‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ Producers Blame Latest Production Halt on ‘False Positive’ Coronavirus Tests

The Bold and the Beautiful was forced to halt production a second time amid the coronavirus pandemic for what has now been revealed to be due to “several false positive” test results. After the scheduled date to resume production was scrapped last week, Bell-Phillip Television, the long-running CBS soap’s producer, issued a statement blaming the production delay on the testing lab provided by TV City.

Obtained by Variety, a Bell-Phillip Television spokesman said that the soap opera has “not had, nor do we have, any positive COVID-19 cases.” Instead, the statement explained that “the Health Department had some additional questions about the lab TV City provided The Bold and the Beautiful with last week, which produced several false positives.” The spokesman said that Bell-Phillip Television has since “changed labs and resolved all problems” and confirmed that they “are not ‘shut down,’ but we needed an additional day to provide them with requested information.” The spokesman confirmed to Variety the production is expected to officially resume on June 24.

The Bold and the Beautiful was set to be one of the first series to resume production, though those plans were tossed to the side due to the “false positive” results. According to The Hollywood Reporter, filming resumed on June 17 and had been scheduled to go for three days last week and four days per week in the following weeks, with both members of the cast and crew being tested for the virus on Mondays and shooting Tuesday through Friday. After just a single day of filming, however, production was forced to pause to accommodate a greater volume of testing than producers initially anticipated. That issue was followed by issues with the first lab used for testing, which was provided by the show’s studio facility, Television City.

A representative had confirmed on June 16 that filming would start up against following a three-month hiatus and that the series would be “following all protocols set forth by the State, City, Television City, and the various guilds.” Among the new safety measures were frequent testing, staggered call times and shorter working days to limit the number of people on set, and the requirement for those on set to wear masks with the exclusion of actors when they are filming.

Executive producer and head writer Bradley Bell told The Hollywood Reporter that when filming, actors would remain at least eight feet apart with visual effects and other tricks being used to make them appear closer together. Bell also said that in some cases, the significant others of actors would be used as “stand-ins for their [characters’] significant others.”

The Bold and the Beautiful is set to resume filming on June 24. It is believed that the series will serve as a test case for other productions as they prepare to return. Fellow CBS soap The Young and the Restless, meanwhile, is tentatively set to return July 6.