Reality TV apocalypse as production plummets across Los Angeles

Los Angeles’ once-booming reality TV machine is sputtering fast, with new figures showing a sharp collapse in unscripted production across the entertainment capital.

Reality television logged just 463 shoot days in the greater LA area from January through March, according to new data from FilmLA — a nonprofit that tracks production in the greater LA area.

That’s a staggering 33.7% drop from the previous quarter and an even steeper 52.5% nosedive compared with the same period last year, reported The Los Angeles Times.

Reality television logged just 463 shoot days in the greater LA area from January through March.

Among the reality productions still filming locally were Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Orange County,” CBS’s “Let’s Make a Deal,” and Season 2 of Lifetime’s “Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out.” CBS

Among the reality productions still filming locally were Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Orange County,” CBS’s “Let’s Make a Deal,” and Season 2 of Lifetime’s “Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out.”

Data from Luminate—shared with The Times — shows a wider industry slowdown. Unscripted series premieres in the US have dropped by about 33% since 2022.

FilmLA Chief Executive Denise Gutches told the outlet, “While it’s still too early to make predictions for the coming months, the increase in shoot days we are seeing in key categories gives hope for a broader rise in production activity.”

“While some of the latest numbers are encouraging, we know that there is still significant work to be done to bring filming and jobs back to the region.”

Data shows a wider industry slowdown. Unscripted series premieres in the US have dropped by about 33% since 2022. Griffin Nagel/Bravo

Another heavyweight in Hollywood’s infrastructure is pulling back, slashing jobs, and shuttering vital sections of its studio services.

The move highlights the ongoing pressure squeezing Los Angeles and California’s production economy.

Hudson Pacific Properties is winding down most of its Quixote soundstage operations in LA and exiting operations in Georgia and New Mexico. This will affect about 70 employees across Atlanta and LA, a source told The Hollywood Reporter.

The retreat marks a reversal for a company that expanded aggressively during the streaming boom when demand for production space surged across California and other production hubs nationwide.

In a memo to clients, Quixote confirmed the decision, writing: “Quixote has made the difficult decision to begin the process of winding down most of our sound stage business in Los Angeles, including our main commercial studio in West Hollywood,” adding:

“Like many of you, we have persisted through the prolonged and ongoing slowdown in commercial, television, and film production. But ultimately, industry conditions have forced difficult decisions.”