TV News Wrap-Up: TV Shows Delay Return to Production, John Bishop Joins ‘Doctor Who’, Candice Bergen to Guest Star on ‘The Conners’
Goodbye, 2020! It was nice knowing you! (Not!)
On this week’s TV news wrap-up we’re wrapping up this year with a few final notes. This week is usually pretty quiet with just a few announcements to be had.
Take a look at the highlights on this week’s tv news wrap-up!
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TV shows delay return from holiday hiatus due to Los Angeles COVID-19 surge.
- Universal Television pushed the return to production after the holiday hiatus.
- The announcement came after, “On New Year’s Eve, Los Angeles County reported a third consecutive day of record coronavirus-related deaths. On Wednesday, the region recorded its 10,000th death related to the virus. The county’s ICU capacity is at 0%. Earlier this week, the regional stay-at-home order for Southern California was extended to Jan. 16.”
- According to Deadline, production of Good Girls and Never Have I Ever, will be delayed by a week with production starting on January 11th.
- The Brooklyn Nine-Nine will return to production on January 18th.
- The production delay puts these productions in line with the new Los Angeles Department of Health guideline regarding self-quarantine for non-essential travel.
- It was later reported that Warner Bros. TV and CBS studios were also delaying the return of their shows currently in production with filming set to resume on January 11th.
- Disney Television Studios also announced that 16 of their productions wouldn’t resume filming until the week of January 18th, delaying the return by one week.
The Office releases never-before-seen cold open as a promotion for the show’s move to Peacock.
- Deadline reports that the unaired cold open was cut for time from the show’s series finale in 2013.
- The cold open runs for five minutes and is an elaborate plot to convince Dwight that he’s living in The Matrix with Jim, Pam, a trained black cat, and security guard Hank all in on the stunt.
- You can watch the cold open right here.
John Bishop is joining the Tardis for Doctor Who Season 13.
- Deadline reports that the actor and comedian will be joining The Doctor and Yaz during Season 13. The announcement was made after the credits of the New Year’s special roled on Friday.
- Bishop will play Dan who joins the Tardis after the departure of Graham and Ryan.
- According to showrunner Chris Chibnall, talks with Bishop began even before the pandemic hit and the character that has resulted was built for the comedian.
- The latest installment of the British science fiction series began filming in November and is expected to premiere later in 2021.
- Bishop’s previous credits include E4’s Skins and ITV legal thriller Fearless.
Candice Bergen is set to guest star on The Conners.
- According to Deadline, Bergen will play Ben’s mother Barb.
- Bergen’s character is from Lanford and is described as having, “…a superior air and a sharp tongue, but she’s much more agreeable when she’s had a few drinks. She’s judgmental about Ben’s relationship with Darlene (Sara Gilbert), and describes the Conner house as, “Like one of those places they break into on that program Cops.”
- The Conners is the highest-rated broadcast comedy among adults 18-49 this season.
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Lauren Busser
Lauren Busser is an Associate Editor at Tell-Tale TV. She is a writer of fiction and nonfiction whose work has appeared in Bitch Media, Popshot Quarterly, Brain Mill Press Voices, and The Hartford Courant.