L.A. Stands in for the ATX in 9-1-1: Lone Star

Fox may be setting 9-1-1: Lone Star, the spin-off from its hit procedural 9-1-1 (pictured here), in Austin, but it won’t be filming here.

In recent years, through shows like AMC’s The Son and HBO’s The Leftovers, Austin has built up a reputation as a great place to shoot TV. Unfortunately, it looks like Los Angeles will be filling in for the ATX in the upcoming 9-1-1: Lone Star, even though it’s set in Austin.

The show, which will debut on Fox in January, is the latest from Ryan Murphy, creator of Glee, American Horror Story, and the California-set 9-1-1. This new spin-off will star Rob Lowe as a New York detective who moves to Austin to raise his son. However, it seems that the series is going to be substituting palm trees for cedar, as Fox has confirmed that the Texas spin-off is going to be filmed in Los Angeles this fall, with the potential for a few days of shooting in Austin.

This will be the second new show where the producers are using Austin’s “cool factor,” but not its crews. Last month, SyFy said it will be shooting the pilot of Cipher, its new Austin-set techno-thriller starring Adrian Grenier, in Georgia.

However, it’s not all bad news. AMC just wrapped shooting on season 5 of Fear the Walking Dead here, and multiple new and ongoing shows are rumored to be eyeing Austin for their next seasons.

In part, that’s because of the quality of the local crews (Fear the Walking Dead producer Gale Anne Hurd recently tweeted out “a huge #ShoutOut and #ThankYou to our truly amazing #FearFamily #Texas cast & crew”). However, another big factor is how the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program is structured. While the state program is commonly known as a film incentive, its emphasis on in-state spending means it's more appealing to TV (which is likely to hire in-state talent for long periods) than big-budget films, which tend to bring out-of-state talent for short periods.

Studios tend to sign contracts for studio space in July, so keep an eye out for announcements across the summer.