The second season of the locally filmed TNT series Good Behavior is eligible for a state film grant of $9 million, according to an announcement Thursday.
Good Behavior is one of three productions receiving N.C. Film and Entertainment Grants, said a news release from N.C. Commerce Secretary Anthony M. Copeland and the Economic Development Partnership of N.C.
“Our state’s film professionals have an opportunity for work once again,” Copeland said in the release.
The state's film incentives, a larger pool of money that brought feature film productions to North Carolina, were replaced in 2015 with a $30 million-per-year, two-year grant fund.
Production of Good Behavior will once again take place in the Wilmington area, according to the announcement. Starring Michelle Dockery of Downtown Abbey fame, along with Juan Diego Botto, Terry Kinney and Lusia Strus, the series continues the story of Letty, played by Dockery, a thief and a con artist "whose life is always one wrong turn, or one bad decision away from implosion," the release said.
The $9 million grant eligibility, the highest a TV project can get, reflects 25 percent of what the production expects to spend locally. That means at least $36 million for the Wilmington area, and "they could spend more," said Johnny Griffin, director of the Wilmington Regional Film Commission.
The grant news and the renewal of Good Behavior for a second season means more dollars for everyone involved, he said, something that's typical for TV productions
"Everybody gets a little bit of a pay raise, from the actors to the crew people. If the show's successful, they spend a little bit more money to maybe build some different sets or maybe based on some of the experiences they had last year, they say, 'OK, let's put a little bit more money into additional camera equipment or something to make the show a little nicer ... we feel like we have a hit, so let's be good to it and try to make it even better,'" Griffin said.
He said Good Behavior could be filming in the Wilmington area again by April.
Good Behavior was eligible for $6.6 million in state grant funding last year. Both Good Behavior and Six, a History Channel production that filmed in the Wilmington area, still have sets stored at EUE/Screen Gems studios in Wilmington. Six, which was eligible for up to $7.2 million last year and premiered in January, has not yet been renewed.
"They're still watching the ratings on that and trying to decide whether there will be a second season," Griffin said.
The independent feature film American Animals and a national commercial for Audi are also eligible for state grant funding, Thursday's release said.
Combined, the three projects are expected to generate direct in-state spend of $46.2 million, and the productions are expected to create more than 2,725 job opportunities in the state, including 208 well-paying crew positions, the release said.
American Animals is a feature film about a multi-million-dollar rare manuscript heist, and production will take place in the Charlotte area, according to the release. The film's eligible grant amount is up to $1.7 million. A national TV spot from Elite Commercial Incentives Services for Audi, also filmed in the Charlotte area, is eligible for up to $162,500.
“We look forward to showing off our state’s great assets including the work of our world-renowned crew base with these three projects, and are continuing to bring more opportunities to further showcase North Carolina,” said Guy Gaster, the N.C. Film Office director with the Economic Development Partnership of N.C., in the release.
