American Idol is making a shocking change for the upcoming 25th season.
On Tuesday (September 15), it was announced that the ABC singing competition series is the latest reality TV production to moving to Georgia to film the new season.
American Idol will move production out of Los Angeles to the Atlanta for the upcoming season, which is set to premiere in early 2027, Fremantle, which produces the show with Sony Pictures Television-backed 19 Entertainment, confirmed to Deadline.
Fremantle is in final talks with a studio complex in Georgia, but no official deal has been signed yet.
Why are productions moving out of California?
American Idol joins a growing slate of productions leaving California, where it has become increasingly expensive to shoot.
It was also recently reported that Fox’s The Masked Singer production has also moved out of California and the upcoming 15th season will instead film in New Jersey.
Why Georgia?
Georgia has become its own production hub in recent years, as Atlanta in particular is now one of the main filming locations outside of Los Angeles and New York in the United States.
Marvel projects including Captain America: Brave New World and WandaVision both filmed in Atlanta, along with Fox’s The 1% Club.
Georgia also offers an up to 30% tax credit for unscripted and reality television that spend up to $500,000 in the state, per The Wrap.
California has expanded its tax credit program to include unscripted productions for the first time, but the credits only apply to large-scale competition series with a minimum budget of $1 million. American Idol reportedly did not qualify for the California tax incentives.
American Idol has previously teased a move out of Hollywood
Hollywood has always been part of America Idol‘s DNA. Since the show’s premiere in 2002, the judges would give out physical Golden Tickets during the initial audition round, which were the contestants’ entry to Hollywood Week.
For season 24, American Idol uprooted the typical Hollywood Week in Los Angeles to Nashville, Tenn.
If you didn’t see, ABC recently confirmed all of the audition dates and locations for aspiring singers looking to audition for American Idol season 25.
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