“The Bold and the Beautiful” is the first American television series to return to stage production following health guidelines released last week by the state of California and Los Angeles County officials. Cast and crew members were given COVID-19 tests on Monday, June 15, with filming set to recommence on Wednesday, June 17 for the first time since March when production was shut down due to COVID-19 concerns across the nation. News of the show’s return to production was first revealed by “B&B” actor Don Diamont (Bill Spencer) who shared a photo of himself standing next to a “Welcome Back” sign for the show’s employees at Television City, where the soap opera is filmed.
“HERE. WE. GO.,” said the actor in an Instagram post. “Every bit of safety protocol imaginable is in place, and ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ is back in production,” the actor added.
According to Deadline, there is no airdate set for when the first batch of originals will begin to air but the show is expected to be back with all-new episodes at some point in early-to-mid July.
With an agreement in place between the show’s producers, Television City, and the Hollywood guilds, and following guidelines and protocols set forth by health officials, “B&B” cast and crew were tested for COVID-19 on Monday, June 15 as part of the show’s pre-production plans and they will continue undergoing regular testing as part of required protocols. A COVID-19 coordinator has been hired and will be on set at all times, Deadline notes. “I hear all cast and crew members will be required to wear masks at all times except for actors when they are filming a scene,” said Deadline‘s Co-Editor-in-Chief, Nellie Andreeva, in her reporting.
As part of its pre-production plans, scripts that were previously written for the series but were not yet filmed have been reworked. Additionally, cast and crew will work shorter days and will work over “staggered call times.” A limited number of cast members will be on set at any given time. Filming resumes on Wednesday, June 17.
The last original episode for “The Bold and the Beautiful” aired on Thursday, April 23. Beginning Monday, April 27, the show began airing classic episodes by way of theme weeks, including the re-airing of the show’s pilot episode. This week the show is airing episodes dedicated to characters from sister soap “The Young and the Restless” who’ve appeared on “B&B” over the years. Dubbed “Bold Gets Restless Week,” the episodes feature the likes of Victor Newman (Eric Braeden), Lauren Fenmore (Tracey E. Bregman), Ashley Abbott (Eileen Davidson) and Katherine Chancellor (the late Jeanne Cooper), among several others. Like “B&B,” “Y&R” also films at Television City in Los Angeles but at press time no plans were announced for the show to resume production.
“So excited to be going back to work this week!! My first day back after four months is on Thursday,” wrote “B&B” original cast member Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke Forrester) on Instagram, who also stood next to the “Welcome Back” photo set up at the entryway for cast and crew. “I am so happy! I had to take off my mask for the photo so you could see me smile,” she noted.