How Will Coronavirus Affect/Change Fall Television?

With the pandemic almost nowhere near over, the new normal is starting to get old fast. The entertainment industry has been hit hard by the coronavirus as movie after movie has been pushed back or sent directly to video-on-demand or streaming. 2020 will probably go down as the worst year in a long time at the box offices, but what will happen for television.

All the current shows airing or wrapping up were probably in production before everything shut down. That leaves a large question looming for the shows this fall. With so much shut down due to the outbreak, how will network television handle the peak television season?

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First, most shows have a large cast and production crew. Will they be able to limit the gatherings and crew members to a certain number on set alone. Unlike talk shows and daytime cooking shows, primetime shows can’t be phoned in or shot via Zoom. So how will we get our weekly television shows during the pandemic?

Furthermore, what’s it do to everyone’s favorite guilty pleasures, the non-scripted/reality competition shows. Shows that air live such as The Voice or American Idol won’t be able to have the audiences they’re used to. Sitcoms are typically taped before a lived studio audience. Even with the generic laugh tracks dubbed in, getting to see these shows live draws the audiences to the larger connection they have.

Sure, there are ways they can monitor on set precautions but how exactly do they plan to keep their productions 100% safe? Unlike the general public who can just wear a mask and be okay, you can’t film a show under these conditions so just how well will it work?

Are they going to be in a bubble like the NBA’s startup? Will they go through rigorous testing like the NFL plans to implement? Right now no one knows. One thing’s for sure though, we can hold off movies and people will feel fine, but don’t get their nightly fix of their favorite characters and people may lose their minds.