Tennessee State Budget Incentives Hinge on ‘Nashville’

The hit TV show, 'Nashville,' starring Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere, has been a big boost for Tennessee's state capital.

But as the show has yet to be picked up for a third season, incentives to keep the show filming in Music City, instead of Los Angeles, have not yet been built into the budget, and the final budget may need to be approved before ABC makes a decision on the third season of the Emmy-nominated show.

"It is unclear at this point in the budget process what resources the department will have for film grants next fiscal year,” ECD spokeswoman Laura Elkins tells Nashville's Tennessean. “However, we look forward to ‘Nashville’ being picked up for a third season and making an incentive offer at that time.”

The city of Nashville has offered incentives in the past, because the show has been a great boost to their tourism industry, with an average of one in five tourists saying they visited the location because of its portrayal on the show. The TV series is expected to receive $13.5 million in incentives from the state, Metro and Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. to continue filming the second season.

“The ‘Nashville’ show benefits our local economy, has generated worldwide attention for our city and state, and is opening doors to further grow the film and television industry here,” Mayor Karl Dean’s spokeswoman Bonna Johnson explains. “We were proud to support its second season, but we don’t have anything to announce as far as future incentives.”

With the ratings for 'Nashville' lagging for Season 2, ABC is expected to make an announcement by May whether the show will be continued for a third season.