FilmLA Research has issued an update regarding regional filming activity for Q1 of 2026 (January-March), reflecting signs of encouraging progress along with the realization that much more needs to be done to bolster lensing’s impact on the local economy. On-location production activity for the period totaled 5,121 Shoot Days (SD), a 10.7 percent increase from the prior quarter (October-December of 2025, 4,625 SD) and a 3.3 percent decrease from the same period last year (5,295 SD in Q1 of 2025).
To date, 147 projects have been awarded tax credits through Version 4.0 of the California Film & TV Tax Credit Program, including the latest batch of feature film projects announced in April. With each approved production given 180 days to start filming, the very first of these projects are now confirmed to be under way. In Q1, FilmLA found that incentivized projects accounted for nearly 7 percent of all Shoot Days taking place in Greater Los Angeles, including 21.8 percent of all feature production and 17.1 percent of all television production happening on location.
The highlight of Q1 was the feature film category, which finished the quarter with 687 Shoot Days, a 45.2 percent increase over the prior quarter, and a 52.3 percent increase year over year (451 SD in Q1 2025). FilmLA Research found that 21.8 percent of all Shoot Days in this category went to state incentivized projects including Behemoth! (Searchlight Pictures), One Attempt Remaining (Netflix), and Nightwatching (Amazon MGM Studios). The majority of Feature film activity in the first quarter came from independent films.
Today’s report also revealed that 33.7 percent of the Shoot Days in the TV drama category can be attributed to recipients of the California Film & TV Tax Credit. Shoot Days in this category were up 40.5 percent in Q1 over the prior quarter at 472 SD, and up 7.3 percent over the same period last year (440 SD in Q1 2025). Some of the titles in the category include the much anticipated Baywatch reboot (Fox), The Rookie S8 (ABC), Matlock S2 (CBS), 9-1-1 S9 (Fox), and The Morning Show S5 (Apple TV+).
The TV comedy category, totaling 120 Shoot Days, showed a 9.1 percent increase over the previous quarter (110 SD in Q4 2025) and a 9.1 percent increase over Q1 2025 (110 SD). With the recent Film & TV Tax Credit Program expansion allowing projects with minimum episode lengths of 20 minutes to take advantage of increased tax incentives, it is notable that 38.3 percent of the Shoot Days in this category were for incentivized projects. TV comedy titles included the long running It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia S18 (FX), The Studio S2 (Apple TV+), High Potential S2 (ABC), Nobody Wants This S2 (Netflix), and the final season of Hacks S5 (HBO MAX).
Overall, the television category posted 1,196 Shoot Days in Q1, down slightly from Q4 of 2025 (1,247 SD) a difference of 4.1 percent. Compared to the same period the year prior, the television category is down 28.4 percent (1,670 SD in Q1 2025).
“While it’s still too early to make predictions for the coming months, the increase in Shoot Days we are seeing in key categories gives hope for a broader rise in production activity and points to the California Film and Television Tax Program’s growing impact on local job creation.” said FilmLA CEO Denise Gutches.
Gutches went on to say, “While some of the latest numbers are encouraging, we know that there is still significant work to be done to bring filming and jobs back to the region. FilmLA is committed to building on the progress underway with our government partners to make filming here as easy, affordable, and straightforward as possible.”
She continued, “We are optimistic that this newly launched Low Impact Permit Pilot Program in partnership with FilmLA and the City of Los Angeles, designed to reduce permitting costs and streamline the film permitting process, will make a meaningful difference for local filmmakers. Keeping our talented, highly skilled film industry workforce employed here at home in Los Angeles, the film capital of the world, remains our primary focus.”
“We have a long way to go, but after years of decline, Hollywood is finally turning a corner with more productions and more jobs,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. “We have worked hand in hand with industry partners to make filming in Los Angeles easier and more affordable. That means lowering costs, cutting red tape, and creating a more predictable and efficient process for production. And we are not stopping here. City Hall will continue to partner with the industry to support good paying union jobs and expand economic opportunity across LA.”
The TV reality category proved Q1’s greatest disappointment, continuing its downward trend with 463 Shoot Days, a 33.7 percent decline over the prior quarter (698 SD in Q4 2025), and a 52.2 percent decline year over year (969 SD in Q1 2025). The five-year average is down 71.1 percent, the highest among all categories tracked by FilmLA Research. There has been an overall contraction of reality show content as unscripted series with premieres in the United States have plummeted by a third since 2022, according to a study by the research group Luminate. Projects filmed on location included The Real Housewives of Orange County S20 (BRAVO!), Let’s Make a Deal S18 (CBS), The Flipp Off S2 (HGTV) and Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out S2 (Lifetime).
Production of commercials saw an uptick with 794 Shoot Days this quarter, an increase of 35.5 percent over the last quarter (586 SD in Q4 2025), with this category holding steady year over year losing only 2 Shoot Days from the same period a year prior (796 SD in Q1 2025). The commercials category has been hard hit over the past five years, motivating FilmLA to support Assembly Bill AB2403 (Elhawary/Schiavo), a proposal to create a $15 million incentive specifically for commercial filming. Commercials that filmed locally last quarter included spots for AT&T, Walmart, Chase and Geico plus numerous car commercials for auto manufacturers such as BMW, Toyota, Cadillac and Volkswagen.
FilmLA’s “Other” category, which collectively includes still photo shoots, student films, documentaries, short films, online content, plus music and industrial videos, posted 2,444 Shoot Days last quarter, an increase of 5.4 percent from the prior quarter (Q4 2025) and up 2.8 percent compared to the same period the prior year.
