The first and last time the screenwriter Jason Keller filmed a show for television in Los Angeles was over 20 years ago. Now that streak is ending, thanks to a recently passed California budget that doubles the amount of funding available to subsidize productions shooting in the state.
The second season of his Apple TV+ comedy, “Stick,” starring Owen Wilson as a former pro golfer, is one of the 22 television projects getting the first round of tax breaks available under the new law, California officials said on Wednesday. All told, the show will receive a 40 percent credit, the highest percentage allowed, because it is moving from outside the state. The first season was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, which doubled for Indiana and other locales in the Midwest.
It is all part of an effort to return production to California, which has fallen behind other states in offering incentives to film and television productions and has seen productions move elsewhere.
“I always wanted this show to shoot in Los Angeles,” said Mr. Keller, the creator and executive producer of the series, who has lived in Los Angeles for over 30 years. “This city has the most talented crews in the world, and some of my best friends who are grips, gaffers and production designers haven’t worked in years. I’m so happy to come back to where I live and give some local Los Angeles artists some jobs.”
Production in Los Angeles has decreased by one-third in the past decade, according to data from FilmLA, the official film office of the area. Yet in the aftermath of the destructive fires in the area this year, and two debilitating strikes that kept thousands out of work in 2023, the Hollywood unions and other trade organizations pushed lawmakers to double the annual tax credit to $750 million.
According to Colleen Bell, executive director of the California Film Commission, the number of applicants for state subsidies increased nearly 400 percent from a year ago. All 22 of the eligible television productions were awarded the tax breaks in this round, she said.
All together, they will receive $255.9 million in credits, using a combination of funds from the new bill and rollover funds from a previous bill. The commission projects that these shows will generate $1.1 billion in spending, including $413 million in wages, and account for more than 1,100 filming days statewide.
Overall, the commission expects the 22 shows to employ 6,500 cast and crew members and some 46,000 background actors.
“There’s a real sense that things are beginning to turn,” Ms. Bell said in an interview. “We’re hearing from productions making plans, stages are starting to book up, and crews are getting calls again.”
In addition to “Stick,” the Netflix show “Bad Thoughts,” which stars the comedian Tom Segura and shot its first season in Texas, will move to California. The credit is also benefiting five shows that have been filming in Los Angeles, including the Emmy-nominated “The Studio” and “Presumed Innocent,” both on Apple TV+, and “NCIS: Origins,” from CBS Studios. Fifteen new shows, including projects from the “This Is Us” creator Dan Fogelman and Larry David, will also receive the tax credit.
The commission opens the application period a few times during the year. There will be another one in October and then in January.
“We just were not competing at the level that we needed to compete to keep projects here in California,” Ms. Bell said. “With the increase of the percentages, this means that decision makers are seriously considering California.”
For “Stick,” the move was part opportunity, part necessity. The second season could begin filming as early as December, an inopportune time to film outdoor scenes at a golf course in Canada. The production had been looking at other jurisdictions that offer attractive tax credits, strong crews and favorable weather.
California, with its expanded incentive, filled the bill.
“California is an expensive place to film, but this credit is a great motivator to bring production back,” said a “Stick” producer, Guymon Casady. “That will in turn help revitalize the Hollywood film community and help keep families together without folks having to move away for months at a time.”
Nicole Sperling covers Hollywood and the streaming industry. She has been a reporter for more than two decades.
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