'The Bold and the Beautiful' Resumes Production Following 3-Month Coronavirus Hiatus

CBS' The Bold and the Beautiful is set to resume production three months after going on hiatus [...]

CBS' The Bold and the Beautiful is set to resume production three months after going on hiatus amid the coronavirus pandemic, making it the first scripted series on U.S. soil to do so. The long-running soap will resume physical production this Wednesday at Television City in Los Angeles, with a representative telling TVLine that "the health and safety of our cast and crew are of foremost importance to us" and they "will be following all protocols set forth by the State, City, Television City, and the various guilds."

Those new protocols, according to Deadline, include regular coronavirus testing for both the cast and crew. The cast and crew have already been tested ahead of their return to set, where they will now be working shorter days and call times will be staggered to allow for a smaller number of people on set at a time. They will also be required to wear masks at all times, except for cast members when they are filming scenes. Members of the cast and crew will now be joined by a COVID-19 coordinator on set. This coordinator will ensure that coronavirus safety guidelines are followed. As a result of the new protocols, some of the scripts had to be reworked.

Production on The Bold and the Beautiful, as well as fellow CBS soap The Young and the Restless, had been shut down on March 17 as statewide lockdowns began to go into effect across the country. At the time, the series about 4-6 weeks worth of episodes, with the last original episode airing in April. Beginning on April 27, The Bold and the Beautiful began airing repeat episodes. It remains unclear when new episodes will resume airing. Sources claimed they could return as early as July, though those reports have not been confirmed by the network.

To celebrate the resuming of production, series star Don Diamont, who portrays Bill Spencer Jr., took to Instagram to share a photo of himself in front of a sign welcoming the cast and crew back to set. He ensured fans that "every bit of safety protocol imaginable is in place."

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As it resumes production, The Bold and the Beautiful will also be looking ahead to future seasons. In May, amid the production shutdown, CBS renewed the long-running soap for two more seasons, which will take it through Season 35 in 2021-2022. Announcing the renewal, Amy Reisenbach, EVP of Current Programs at CBS Entertainment, said the show "has been a cornerstone of the CBS Daytime lineup."

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