Hollywood’s Game Show Exodus — and Why Budapest Is the Next Stop

Rob Lowe jokes that today’s productions would “100 percent” shoot in Budapest. The industry isn’t laughing — they’re already checking flight prices.

American viewers might be surprised to learn that many of the glitziest prime-time game shows they watch every week aren’t shot anywhere near Hollywood. They’re not even in the United States.
But as major entertainment formats decamp to the UK, Ireland, and Canada to escape California’s skyrocketing costs, an unexpected city keeps popping up in industry conversations — Budapest. And it didn’t take a producer or economist to say it out loud. It took Rob Lowe.

During a recent episode of his podcast Literally!, Lowe described filming Fox’s The Floor at Ardmore Studios in Bray, Ireland — and the math behind why American shows are fleeing the U.S.:
“It’s cheaper to bring 100 Americans to Ireland than to walk across the lot at Fox,” Lowe told his guest, former Parks & Rec co-star Adam Scott.

Then Scott asked the question every line producer has been thinking for the past three years:
“Do you think if we shot Parks right now it would be in Budapest?”
Lowe didn’t even pause:
“100 percent we would be. We’d be in Budapest.”

What was meant as an aside has become, unintentionally, one of the most honest assessments of the global production economy today. Because when you look at the numbers, Budapest isn’t just a punchline. It’s the next logical destination.

Hollywood’s new economics: are game shows running for the exit?

The U.S. game-show ecosystem is built on speed, volume, and studio availability. But in post-pandemic Los Angeles, those conditions have evaporated.

• Typical one-hour game show cost in the U.S.: $1.5–2 million per episode
• Cost in the UK after incentives: under $1 million
• California tax incentive for game shows: nonexistent, unless they qualify for special programs
• Meanwhile, the UK and Ireland offer: 30–40% tax savings

NBC’s Wordle pilot? Shot at dock10 in Manchester.
Fremantle’s Match Game revival? Shot in Montreal.
Fox’s 99 to Beat, Beyond Shazam, and Celebrity Name That Tune? All offshore.

The math is merciless — and executives know it. Kim Kleid, EVP of current programming at Fremantle North America, put it bluntly:
“There is a pressure in this time… to produce hours of television for lower price points. The word on the street is do more with less.”

If the U.S. can’t compete on cost, game shows will keep leaving. And that’s where Budapest comes in.

Why Budapest fits into this story

For two decades, Hungary has quietly become one of the most efficient production hubs on the planet for scripted features and series. Marvel, Netflix, Sony, Legendary, Lionsgate — they’ve all set up shop in Budapest for one reason: the numbers work.

• Hungary offers a 30% direct production rebate (plus additional regional bonuses that push the effective rate higher).
• Crew costs remain competitive, with a deep bench experienced in large international productions.
• Budapest hosts world-class facilities including Korda Studios, Origo Studios, and NFI Studios.
• The city doubles for nearly anything, from Paris to Moscow to midwestern Americana.

For anything format-based — game shows, competition series, unscripted franchises — the infrastructure is not only adequate but ideal.

And the industry already knows it. The only reason American unscripted hasn’t arrived yet is inertia. But inertia doesn’t survive during cost-cutting eras.

Rob Lowe’s Budapest quip might be accidental prophecy.

Ireland’s win hints at Hungary’s future

Ireland recently introduced a 40% tax credit for unscripted content, instantly making it one of the most competitive territories for game shows in the world. That’s how The Floor landed at Ardmore.

But here’s the crucial point:

Hungary already has the infrastructure Ireland is racing to build — and its rebate program has been stable for nearly a decade.

If the new unscripted incentive arms race accelerates (and all signs say it will), Hungary is uniquely positioned to leapfrog the competition by simply extending its existing credit to more formats.

Meanwhile, U.S. studios are testing the waters abroad. Toby Gorman, president of Universal Television Alternative Studio, praised the UK after shooting the Wordle pilot:
“They gave us a great pilot deal so we could see everything their studio and team had to offer.”
But he also admitted they’re seriously considering shifting production to Ireland for the tax savings.

Incentive calculus always starts one way and ends another. Producers go where the rebate is highest. Crews go where the work concentrates. Facilities expand to meet demand. And suddenly you have a hub.

That formula already describes Budapest.

U.S. game shows could land in Hungary next

Game shows have three essential needs:

1. Reliable soundstages
2. Cost-effective crew
3. Tax incentives

Budapest offers all three — with headroom.

Consider:

• A standard game-show stage could easily slot into existing soundstage inventory at Origo or Korda.
• Hungary has deep experience with multi-camera technical setups thanks to the large volume of streaming and studio projects.
• Producers already trust the Hungarian system, budgets, and timelines.

The only missing ingredient? For unscripted formats, studios want predictable incentives.

If Hungary ever announces a dedicated unscripted incentive category, the shift could be immediate. And because the U.S. is still resisting including game shows in California’s incentive structure, American producers are looking for long-term homes.

Kim Kleid sums up the frustration:
“We pray on a daily basis that California will include game shows in their tax incentive programs.”

Praying isn’t a strategy. Global competition is.

The Moment That Says It All

Lowe and Scott’s exchange may have been casual, but it strikes at the heart of the industry’s reality.

Adam Scott:
“It’s so weird how nothing shoots in Los Angeles.”

Rob Lowe:
“We’d be in Budapest.”

When top-tier Hollywood talent instinctively sees Budapest as the alternative to L.A., the perception shift is complete.
The only question left is when the first major American game show takes the plunge.

And when that announcement comes, don’t be surprised if Budapest — long a home for major studio features — suddenly becomes the backdrop for prime-time buzzers, LED floors, and cash-filled safes.

The infrastructure is ready. The crews are ready. The budgets demand it.

Game that matters

The movement of game shows overseas isn’t just about budget lines — it’s about the global realignment of production.
Hungary has spent 20 years preparing for this moment.

If the unscripted boom follows the same path as the feature and series boom, Budapest won’t just be a hypothetical joke on a podcast. It will be the new home of American game-show television.

And when that happens, Hollywood’s loss will be Hungary’s gain — again.