TV production grinds to a halt as Southern California threatened by fire

The devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area have caused a fury of preemptions and schedule changes as production companies, local stations and networks juggle offering extended coverage of the event and keeping cast and crew members safe.

Perhaps most notable was the premiere of the reboot of “Hollywood Squares” that was set to debut Jan. 9, 2025 on CBS. The network pushed back the premiere to Jan. 16, 2025. The show, which features comedy as a key element of its gameplay, could have felt out of place amid the coverage.

Even if it had aired, it may have been pre-empted in the Los Angeles area, the nation’s second-largest TV market, where local stations have largely tossed their schedules out in favor of wall-to-wall coverage of the catastrophe. 

“Squares” tapes at Television City in L.A. The episode slated to air on Jan. 9 likely was taped before the fires became a concern.

Meanwhile, other shows, including episodes of “General Hospital” and “The View,” were preempted in recent days due to both wildfire coverage and the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter. Some of the preemptions were only in select markets.

In some cases, networks simply pushed back an episode a day, while others still aired episodes as normal for stations not affected by the preemptions, with viewers advised to access the show via streaming services, digital subchannels or special overnight airings.

Numerous taped dramas, comedies and unscripted shows have also been significantly affected due to the fires, with many production companies halting filming or other work. Even for productions not directly slated to film near fires, halting operations can be helpful for cast and crew members affected by the disaster and also help limit the strain on resources and infrastructure throughout the area.

Many L.A.-based productions also shoot on location throughout the area, so even if a show’s soundstage is not directly impacted, other shooting plans could be affected.

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Some TV productions have been able to continue at least some pre- and post-production using remote setups held over from the pandemic. 

It was not immediately clear how upcoming airings of shows could be affected by the halt in production. At least some of that could depend on how long the shows are shut down for and how many episodes are already in the can or can be made ready in the meantime.

Most shows returned from their annual holiday hiatus within the past weeks and it’s common for these episodes to air closer to their shooting dates than ones later in the season, though this can vary greatly. Networks could also opt to throw in repeats of shows for a few weeks to buy some additional time if production schedules are affected to that degree. 

Shows filmed in other locations throughout the country, such as New York, Chicago and Atlanta, have seen less disruption, so it’s likely networks will still have a decent backlog of these productions to pull from heading in the near future.