Production activity in the Greater Los Angeles area continues to fall short of expectations. According to FilmLA’s latest quarterly report, a total of 4,711 on-location shooting days were recorded in the second quarter of 2026. This represents a decline of 12.7 per cent compared with the same quarter last year. Compared with the second quarter of 2019, production volumes are even more than 45 per cent lower.

The television sector once again performed particularly poorly. Across all TV genres tracked by FilmLA, the total number of days of on-location filming stood at 1,607 – a fall of 27.7 per cent compared with the previous year and just under 50 per cent below the five-year average. Reality and comedy productions, in particular, recorded significant declines.

TV dramas are an exception. With 732 days of location filming, this segment was only slightly below the previous year’s figure and thus performed more steadily than the other TV genres.

FilmLA points out that the statistics cover only on-location shoots in the Greater Los Angeles area. Studio productions are not included, nor are numerous projects that are already benefiting from the recently expanded Californian film and television tax incentive scheme and whose filming will not begin until the coming months. According to the organisation, 41 productions had already been approved under the current funding round by July.

The figures show that, despite improved support measures, this long-established production hub is still recovering only slowly from the decline in output seen in recent years. It remains to be seen whether the expanded tax incentives will bring about the hoped-for turnaround as the year progresses.