Five NBC TV pilots will film this fall.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, 11 out of 12 tv pilots were unable to complete production due to the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. NBC has decided they will film five pilots this season.
Once it is safe to resume production, NBC has picked five top pilots to film this fall. They are reportedly the “most promising of all of NBC's drama and comedy scripts”. The shows include the following:
- Langdon – a drama based on the Dan Brown novels
- Ordinary Joe – Matt Reeves drama exploring three parallel lives of the leading star
- Night School – a TV adaptation of the Kevin Hart movie of the same name
- American Auto – a workplace comedy
- Grand Crew – a comedy based around a group of Black friends.
NBC, ABC, and CBS are betting on production on new and returning series to resume sooner rather than later once production can resume in shooting locations including Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. Currently, the various guilds are figuring out the best safety protocols to restart productions.
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the film industry, especially, pilot season. A majority of the 50 pilots, which are the opportunity for unemployed actors to land major roles on TV shows, were not completed. Networks were forced to order new scripts to fit in line with the Coronavirus filming guidelines. Networks also handed out series to shows that had limited footage.
In relevant news, Background actors are concerned Coronavirus COVID-19 film guidelines could potentially destroy their acting careers.
One of the best ways to get started in the film industry is arguably getting a job as a background actor. The position requires little to no acting experience and gives aspiring actors, filmmakers, and producers the opportunity to see what it is like to work on a production. However, due to the Coronavirus COVID-19 guidelines, movie and TV extras could become a thing of the past replaced with CGI and smaller scenes.
Many guilds including SAG-AFTRA, the Directors Guild, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, and the Cinematographers Guild released rules planned to protect their guild members from infection. However, many of the guidelines suggest guidelines that say to reduce background extras and increase production expenses to hire background actors.
