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TV shows canceled after renewal -

In October 2020, fans were left distraught when Netflix announced its decision to reverse the renewal of its popular '80s wrestling drama, ‘Glow.’

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'Glow' -

Production of the fourth and final season had already begun and there was a full episode ready by the time the show was canceled. Such disappointment!

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‘The Society’ -

But 'Glow' wasn't a one-off. Netflix announced in August 2020 that it had made the difficult decision to cancel the second season of its teen drama ‘The Society.’ Filming was about start when the show was pulled.

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'The Society' -

Fans and stars alike were very disappointed by the news, but Netflix stood strong, citing the uncertainty of production dates and cast availability as the reason for the cancellation.

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'I Am Not Okay with This' -

The second season of the coming-of-age series ‘I Am Not Okay with This’ sadly went along with ‘The Society.’ Netflix expressed their disappointment at having to cancel.

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'Drunk History' -

The seventh series of the alternative history program ‘Drunk History’ was canceled by Comedy Central in August 2020. Filming was already underway when the show was axed.

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'I'm Sorry' -

The third season of Andrea Savage’s comedy ‘I’m Sorry’ was sadly canceled in late August 2020 after having been initially renewed back in June 2019 by truTV.

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TV shows and films back in production -

Although Jimmy Fallon’s 'The Tonight Show' never disappeared from our screens (he filmed it from home), the show has now returned to its rightful filming location at 30 Rock Studio.

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'The Tonight Show' -

The format is slightly different in that there is no live audience, and in the interest of safety there are, of course, multiple safety checks and the crew wear masks.

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'America's Got Talent' -

The talent competition show on NBC returned to production in June 2020, with creator Simon Cowell stating in an interview that there was “a real buzz of excitement” in the studio.

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'America's Got Talent' -

Safety measures include a rule that judges must arrive in their own cars and sit socially distanced. Filming was also done outside and there were regular COVID-19 tests done on set.

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'The Witcher' -

The filming of season two of ‘The Witcher’ went on hold in March 2020, and a lucky thing too: co-star Kristofer Hivju revealed shortly afterwards that he had tested positive for the virus.

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'The Witcher' -

Although much of the show is already set outside, the script was modified slightly to allow for social-distancing measures, and the cast returned for filming on August 17, 2020.

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'Jurassic World: Dominion' -

The filming of Colin Trevorrow’s ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ began in February 2020 and went on hold the following March. Star Dallas Howard said there were always plans to resume.

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'Jurassic World: Dominion' -

Production reportedly resumed in the summer of 2020 after US$5 million was spent on COVID-19-related health protocols to keep the cast and crew safe.

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'Avatar 2' -

Filming of the ‘Avatar’ sequel in New Zealand was suspended in March 2020, but it was not too long before the NZ government gave the go ahead for filming to resume at the end of May.

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'Avatar 2' -

When flying in to film, cast and crew were subject to a 14-day quarantine before filming commenced, with fewer crew members and safety measures firmly in place.

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COVID-19 storylines -

TV shows set in the present face the challenge of deciding whether to acknowledge the pandemic. One show that is fully embracing the COVID-19 storyline is ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’

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'Grey's Anatomy' -

After filming of the 16th season stopped early, the show’s writers witnessed the pandemic unfold firsthand and decided that the 17th season would tackle the issue head on.

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'The Good Doctor' -

Another medical show that has decided to incorporate COVID-19 is ‘The Good Doctor.’ Its creator David Shore has expressed a desire to educate people via the show.

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'The Good Doctor' -

The first two episodes saw the show’s main character, Dr. Shawn Murphy, at the height of the pandemic. The storyline then shifted back to pre-COVID-19 times.

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'South Park' -

At the end of September 2020, the creators of 'South Park' released an hour-long episode dedicated solely to the pandemic.

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'South Park' -

The special, which satirizes elements of the US government’s response to the outbreak, was the highest-rated episode in over seven years and drew in over 4.05 million viewers.

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'This Is Us' -

Season five of ‘This Is Us’ arrived fashionably late at the end of October 2020, and tackles not only COVID-19 but other issues that have defined 2020, such as the Black Lives Matter movement.

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Impact on streaming services -

It will come as no great surprise that most streaming services are doing well during the pandemic. Netflix, for example, did extremely well based on the fact that everyone has been staying home.

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Quibi -

A casualty of the pandemic, on the other hand, was streaming service Quibi, whose short-length content was aimed at people without much time on their hands, in particular commuters.

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Quibi -

When the pandemic struck and everyone was confined to their homes, no one was commuting and there was no real need for episodes that are shorter than what's already on offer.

(E!) (Entertainment Weekly) (ET) (CBC)

See also: The impact of COVID-19 on the global food chain.

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