‘NCIS: New Orleans’ will officially film on location in the Big Easy

For those of you who appreciated the authentic flavor that was present during the “NCIS: New Orleans” backdoor pilot, you’ll rejoice at this news: The upcoming series will be filmed on location in the city rather than Los Angeles or somewhere else that would serve as a substitute.

One of the reasons that this was able to happen, per the Advocate, was thanks to the tax credit program that exists in the state of Louisiana. This is why you have another show in “American Horror Story” still using the city this year, even though the city is actually substituting for Jupiter, Florida. Like Vancouver and parts of North Carolina and Maryland, it is become a hotter location for TV series within the past years.

In confirming the news about the spin-off series getting a permanent home, executive producer Gary Glasberg said the following to the website:

“I’m thrilled from a business standpoint that the tax credit exists … I can’t replicate New Orleans and do it as well as I want. It’s such a unique part of the world that I feel very fortunate that we can film this there. Everything will be done in Louisiana.”

From a location standpoint, hearing this news is a thrill. This city is so unique that some shows using alternative settings for it often fail in the replication process, and you have a variety of diverse locales to choose from for scenes. Also, the cast and crew can now celebrate being closer to biegnets and the French Quarter.

The only disadvantage we can think of is that the setting makes it a little trickier to do spin-off stories with the other shows, given that you cannot just hop over from one set to the next. However, these producers are shrewd enough that if they have a perfect storyline that requires it, we’re confident that they will pull it off just fine. It is probably better to avoid a crossover for a little while, anyway, mostly so that this show can establish and develop its own identity.