No big surprise here.
HBO announced on Thursday that it will move the production of “Veep,” its political comedy starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, out of Maryland to Southern California.
“After four years and a long deliberation we have decided to move the production of Veep to Los Angeles,” said Cecile Cross-Plummer, an HBO spokesman, in a statement. “Maryland has been home to many vital HBO projects, from The Corner to The Wire to Game Change, and the support has always been extraordinary. The producers and HBO would like to thank Maryland for making the last four seasons of Veep such a success. We look forward to returning with another production in the future.”
The question I’ve never really seen a good answer to - despite all the back and forth on this issue - is whether the tax credits granted to HBO and others are sufficiently offset by revenues from increased employment and opportunities for local businesses so as to make the credits worthwhile. So I can’t say whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. Egowise, it hurts - it’s fun to have TV shows filmed in locations I sometimes recognize. But policywise, it remains an open question.