Hit AMC Series Returns to Virginia, Continues Generating Millions for State

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced the return of hit AMC television series TURN: Washington’s Spies to the commonwealth for a third season, according to a release from the Governor’s office.

And while playing host for the hit show may be a cool nugget for Virginians to cling to, it’s the financial benefits Virginia receives as the host of the show that makes the announcement of the third season so pivotal.

TURN’s third season will begin filming this fall in Richmond, and as a result is eligible to receive a Virginia film tax credit and grant. The exact amount varies based on the number of Virginia workers hired by the show, the amount of Virginia goods and services purchased and other deliverables including Virginia tourism promotions. Ultimately, the more the show can offer Virginia, the more breaks Virginia will grant the show and its network, AMC.

Seasons 1 and 2 of TURN: Washington’s Spies reportedly had an economic impact of more than $100 million for Virginia for which the production received approximately $13 million in tax credits and grants, according to the release.

That release also states that as part of the arrangement between Virginia and AMC, the network will broadcast more than 60 commercials promoting Virginia tourism, another area in which Virginia has benefitted from its partnership with the show.

The show has been filmed throughout the Commonwealth, including such historic sites as Colonial Willamsburg and at the College of William and Mary, and the Virginia Tourism Corporation has now established “TURN: The Trail,” a tour which features locations from the filming of the show, as well as other Colonial-era sites across the state.

“I am proud to welcome TURN: Washington’s Spies back to the Commonwealth for a third season of filming,” Gov. McAuliffe said in the release. “The first two seasons were a gripping recreation of one of the most significant eras in American history, and Season 3 promises to be even more compelling. We are proud to be associated with such a high-quality endeavor that also provides jobs and financial benefits for Virginia workers and businesses. On behalf of the Commonwealth of Virginia, I want to thank AMC for telling such an important story and partnering in our efforts to build a new Virginia economy.”

The show, based on Alexander Rose’s novel Washington’s Spies, focuses on the Revolutionary War and more specifically America’s earliest spies who served during the war. The band of revolutionaries worked with George Washington during the war and, in the process, created espionage techniques still in use today.