Another Netflix Shutdown: Peaky Blinders Is Supposed To Be Ending, But First It Actually Has To Make It To The Finish Line

Getting to the finish line isn't always easy no matter what the journey, especially during an ongoing global pandemic. Netflix period crime drama Peaky Blinders is currently in the midst of filming its sixth and final season. However, due to COVID, production has had shut down once again.

According to Daily Mail, Peaky Blinders had to halt production again after a crew member returned a “false positive” test. In keeping with protocol for the BBC production, the crew member took an NHS test and had to self-isolate along with anyone who came into contact with them. The show first had to shut down production last year when COVID-19 reached the United Kingdom, which is where Peaky Blinders is filmed. Filming resumed in January with no problem, until now.

Peaky Blinders is only the latest Netflix series to halt production due to COVID. Last fall, The Witcher had to shut down for a little bit just after Henry Cavill revealed the show was switching to a new filming location. It marked the second time the show had to halt production and it was due to four people on set testing positive.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been harsh to some Netflix projects. Instead of just halting production, Netflix ultimately chose to cancel some series after they were given an initial renewal, disappointing fans and the cast. Though with Peaky Blinders in the middle of filming, this doesn’t seem like it will be the case and it will get a proper ending, whenever that happens.

Season 5 of Peaky Blinders ended on a cliffhanger, with Tommy seeing visions of his late wife Grace and turning a gun on himself following his botched assassination attempt of the British Union of Fascists leader. With all of these delays, fans will just have to wait a little longer to see what happens, but fingers crossed this will be the last shutdown. However, COVID-19 is very unpredictable and anything can happen during the remainder of filming.

COVID-19 has been responsible for the shutdown of many television shows and movies, pushing premiere dates and changing up schedules over the last year. Non-streaming shows have had to do multiple breaks throughout their seasons, sometimes in between episodes, while streaming shows have ended up delaying entire seasons. It’s frustrating, but understandable at the same time since everyone on the cast and crew’s health comes as a top priority.

The good news is that thanks to Netflix, Peaky Blinders fans can watch and rewatch the first five seasons until the day comes when Season 6 drops. With more than one shutdown already, it's probably for the best that no premiere date for the sixth and final season has been announced, but hopefully the next news about Peaky Blinders will be good news. For some viewing options during the wait for Peaky Blinders to return, check out our Netflix 2021 premiere dates schedule!

Megan Behnke
Freelance TV News Writer

Passionate writer. Obsessed with anything and everything entertainment, specifically movies and television. Can get easily attached to fictional characters.