EXCLUSIVE: The volume of reality TV production in Los Angeles has been falling over the last five years and the situation is set to worsen as one of the biggest music competition shows is set to leave the city.
Deadline understands that American Idol is moving production from Los Angeles to the Atlanta area in Georgia.
The ABC show is moving production for its upcoming Season 25, which premieres in the new year, Fremantle, which produces the show with Sony Pictures Television-backed 19 Entertainment, confirmed to Deadline.
We hear that Fremantle is in final talks with a studio complex in the area but that it has not signed the deal.
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Georgia is one of the main shooting locations outside of L.A. and New York in the U.S. and has been the home for various Marvel movies and shows such as Captain America: Brave New World and Wandavision as well as unscripted series such as Fox’s The 1% Club and ABC game show Press Your Luck, hosted by Elizabeth Banks.
It comes after Fox moved production of one of the other big music competition series – The Masked Singer – out of the state and to New Jersey for Season 15. One of the reasons that Fox is moving The Masked Singer is that The Garden State offers production tax incentives of 30% on qualified expenses with up to 40% on certain studio projects and unlike many states, including California, allows all types of unscripted shows to qualify.
This is similar in Georgia, which offers up to a 30% tax credit for unscripted and reality television productions that spend at least $500,000 in the state, which is one of the main reasons for the Idol move.
Idol’s departure from California will be a blow for reality production in the state. FilmLA recently released data for production in the second quarter of the year and while television rose overall from last year, unscripted productions in LA had 40% fewer shoot days than in the second quarter of 2025. Over the last five years, it has seen a 62.7% drop, per the organization.
The high-profile nature of both Idol and The Masked Singer leaving Los Angeles in the same twelve-month period is a major setback for the city.
Last year, California expanded its film and television tax credit after California legislators passed AB 1138. The expanded system introduced tax credits for certain unscripted productions for the first time, although only “large-scale competition shows” that have a minimum budget of $1M per episode were eligible.
On paper, it seems Idol would have met these requirements, but Deadline understands that the show did not qualify for the California tax credit. We’ve heard that a number of other shows have also not qualified, a move that has frustrated producers, who are also unhappy that the bill disallows “traditional reality, game shows, talk shows, or docufollow television programming”.
It marks the latest shakeup for American Idol, which was renewed for Season 25 (and its tenth for ABC) in July and has filmed recently at Red Studios in Hollywood. Last season, Idol introduced social voting for the first time. It also moved Hollywood Week to Nashville, Tennessee, premiered on a new night in Monday (rather than a Sunday) and started streaming live on Disney+.
The most recent season of the Ryan Seacrest-hosted show starred Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and Carrie Underwood as judges. Deadline understands that this trio is expected to return for Season 25, although their deals are still being worked out. Megan Michaels Wolflick serves as showrunner.
