For 21 seasons, dreamers have stepped onto AMERICA’S GOT TALENT’s Southern California stage; Season 22 could send that familiar scene east.
“While there is still much work to do, FilmLA’s quarterly report is proof that incentives are working: local incentivized productions are on the rise, creating good-paying union jobs and realizing economic opportunity for Angelenos,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said.
That fight now has a new flash point. Deadline reported that Fremantle and Simon Cowell’s Syco are considering moving the NBC competition to Georgia or Tennessee ahead of Season 22, but no final decision has been made.
AMERICA’S GOT TALENT has predominantly taped at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium throughout its 21-season run, turning the Southern California landmark into a familiar launchpad for singers, dancers, comedians and family acts. A move could trade more than a building; it could shift jobs, audience tapings and production spending to a new state.
The venue carries history of its own: Ella Fitzgerald, Bob Dylan and Bob Hope all graced its stage before the competition made it a weekly television landmark. Deadline’s report arrived during Season 21 finale week, with Terry Crews hosting and Howie Mandel, Mel B and Sofia Vergara at the judges’ table. Cowell is missing the season finale due to surgery recovery.
Money appears to sit at the center of the review. Georgia’s official incentive guide lists a 20% base transferable tax credit, a possible 10% promotional uplift and a $500,000 annual minimum for eligible projects.
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Georgia also offers a ready-made comparison. AMERICAN IDOL, another Fremantle competition, is moving production to the state for Season 25, giving AMERICA’S GOT TALENT producers a nearby example of how a long-running reality series can leave Los Angeles.
Tennessee offers a different kind of help. Its entertainment commission says eligible production companies that spend more than $500,000 in qualified Tennessee expenses per project or episode can earn a 25% cash rebate, although awards remain subject to available funds and state approval.
California has not surrendered the contest. California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office said the state raised its annual production-credit allocation from $330 million to $750 million in 2025 and opened the program to a broader range of television and animated productions.
“We have an ecosystem that simply cannot be replicated anywhere else,” Newsom said while signing two more entertainment-job measures in September.
Still, the latest local numbers show why producers keep looking elsewhere. FilmLA recorded a 27.7% year-over-year drop in Greater Los Angeles television shoot days during the second quarter of 2026, while reality television shoot days fell 39.9%.
Those figures cover permitted on-location work in jurisdictions FilmLA serves, not every soundstage day, but the direction matters. For camera crews, stagehands, caterers and other workers with families, losing a recurring series can mean losing months of dependable work.
Contestants and their families could feel the change too. A move to Georgia or Tennessee might alter travel plans, audience access and the atmosphere around tapings, though NBC and the producers have not announced how auditions, live shows or other Season 22 elements would work outside California.
The show’s basic promise would remain the same: ordinary people get a rare chance to share an extraordinary gift. Where that moment happens next, however, remains an open question — not a settled move.
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