California Hands $145.5 Million in Tax Credits to Nine TV Series, Including Clueless and Viola Davis's Ascent
Paramount's Clueless series starring Alicia Silverstone and Viola Davis's corporate-fixer drama Ascent have landed nearly $38 million in California tax credits between them, part of a $145.5 million allocation the California Film Commission announced on 10 August 2026 across nine television projects. Deadline
Tax credits, for readers who have not encountered the term in this context, are dollar amounts a production can subtract from its state tax bill — effectively paying the state less so long as it spends the bulk of its budget hiring Californians and filming on California soil. The idea is to keep crews, catering trucks and post-production houses working in-state rather than watching productions decamp to Atlanta, London or Toronto.
The Clueless series, with Silverstone reprising her iconic role, received just over $16.3 million. It is projected to employ over 300 crew members and pump $69.4 million in qualified spending into the Los Angeles economy. Ascent, a series about a corporate fixer starring and executive produced by Davis, was awarded $21 million. It is expected to employ over 250 crew members and generate $47 million in qualified expenditures. Both series are expected to begin production in 2027.
The nine funded projects together are projected to deliver some eye-catching numbers: $608 million in direct production spending in California, $498 million in qualified spend inclusive of wages, $291 million in qualified wages, 3,000 cast and crew jobs, 25,000 background performer days, and 1,014 total shooting days across the state.
The other seven recipients are a familiar mix of studios and formats. Jamie Lee Curtis executive-produces Newlyweds. Sony TV's S.W.A.T. Exiles and Universal's David Boreanaz-led revival of The Rockford Files each picked up credits for new seasons. Netflix secured credits for Love Come Softly and an Untitled Florida project. Disney's Untitled DET Project 51 and an Untitled Amazon project round out the list.
The backdrop is a state programme that has grown sharply. Governor Gavin Newsom's California tax credit programme is now worth $750 million annually — a figure designed to compete with the heavy incentives offered by other states and countries. The California Film Commission, led by Director Colleen Bell, launched an expanded phase called Program 4.0 in summer 2025. In its first three rounds, that programme approved 39 television series and 52 feature films projected to generate $3.7 billion in economic activity and 3,793 filming days across California, according to the Commission's website. California Film Commission
For fans, the headline is simple. Clueless is moving forward with its original star, and Viola Davis has a new lead role on the horizon. For the 3,000 crew members, background performers and vendors who depend on these productions for work, the bigger story is that the money arrived at all — and that the jobs are staying in California.
