California turned down the Texas-set Grey's Anatomy spinoff for a tax credit twice, producer Betsy Beers told lawmakers, for "not providing enough jobs." Now it's prepping in Albuquerque for the 2027-28 season.
ABC's Texas-set Grey's Anatomy spinoff is moving to New Mexico, and it's taking the slow road. The untitled series is now in pre-production in Albuquerque and has been pushed from a planned midseason 2027 debut to the 2027-28 TV season, Deadline's Nellie Andreeva reported Friday, Nov. 6.
The show was supposed to film in Los Angeles. ABC and producing studio 20th Television applied for California's film and TV tax credit over the summer and were rejected, Deadline reported. They tried again in the fall, which meant delayed prep, stages on hold and crew lost along the way. The second try failed, too.
Executive producer Betsy Beers, Shonda Rhimes' longtime producing partner, explained it to California lawmakers at an Oct. 29 Assembly committee hearing in North Hollywood. The show was turned down, she said, for "not providing enough jobs for the state to consider us an asset."
"We lost personnel, we lost a lot of time, and we lost money," Beers said. She called Albuquerque "wonderful to work with," then added: "but we want to be here."
For the record, a show set in West Texas was never going to shoot in West Texas. The first plan was Santa Clarita, MovieWeb reported. Hollywood has always been good at playing other places.
Why is the Grey's Anatomy spinoff filming in New Mexico?
Money and timing. California's Film and Television Tax Credit program is capped at $750 million a year, Deadline reported, and the spinoff couldn't get a slice. MovieWeb noted the program grew from $330 million to $750 million in 2025.
Beers told lawmakers the team was later told new shows couldn't apply at all, only returning ones, even though they'd heard otherwise earlier. She asked the committee to review how credits get handed out and to "please increase what's available."
Help may come too late for this show. Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed raising the cap to $1 billion a year on Monday, Nov. 2, Deadline reported. ScreenRant noted lawmakers likely won't act until a new governor takes office next year.
What is the Grey's Anatomy spinoff about?
ABC ordered it straight to series in May. It's an edgy drama about a team at a rural West Texas medical center, described as "the last chance for care before miles of nowhere," TheWrap reported.
Shonda Rhimes and Meg Marinis created it. Marinis has run Grey's Anatomy since Season 20, and TheWrap reported in May that it wasn't clear whether she'd run both shows. Rhimes, Marinis, Beers and Ellen Pompeo are executive producers. Shondaland and 20th Television produce.
Marinis said in May she was "incredibly excited to expand the 'Grey's Anatomy' universe."
It's the third series from the Grey's world, after Private Practice (2007, six seasons) and Station 19 (2018, seven seasons). TheWrap noted it's the first one not led by a former Grey's star.
Who is in the Grey's Anatomy spinoff cast?
Nobody yet. ABC hasn't announced a cast or a title. TheWrap reported in May that characters from the flagship are expected to pop in from time to time.
Fans already have one Texas connection to work with. Jake Borelli's Dr. Levi Schmitt moved to Texas with his partner when he left Grey's in Season 21. Nobody has said he's coming back, though.
When will the Grey's Anatomy spinoff premiere?
Not until the 2027-28 season, and ABC hasn't set a date. The original plan was midseason 2027 in the Thursday 10 p.m. ET slot Grey's holds, with Grey's airing in the fall and the spinoff taking over later in the season, ScreenRant and TheWrap reported.
Is Grey's Anatomy leaving Los Angeles?
No. Despite some Friday headlines suggesting otherwise, the flagship isn't going anywhere. Grey's has always built its Seattle in Los Angeles, Deadline noted, and it's in Season 23 on ABC, Thursdays at 10 p.m.
The spinoff is what's leaving. MovieWeb noted it's the first Grey's Anatomy production to film outside California.
That's a big deal for Shondaland. Beers said she and Rhimes have made about 13 series, most of them in Southern California. Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder both filmed in Los Angeles while playing other cities, Deadline reported. Netflix's The Residence got a California credit.
Seattle, played by Los Angeles. West Texas, played by New Mexico. The scrubs, at least, are the same everywhere.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
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Hat Tips:
Deadline (Nov. 6, 2026), the delay, Albuquerque move, tax credit rejections, Betsy Beers' testimony, the $750 million cap and Newsom's proposal
Laughing Place (Nov. 6, 2026), the spinoff's setting and the production move
ScreenRant (Nov. 6, 2026), the original time slot plan and the legislative timeline
MovieWeb (Nov. 6, 2026), the Santa Clarita plan, the program's 2025 expansion and the first Grey's production outside California
TheWrap (May 19, 2026), the series order, logline, creators, producers, Levi Schmitt and franchise history
ABC (Nov. 6, 2026), Grey's Anatomy's current season and time slot
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