Read this: The fates of our favorite TV shows are bleak thanks to coronavirus
Most other years, TV networks would be hard at work right now finalizing their May Sweeps content: superstar guest spots, epic series finales, and cliffhangers meant to keep us guessing all summer. Well, we’ll at least have a few cliffhangers this year—though most of them will be unintentional. The coronavirus pandemic has caused much of Hollywood to shut down, including production of many of our favorite shows. Now THR is talking to industry insiders who provide a sobering forecast of what we can expect from series that weren’t done filming their current seasons before the pandemic.
THR’s Lesley Goldberg spoke to a handful of writers, reps, and executives—all under the condition of anonymity. Here are a few highlights from her interviews.
What happens to my shows that only had a few episodes left to film?
“The outstanding episodes will likely be ‘rolled’ to the 2020-21 season,” Goldberg writes before concluding ominously, “whenever that begins.”
The story did not touch on how shows that were working toward their series finales, like Empire and Supernatural, will resolve their seasons. But Goldberg did note that an abrupt, unplanned ending with no conclusion could severely limit “their ability to sell or stream elsewhere.” So that hopefully means these shows will get special finale movies or final runs.
