‘Teen Mom’ Production Crews Are Not Taking Any Chances When It Comes to Coronavirus
The Coronavirus pandemic appears to be growing more serious every day. Now that a national emergency has been issued, television shows are being forced to make some tough decisions, similar to the decisions that the NBA and the NHL have been forced to make in recent days. The production company behind Teen Mom OG and Teen Mom 2 has officially halted production. When they will return to filming remains unknown.
Teen Mom OG and Teen Mom 2 will halt production
Teen Mom OG and Teen Mom 2 have joined the growing list of shows that are canceling production in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic. Viacom made the decision on Friday, March 13, via email. Crew members are currently in the process of making their way back to their home bases and will not head back into the field until they get the okay from Viacom, according to The Ashley Reality Roundup Group. While Teen Mom OG and Teen Mom 2 are halting production, not all of Viacom’s shows are going dark.
The publication reported that Viacom made the decision because of the crew’s extensive travel requirements. Employees who work in the company’s office in New York have also been asked to stay in place. The company email encouraged all employees to avoid the Time Square office. Viacom occupies the 53rd floor of 1515 Broadway. There is no word on when New York employees will be returning to the building. The current season of Teen Mom OG has not been impacted, as the footage was captured months ago.
The show’s reunion special will likely be impacted
The Teen Mom OG cast was set to meet up in New York in the next few weeks to film the season’s reunion special, but with New York practically on lockdown, it doesn’t look like it is going to happen. New York State governor, Andrew Cuomo, issued a ban on all meetings of 500 or more people within New York state and has asked events with less than 500 people to operate at half capacity.
The New York outbreak began in New Rochelle, NY, an affluent suburb about 20 minutes from the center of Manhattan. Over the last week, a growing number of cases in the suburb were linked to a patient being treated at a New York City hospital, according to CNN. A containment zone has been set up in the suburb, but New York City’s cases have grown exponentially, as well. It can be assumed that, unless the number of cases in New York is brought under control in the next seven days, the reunion will need to be postponed. Viacom reported that they are watching the situation closely and will make a final decision on the meeting in the coming weeks.
Several other shows have gone dark due to the outbreak
Teen Mom OG and Teen Mom 2 are not the only shows that are halting production in the wake of the virus’ spread. Warner Bros. announced that they would stop the production of Riverdale for at least two weeks. A crew member came into contact with a person who tested positive for the virus. The show films in Vancouver.
Apple is also taking a break from the filming of The Morning Show for two weeks as the situation develops. Apple has also shuttered all of its stores outside of mainland China as the virus spreads. The goal is to mitigate the congregating of people. Survivor, The Amazing Race, and Grey’s Anatomy have also postponed filming.
