#Hollywood Agents and Execs Anticipate “Plenty” of COVID-19 Cancellations to Come

TV shows are prone to being cut short when they are not performing as well as their networks hoped. 

In recent months, however, well-rated TV series are being canceled to the pandemic that has been present in our lives for over six months. 

Now, a new report from The Hollywood Reporter predicts that cancellations will continue to roll in for shows that have already been renewed. 

The issue COVID-19 brings to the table for TV shows is higher costs because of the testing and precautions that have to be carried out to make sets safe from the virus. 

In order to get productions off the ground, each production has to agree to various safety precautions put in place by guilds and studios. 

“It really depends on the show itself but I’m going to give you a rough number and say it’s between $300,000 and $500,000 additional per episode for PPE,” Alex Kurtzman explained to the outlet.

“It’s just in keeping people safe — and that’s not a number you can skimp on.”

With the cost rising on TV shows exponentially, it makes it a bitter pill to swallow for the networks that are already struggling due to the outbreak. 

The figure, however, does not include costs for the additional time episodes will take to complete, as well as fees for the cast, crew, and location. 

“Costs have spiraled, and when you put COVID-19 on top of that, it makes shows not make sense,” a literary agent told the outlet. 

The agent said that “plenty” of TV series could be canceled as the country continues to deal with the pandemic. 

It was just a week ago that GLOW was cut short despite filming two episodes of its fourth and then-final season. 

In reports that spilled out after the cancellation, it was said that the budget would increase too much, and filming would be a nightmare because of the close contact of the characters on the show. 

“COVID has killed actual humans. It’s a national tragedy and should be our focus. COVID also apparently took down our show. Netflix has decided not to finish filming the final season of GLOW,” series creators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch revealed in a statement to Deadline when the news broke.

“We were handed the creative freedom to make a complicated comedy about women and tell their stories. And wrestle. And now that’s gone. There’s a lot of s—y things happening in the world that are much bigger than this right now. But it still sucks that we don’t get to see these 15 women in a frame together again.”

While Netflix has a string of shows canceled due to COVID-19, it is not the only network doing it. 

ABC axed Stumptown, despite giving it a second season order, while Showtime pulled the plug on the Kirsten Dunst-led On Becoming a God in Central Florida. 

What are your thoughts on the cancellations?

Hit the comments below. 

Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.