Reality TV production continues to plummet in L.A.

Reality television production in Los Angeles continues to face major challenges, as the number of shoot days declined dramatically in the first three months of this year.

The total number of filming days for reality TV shows totaled 463 from January to March, down 33.7% compared with the fourth quarter of last year, according to new data from FilmLA, a nonprofit that tracks production in the greater L.A. area.

Even more troubling, that number was a 52.5% decrease compared with the same time period in 2025. Reality TV shows that shot in the L.A. area during the first quarter include Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Orange County,” CBS game show “Let’s Make a Deal” and the second season of Lifetime’s “Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out.”

FilmLA noted the overall contraction of the reality TV segment, as unscripted shows with premieres in the U.S. have declined by about 33% since 2022, according to research group Luminate.

The poor performance of the reality TV segment weighed on the rest of the production data, which did show some improvement with the addition of tax credit-supported shows and films.

Overall, the greater L.A. area had 5,121 shoot days in the first quarter of 2026, up 10.7% compared with the fourth quarter of 2025 and down just 3.3% year over year.

Feature film production saw big improvements, with 687 shoot days in the first quarter, a 45.2% increase from the prior quarter and a 52.3% jump from last year.

Nearly 22% of the shoot days were for projects that received state tax incentives, including Netflix’s upcoming comedy “One Attempt Remaining” starring Jennifer Garner and John Cena and Walt Disney Co.-owned Searchlight Pictures’ “Behemoth!” starring Pedro Pascal.

The tax credits also featured heavily in the broader TV segment, as 33.7% of the shoot days came from incentivized projects, including Fox’s reboot of “Baywatch” and ABC’s “The Rookie.”

“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,” FilmLA Chief Executive Denise Gutches said in a statement. “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.”

Overall, TV shoot days totaled 1,196 for the first quarter, down 28.4% compared with the prior year, and 4.1% compared with the fourth quarter of 2025.

TV drama shoot days were a bright spot with 472 days, up 7.3% compared with the previous year. Comedy, too, was up to 120 days, an increase of 9.1% compared with the first quarter of 2025. And shoot days for TV pilots, which once bolstered the production economy around L.A., totaled 15, up from 13 days the prior year.

Production for commercials was about even with the prior year with 794 shoot days, down only 0.3%. Filming days for still photo shoots, student films and other productions represented 2,444 days, up 2.8% from the previous year.