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


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.
What did the commentators say?
Finances come into play. Rob Lowe's Fox TV game show "The Floor" was shot in Ireland because it "makes more financial sense than filming in California," said The New York Times. International studios have "lower labor costs and more expansive tax incentives" than Hollywood can offer. The risk now is that California will "become to the entertainment industry what Detroit has become to the auto industry," said Michael F. Miller Jr., a vice president at the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The "bright lights of Los Angeles have dimmed" because other countries and U.S. states "offered better tax incentives to lure the industry away," said Ed Lammi, a former executive vice president of production for Sony Pictures Television, at CalMatters. California must increase the size of its tax incentives and expand the kinds of productions that qualify for them. Otherwise, shows like "Cobra Kai" will continue to be shot in places like Atlanta instead of Hollywood. "No one should have to leave California in pursuit of the Hollywood dream."
Hollywood "doesn't need a tax subsidy," said The Wall Street Journal editorial board. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is urging President Donald Trump to get "on board" with a proposed $7.5 billion tax credit to expand film and TV production in California. The high cost of production in the state is the "result in large part of the state government's policies." Fixing those policies would mean getting crosswise with "progressive interests." Republicans who control Congress should not "fall for the Tinseltown tax gambit."
What next?
In early May, Trump announced tariffs on foreign productions, a move that "scrambled all bets" on Hollywood's immediate future, said The Hollywood Reporter. Movie executives pooh-poohed the idea, but "at least he's trying something," said one unnamed indie filmmaker.
There are opportunities in Hollywood "working for YouTubers, starring in mini-dramas and building side hustles," said Business Insider. The pay for actors and production crew is not as good as it was for big old-school movie productions, but the work can be consistent. And such projects may be where the audience of the future is at, said Marisa Levy, who once made shows for Discovery TLC but now makes "branded content" for Rebel Girls, a digital media company. "You can still shape the culture."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
October 19 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's editorial cartoons include Pete Hegseth and the press, an absence of government, and George Washington crossing the Delaware
-
A little-visited Indian Ocean archipelago
The Week Recommends The paradise of the Union of the Comoros features beautiful beaches, colourful coral reefs and lush forests
-
AI: is the bubble about to burst?
In the Spotlight Stock market ever-more reliant on tech stocks whose value relies on assumptions of continued growth and easy financing
-
Film reviews: Roofman and Kiss of the Spider Woman
Feature An escaped felon’s heart threatens to give him away and a prisoner escapes into daydreams of J.Lo.
-
Tim Robinson falls out of a chair, chefs compete for Michelin stars and Martin Scorsese gets the documentary treatment in October TV
the week recommends This month's new television releases include ‘The Chair Company,’ ‘Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars’ and ‘Mr. Scorsese’
-
Frankenstein comes to life, the Alabama prison system is exposed and Rose Byrne goes full Crazy Mom in October movies
the week recommends This month’s new releases include ‘Frankenstein,’ ‘The Alabama Solution’ and ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’
-
Film reviews: Anemone and The Smashing Machine
Feature A recluse receives an unwelcome guest and a pioneering UFC fighter battles addiction
-
8 of the best ‘cozy crime’ series of all time
The Week Recommends Murder mysteries don’t necessarily have to make us miserable, and these shows have perfected a feel-good crime formula
-
The 5 best mob movies of all time
The Week Recommends If you don’t like a good gangster flick, just fuhgeddaboudit
-
Why are American conservatives clashing with Pope Leo?
Talking Points Comments on immigration and abortion draw backlash
-
Hooray for Brollywood: the UK’s film industry is booming – for now
In The Spotlight US production giants are flocking to film in British studios but Trump tariffs could threaten end of golden era