PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – Showtime Networks, Inc. was feted on Friday for its decision to shoot a television pilot in Rhode Island, a move some industry executives say shows production is moving back to the United States, as state and local leaders offer tax breaks and other benefits to host Hollywood.

The cable network is filming one episode of “Brotherhood,” about an Irish Catholic family with two ruthless, ambitious brothers. Filming begins Monday, and is expected to last about three weeks. The network will decide by early next year whether to develop the show into a series.

Rhode Island officials lauded the move.

The show will “put Rhode Island on the map once again,” proclaimed Lt. Gov. Charles Fogarty at an enthusiastic Statehouse reception. The NBC series “Providence,” which was set here, ran from 1999 through 2003.

Showtime thought it would film the pilot in Canada, where a favorable exchange rate, tax breaks, lower union costs and other perks have lured production companies for years. But the network and other companies involved with the show said state and local leaders in Rhode Island aggressively sought to have them film here.

Bob Greenblatt, Showtime’s new president, said officials “moved mountains” to make it possible to film in Rhode Island. He mentioned efforts by the Rhode Island Film and Television Office, state legislative leaders and Providence’s mayor.

Showtime is filming all its debut shows in the United States, Greenblatt said, a reversal from last year, when the company filmed exclusively in Canada. The network is filming shows this year in New York, Los Angeles and Providence, he said.

He said more states and cities are offering tax breaks and other benefits to production companies. The network benefits by adding authenticity to shows, and cities and states benefit by local hires, money being pumped into the economy and national exposure, all of which more than offset the concessions offered, executives said.

“I’m sure other (cities) will follow,” Greenblatt said.

Todd Leavitt, president of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, in Burbank, Calif., said film and television production started returning to the United States about five years ago, and that the trend has “steamrolled.”

Leavitt said much of the domestic production shift is due to incentives. But he said the dwindling exchange rate difference of the Canadian dollar versus the American dollar is a factor, too.

Also, Leavitt said, networks are airing more “reality” shows, which are less expensive to produce, so more money can be spent on original programming.

“Fewer dramas are being commissioned, so the intention to make them distinctive has the networks paying a little more money for them,” he said.

The WB is shooting “One Tree Hill” in North Carolina, while Fox’s “North Shore” and the upcoming “Lost” (ABC) and “Hawaii” (NBC) are filmed in Hawaii, which offers an extra break if the show’s title references the Aloha State.

Greenblatt says the decision where to film is all about money. Showtime saved $200,000 per episode by filming in Canada, and millions of dollars for a series, he said.

“When push comes to shove, it’s easy to go to Canada and get away with it,” Greenblatt said.

“I don’t think many of us (production companies) go there with a lot of enthusiasm,” he added at the Statehouse reception attended by state and local leaders and the three main actors in the pilot. “Most shows are shot with U.S. cities in mind.”