Soap opera fans are hopeful that their favorite daytime dramas will resume production soon, and it's possible that The Bold and the Beautiful may be the first of the four network soap operas to resume filming after all were forced to suspend production two months ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Deadline reports that producers from B&B recently sent a memo to its cast and crew that states that the show is readying itself to resume production in June. However, it was stressed that this is just a projected start date, and the situation remains fluid. Several safety protocols and guidelines need to be in place before any filming can move forward, including those set up and endorsed by the Hollywood unions, Television City (where the series is shot), the city of Los Angeles, and the state of California.
As Soap Central previously reported, B&B star Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (Steffy Forrester) recalls that most everyone assumed that the suspension in filming would only last a couple of weeks -- but the hiatus quickly became indefinite.
"When we were filming, we had no idea about the gravity of Covid-19 and assumed we would be coming back right away," she shared.
"Everything is tentative," added Scott Clifton (Liam Spencer) about when the show might be back up and running. "We're really, really itching to get back in there and give you guys more story. But we want to stay safe too, and even when we do go back, there's going to be a lot of protocol that wasn't in place before. We're going to have to do things a lot differently."
Clifton continues, "It's going to be a lot smaller of a set with people on it, a lot of measures to make sure that everybody is healthy and safe and not infecting anybody. And we might even have to film things a bit differently, where you know, we're not necessarily in such close proximity [with one another] in the scenes. I assume you as our fans would understand that."
For more on what the stars think future B&B episodes might look like with COVID-19 safety protocols in place, and to find out how some Australian and British soap operas are resuming production in the midst of the pandemic, click here.
Along with fellow CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful had a little over a month's worth of episodes in the can when the production shutdown began on March 17. The last original episode aired last month and, beginning Monday, April 27, both shows started airing classic episodes curated into theme weeks.
What do you think about B&B possibly resuming production in June? Will you tune in to the soap opera if it's filmed differently and looks different due to the coronavirus safety protocols? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
