Written by new-contact on Mar 5, 2014. Posted in On Location

New York takes top filming spot over Los Angeles for TV pilot season

New York has taken the top spot as the number one filming location for the new TV pilot season in North America. No fewer than ten dramas and five comedies are filming in New York, compared to just five in Los Angeles, which ties with Vancouver for joint second place.

It’s an impressive result for New York, which only four years ago failed to secure any pilot shoots, Deadline reports. Now the city is the top choice for pilots and hosts established TV shows like The Good Wife and Blue Bloods.

New York’s filming incentives are a major factor in the turnaround, although much of the talent – particularly for comedies – is also based in the iconic East Coast city.

Texas takes the number three spot with three pilots, while Georgia, North Carolina, New Mexico and Toronto all secured two each. All five locations have well-established production infrastructure and competitive filming incentive programmes.

Location filming outside North America is less common this season. Fairy tale pilot Galavant is among the exceptions, taking advantage of new TV tax credits to become the first US broadcast show to film in the UK. Also, Morocco has been used as a stand-in for the Middle East in political dramas Tyrant and Odyssey, and as a double for ancient Egypt in historic adventure Hieroglyph, which will be based in New Mexico for the remainder of the season.

Los Angeles’ tally of just five drama pilots marks an historic low for the city and further spotlights California’s lack of incentive support for TV drama. Authorities will spend the next few months lobbying Sacramento for an expanded tax credit programme with ‘film tzar’ Ken Ziffren spearheading the effort on behalf of the Mayor of Los Angeles.