Several TV series have been forced to shut down production due to the outbreak of wildfires in Southern California. According to Deadline, production on ABC’s sophomore series Bless This Mess, CBS’ Shemar Moore-starring series S.W.A.T., Freeform’s Party of Five reboot, and Spectrum Originals’ L.A.’s Finest have been impacted due to the continued fires ravaging the state.
The outlet reports that production on Bless This Mess, which shoots at Santa Clarita’s Sable Ranch, was suspended while production on the other series wrapped early on Thursday, Oct. 24.
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It is unclear if the series returned for filming this week as more fires broke out across the state, forcing mandatory evacuations and prompting Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency.
Production on all four of the series was impacted earlier this month after the Saddleridge fire broke out and was fueled by strong Santa Ana winds. At that time, production was also suspended on NBC’s Perfect Comedy, CBS’ veteran series NCIS and upcoming Paramount Network/CBS Studios series 68 Whiskey, and Freeform’s Good Trouble.
Additionally, filming on the upcoming season of Homeland switched filming locations to avoid being in a fire-affected area.
According to a Santa Clarita Film Office official, other small productions were able to shoot as scheduled. The production impacts were mostly due to the ability to travel to production locations, as large sections of major freeways had been closed due to the fires.
This is not the first time that wildfires in the state have affected production teams. Last, year, both Westworld and S.W.A.T., along with a number of other productions, were forced to shut down production in response to wildfires in Southern California.
The historic Western town area at Paramount Ranch in Agoura Hills, California, which has served as the set for productions such as Westworld, was destroyed at the time as the Woolsey Fire swept through.
“Paramount Ranch was one of the locations used during seasons one and two of Westworld, in addition to the primary location at Melody Ranch in Santa Clarita,” HBO said in a statement addressed the destruction at the time. “Westworld is not currently in production, and as the area has been evacuated, we do not yet know the extent of the damage to any structures remaining there.”
Currently, both southern and northern California are being struck by devastating wildfires, forcing hundreds of thousands to evacuate. Thousands of structures have already been destroyed, and forecast strong Santa Anna winds are projected to worsen conditions as firefighters continue to battle the multiple blazes.
