Coronavirus: How a virtual Hollywood shutdown will affect what you see on TV
Television networks and studios have no script for how the coronavirus risk will affect what remains of this broadcast season and next fall's lineup. They can't even pin down when the story will end.
Most TV production – including dozens of scripted shows – was shut down this week for at least the next two weeks because of the health risk. Prime-time viewers may not notice a dramatic difference for the rest of the 2019-20 season, which ends in May, because many series have completed filming and others have just a couple of episodes remaining.
But depending on how long the pandemic lasts, fall network lineups risk substantial change, as work on pilot episodes for new series has also been stopped.
"There's no break-glass-in-case-of-emergency playbook" for the entertainment industry, says Tom Nunan, a former network and studio president who now teaches at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. "This is the first time every aspect of entertainment – amusement parks, cruise ships, Broadway, TV, motion pictures – and every (TV) platform, streaming, basic cable and network, has been affected. That's what makes it extraordinarily unprecedented."
For TV, the closest parallels are writers strikes in 1988 and 2008 that shut down much of production for weeks, but studios and unions had control of when they would end, he says. (Another one is threatened for May.) "But there's been nothing on this scale, of this size, and nothing that’s so uncertain about where we go from here."
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A look at how various elements of TV production and presentation have been affected:
How will the coronavirus risk affect TV watching now?
Streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon and Hulu, will be among the biggest beneficiaries from people whiling away the time while working and social-distancing at home. They have huge reservoirs of binge-able programming available on demand.
In addition, streamers don't have fixed schedules, so delays in production leave no obvious holes to patch up. And unlike traditional networks, streaming shows are filmed months in advance of their rollouts.
What production has stopped?
Studios have temporarily suspended production of most shows or made plans to quickly wrap up. NBCUniversal's studios have suspended work on about 35 shows, from "Chicago Fire" to "The Kelly Clarkson Show," and CBS has put a smaller number on hold, including "NCIS" and its spinoffs. Warner Bros., one of Hollywood's biggest production companies, said Friday that it is "halting production on some of our 70+ series and pilots currently filming or about to begin" and is following guidance from health officials.
Netflix shut down production on its scripted TV and films in the U.S. and Canada for the next two weeks starting Monday because of government restrictions and health and safety precautions. Netflix's other productions will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon hosted their late-night shows without audiences Thursday and then went on break for at least two weeks, along with "Jimmy Kimmel Live," and, after this weekend, HBO's John Oliver and Bill Maher.
I have some news. For now, I’ll be shooting my show with no studio audience. To everyone who was looking forward to coming, I'm so sorry. But I’m doing this for the health of my fans, my staff & my crew. (It has nothing to do with a warrant for my arrest in the state of Florida.)
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) March 12, 2020
Ellen DeGeneres, who like other talk hosts had planned to tape shows without audiences, tweeted Friday that she would suspend production until March 30. Other daytime talkers, including "The View," remain on the air but without a studio audience (and in the case of "The View," without co-host Joy Behar, who is staying away temporarily to avoid the risk for those in older age groups).
The shutdown is affecting unscripted shows, too. NBC's "American Ninja Warrior" postponed the start of production scheduled for this weekend in Los Angeles, which means about 100 contestants and family members who traveled there will have to return home. In another adjustment, summer hit "America's Got Talent" will tape its first round of auditions without an audience.
Another popular NBC competition, "The Voice," isn't scheduled to go to live episodes until early May, so it has some time to assess the situation.
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What will viewers see in prime time for the rest of the broadcast TV season?
Much of the production leading up to the traditional end of the TV season has been completed, so viewers won't notice a huge difference.
Some shows are planning to return to complete the season. ABC's longtime favorite, "Grey's Anatomy," will suspend production for at least three weeks, along with "American Housewife" and Fox's "Empire" and "The Resident."
Other broadcast series are shutting down for the season a few episodes short of the typical 22-episode order: "NCIS," for example, will end the season with 20 and look for slightly shorter seasons for Dick Wolf's "Chicago" franchise, "FBI" and "Law & Order: SVU."
As with the late-night shows, the health threat has had a direct effect on sitcoms that film in front of a studio-audience. Both CBS' "The Neighborhood" and Fox's "Last Man Standing" have called off initial plans to tape their season finales on Tuesday without audiences. Star Cedric the Entertainer said on Instagram that "Neighborhood" will end its season without shooting the finale episode. Production of "Last Man" has been postponed for at least three weeks.
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Sports leagues leave schedule void
The cancellation of the NCAA men's basketball tournament on CBS and TBS costs millions in lost ad revenue and leaves the networks with reruns during weeks when they typically draw huge ratings.
ESPN, TNT and regional sports networks will similarly suffer without NBA games and leave gaping holes in their schedules while the season remains paused. MLB's opening day is also delayed at least two weeks, and the rest of the NHL season is on hold.
What happens to popular shows approaching their series finales?
ABC's "Modern Family," which airs its series finale April 8, wrapped filming and is unaffected, as is NBC's three-season revival of "Will & Grace," which finished shooting late last year.
But Fox's "Empire" and CW's "Supernatural" and "The 100," have not filmed their series finales, so a potential long shutdown could force the network to air them past the season in May.
What's new in late-night?
Not much, at least for the next couple of weeks. Many late-night shows initially announced they would continue producing shows without audiences, but the most prominent, including those hosted by Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and Trevor Noah, have shifted to reruns until at least March 30.
HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" is scheduled to broadcast Friday without a studio audience before going on temporary hiatus, and another HBO show, "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver," will air a shortened episode Sunday before moving into a previously scheduled break.
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What happens to new shows for fall?
Although TV production is now spread throughout the year, spring is still a busy time for filming pilot episodes of new shows that are candidates for the fall broadcast network lineups.
A substantial delay in pilot filming could have significant ramifications. Networks might renew more shows from their current lineups or follow a growing streaming-service practice, ordering shows straight-to-series without a pilot.
"This will place enormous challenges on pilot season," says NBC Entertainment chief Paul Telegdy. But "having to press pause is going to leave room to think about the cycles of our business."
The coronavirus threat already has taken a toll on the traditional May upfronts, when fall lineups are revealed to advertisers at splashy events in New York. This week, networks announced they'll drop the in-person presentations and stream them on video instead.
Contributing: Gary Levin
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus: All the ways TV is affected by the pandemic
