California's increased tax credit funding attracts two TV series

The California Film Commission has revealed that it is awarding $15m in tax credits to ABC series Promised Land and Mysterious Benedict Society from Disney +, which have relocated from Georgia and Vancouver respectively.

The funding comes from the increase in the state's film and TV tax credit programme, approved by governor Gavin Newsom back in July, which was raised from $56.1m to $71.1m for relocating series.

Furthermore, the criteria to qualify as a relocating TV series has been relaxed to include series that filmed their pilot episode out-of-state (the tax credit program previously required relocating series to film an entire season out-of-state).

Both series will employ a combined 411 crew, 480 cast, and 3,856 background actors/stand-ins (the latter measured in 'man-days') over 157 filming days in California, (including 26 shoot days planned outside the Los Angeles 30-Mile Studio Zone).

They will also generate post-production jobs and revenue for VFX artists, sound editors, sound mixers, musicians and other workers/vendors. Based on their qualified spending and available funding for the tax credit program, the two projects combined qualify for the full $15m in reserved tax credit for the current allocation period under SB 144.

In recent years Good Girls, Chad, Legion, Lucifer, Mistresses and Timeless have relocated to film in California.

California’s tax credit program has welcomed a total of 25 relocating TV series since 2015.

“The new expansion of our tax credit program is working to bring more jobs, spending and opportunity to California,” says California Film Commission executive director Colleen Bell. “Production here in California continues to rebound from the pandemic, and the decisive action from our policymakers in Sacramento is helping to fuel that success.”

Matt Lopez, Promised Land executive producer and showrunner adds: “It is an honor and a privilege to tell this quintessentially American story right here in California, home to the most diverse and talented crews in the world.”