, the film office reported that sound stages in its jurisdiction have an average occupancy rate of 96 percent, with nearly 75 percent of utilization attributed to scripted TV series. The data for sound stages is consistent with the record year-to-year figures for on-location TV production, which FilmL.A. credits to California’s Film & TV Tax Credit Program 2.0.
Other conditionally approved projects in the current TV allocation round include three pilots (“Euphoria,” “Harmony” and “Less Than Zero”), and four recurring series (“Ballers,” “S.W.A.T.,” “Shooter” and “The Orville”) that are already in the tax credit program and have been renewed for another season of in-state production.
The application period for the latest round of TV tax credits was held November 6-13. Of the 11 projects in the latest round, “The Orville 2” (a recurring TV series from Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp.) leads the way with an estimated $14,513,000 in estimated tax credits followed by: an Untitled Old Story Pictures Project ( a new TV series from Old Story Pictures, LLC) with $9,901,000; “Shooter” (season 3 from Paramount Pictures) with $8,166,000; “Strange Angel 1” (new series from CBS Studios) with $7,846,000; “The Rookie” (new series from Touchstone Television Productions, LLC) with $7,767,000; “Ballers 4” (recurring TV series from Chori Perros Productions, LLC) with $6,783,000; “S.W.A.T. 1.5” (recurring series from CBS Television Studios) with $5,995,000; Untitled Peacock Project (new TV series from Hop Skip & Jump Productions) with $4,146,000; “Less Than Zero” (a pilot from Pacific 2.1 Entertainment Group, Inc.) with $1,569,000; “Euphoria” (pilot from Cooler Waters Productions, LLC) with $1,156,000; and “Harmony” (pilot from Touchstone Television Productions) with $1,154,000.
In addition to these 11 projects, 21 recurring TV series in various stages of production are currently in the tax credit program and eligible for tax credits. In total, 52 TV projects, including pilots, MOWs, miniseries and new/recurring/relocating series, have been accepted into Program 2.0 since it launched in 2015.
Note that the latest list is subject to change, as applicants may withdraw from the program and their reservation of tax credits is reassigned to those currently on the wait list. The next application period for TV projects will be held February 12-16, 2018; a feature film allocation period will follow March 7-13, 2018.
