Four data points from Luminate’s ‘Hollywood Exodus 2026’ — locations, budgets, tax credit — reveal a structural reshaping of the U.S. TV industry-
The Los Angeles production ecosystem, long regarded as the beating heart of the global film industry, is showing visible structural cracks.
According to content market research firm Luminate, the number of U.S. scripted live-action TV series filmed in Los Angeles, California fell from 42 in Q1 2019 to 15 in Q1 2026 — a 64% drop over seven years. Over the same period, the $1M–$3M-per-episode tier shrank from 52% of U.S. TV premieres to 34%, while the broader sub-$5M tier fell from 82% to 63%.
The crux is that this mid- and lower-budget tier had been the ‘staple’ of L.A.’s production ecosystem. Relatively long seasons, limited reliance on foreign locations, and rotational production cycling through the same city’s soundstages had together sustained the year-round bookings of studios, crews, and service vendors.