CBS, Showtime: States That Enact Anti-Abortion Laws May Not Be ‘Viable’ Film Sites (EXCLUSIVE)

By Elaine Low

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – CBS and Showtime have issued a statement on the recent abortion legislation in Georgia and other states, saying that they “may not be viable locations for our future production” should the law take effect.

“Creative voices across our industry have expressed strong concern about the recently signed bill in Georgia,” said the companies in a statement Thursday. “The ability to attract the best talent is the first step in producing great entertainment content and is always an important consideration in where we film any series. We are monitoring the legislative and legal developments in Georgia with the full expectation that the process in the courts will play out for some time. For now, we will continue producing our series based there that have production orders for next season. If the law takes effect in Georgia or elsewhere, these may not be viable locations for our future production.”

and Showtime join Netflix, Disney, WarnerMedia and NBCUniversal in expressing reservations about continuing to do business in Georgia, given the recently signed “heartbeat” abortion law. The state boasts about 92,000 jobs in the film and television industry, with a reported economic impact of about $9 billion. Netflix was the first Hollywood player to make a statement about the issue on Tuesday.