NCIS, One Chicago And More CBS And NBC Shows Are Shutting Down Production

The past week has been a whirlwind of activity for TV and movie productions around the world, with seemingly every studio and production company having to make exceedingly important decisions about how to deal with the spread of the novel coronavirus. Two of the biggest TV powerhouses on the planet, CBS and NBCUniversal, have announced that a slew of their respective primetime hits across multiple networks – such as the NCIS franchise and Chicago Fire and its spinoffs – are pulling the plug on their productions, with some not planning to return until next season.

Which ViacomCBS Shows Are Shutting Down Due To Coronavirus?

Understandably, given the unpredictable circumstances surrounding the global coronavirus outbreak, CBS TV Studios released a statement about how execs have been assessing the situation, and what the general plan is for their programming moving forward. Read it below (via Deadline).

Over the past few days, we began making decisions to temporarily postpone production on some of our pilots and current series. At this time, we are evaluating situations on a case-by-case basis, informed by the best information from health experts and government officials. Some productions may continue as long as they do not involve live audiences and/or environments that are considered at risk. The safety and welfare of our production team is our top priority.

As of the time of this writing, CBS TV Studios will be shutting things down for several of CBS' biggest hits, with the NCIS franchise as the network's standout property. It's being reported that there are a few shows beyond those listed below that are being considered for a production halt, with situations being monitored. (Check out all the talk shows that are going without studio audiences.)

For now, here are the major series whose productions are coming to a close soon, to go with the previously halted Riverdale.

NCIS (CBS)NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)NCIS: New Orleans (CBS)Bull (CBS)The Amazing Race (CBS)FBI (CBS)Survivor (CBS)Dynasty (The CW)Riverdale (The CW)The Good Fight (CBS All Access)

Perhaps the biggest shocker involved here is that many of the shows that are shutting down won't be returning to production until their following seasons (when applicable). It creates mounting expenses to restart filming on TV shows after unforeseen delays, from location permits to the talent's schedules, so it appears the most sensible decision is to cut losses and end the shows' seasons one or two episodes early in some cases. That will obviously create a strange situation for season finale plans, but it remains to be seen how things will play out. (Especially for NCIS, which looked like it was set to deliver another Ziva shocker in the near future.)

The sitcom The Neighborhood isn't on the list because its own season finale is being filmed currently, though it is doing so without a studio audience. (Which will also be an odd thing to watch.) And Hawaii Five-0 fans won't have to worry about that drama's impending series finale, since it has already been filmed. (And with Chuck Norris, no less.)

chicago fire cast

(Image credit: nbc press)

Which NBCUniversal Shows Are Shutting Down Due To Coronavirus?

Over at NBCUniversal, a similar exodus is happening with several scripted and unscripted primetime series having to call it quits before the seasons can be fully wrapped. Just as it went with CBS TV, NBCU has a variety of series across multiple networks and streaming services that are being affected.

Check out the most current list of delayed productions below.

Chicago Fire (NBC)Chicago P.D. (NBC)Chicago Med (NBC)Law & Order: SVU (NBC)New Amsterdam (NBC)American Ninja Warrior (NBC)Angelyne (Peacock)Rutherford Falls (Peacock)Russian Doll (Netflix)The Kelly Clarkson Show (Syndicated)Little America (Apple TV+)

Russian Doll Season 2, Little America Season 2 and Rutherford Falls' debut season were all in pre-production mode and hadn't started filming yet, so it remains to be seen when they will be able to get back into gear.

Here's the statement from NBC:

The safety and health of our cast, crew and employees is our top priority. Where possible, we are pausing production for two weeks as a precautionary measure, following which we will reassess and determine an appropriate start date. In some cases, we are accelerating plans to wrap up physical production.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend to see what other big shows will be affected by the coronavirus outbreak, and keep an eye on our Winter and Spring premiere schedule to see when new and returning shows will hit primetime in the coming months.

Nick Venable
Assistant Managing Editor

Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.