Is Hollywood losing its luster?

Television and film production is moving, leaving Hollywood to ponder its place in pop culture

Photo illustration of a faded, vintage Hollywood postcard
The 'bright lights of Los Angeles have dimmed' because other countries and US states 'offered better tax incentives'
(Image credit: Illustration by Stephen Kelly / Getty Images)

For more than a century, the word "Hollywood" has been synonymous with "movies." That reality is changing. Television and film productions are moving to other states and countries, leaving America's glamour capital to ponder its place in the pop culture firmament.

The steep drop in Hollywood-based productions has begun to "spark panic and anger within the industry," said The Guardian. The number of shows and films being made in California has dropped more than 30% over five years, a wound inflicted by Covid-19, writer and actor strikes and even the wildfires that devastated Los Angeles over the winter. Just 20% of shows made for North American audiences are filmed in the Golden State. Those numbers are an "emergency" for Hollywood, said Alexandra Pechman, a Los Angeles-based writer and director.

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Joel Mathis, The Week US

Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.