# American Idol leaves Los Angeles for Atlanta

> The singing show is moving production to Georgia as Los Angeles loses more reality TV work to tax breaks elsewhere.
- Title: American Idol leaves Los Angeles for Atlanta · California Post
- Summary: The singing show is moving production to Georgia as Los Angeles loses more reality TV work to tax breaks elsewhere. Tax credits are pulling unscripted TV…
- Keywords: american idol, los angeles, atlanta, georgia tax credit, fremantle, 19 entertainment, sony pictures television, abc, filmla, the masked singer, new jersey tax credit, california ab 1138
- Source: California Post — https://nypost.com/2026/09/15/entertainment/american-idol-moving-production-out-of-los-angeles-to-atlanta
- Published: 2026-09-15T20:28:03+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: american idol, los angeles, atlanta, georgia tax credit, fremantle, 19 entertainment, sony pictures television, abc, filmla, the masked singer, new jersey tax credit, california ab 1138
## Idol exits Hollywood
American Idol is moving production from Los Angeles to the greater Atlanta area before its 25th season. Fremantle confirmed the shift to Deadline.

> “American Idol” is packing up Hollywood and heading across the country.
## Georgia made it cheaper
Georgia offers up to a 30% tax credit for qualifying unscripted and reality shows that spend at least $500,000 in the state.

> A primary driver behind the exit is Georgia’s lucrative tax incentive program
## A long LA run
The show began on Fox in 2002 and became a ratings force with Ryan Seacrest, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson. ABC revived it in 2018.
## Reality shoots are sliding
FilmLA data shows LA reality TV shoot days fell 40% year over year in the second quarter. Unscripted production is down 62.7% against its five-year average.

> reality TV shoot days plunging 40% year-over-year
## The Masked Singer left too
Fox stopped producing The Masked Singer earlier this year. Eureka Productions took over and moved it to New Jersey for that state’s tax credits.
## California narrows its pitch
California expanded incentives to include unscripted series, but only large competition shows with per-episode budgets above $1 million qualify.
## Key takeaway

Tax credits are pulling unscripted TV jobs away from Los Angeles, even as California tries to win some of that work back.