The Oval and Sistas Set to Become First Scripted Series to Resume Production in the U.S.

The Covid-19 shutdown has brought the TV industry to its knees, with many shows shuttering production for an undisclosed amount of time.

Many were forced to have early season finales, while some of the broadcast networks are planning for their scripted originals to not be back on the schedule until 2021, Tyler Perry's BET series The Oval and Sistas are already gearing up to return to production.

Both shows will continue production from July at Perry's Atlanta studios.

Each series had been unofficially renewed before the announcement, but BET made the news official when it was revealed that they would be able to return to production.

This means they will be the first two scripted series to return to production in the U.S.

It's been clear for a while now that changes would need to be made across the board to contain the spread of the virus, but it's unclear what measures will be taken on the set of both shows.

Georgia governor Brian Kemp lifted the state's stay at home order on April 30, paving the way for production in Atlanta to resume.

“We are excited to continue our partnership with Tyler Perry and for the renewals of our two Wednesday night programming staples, The Oval and Sistas,” BET president Scott Mills said in a statement.

“BET is committed to investing in quality programming from top industry power players and giving viewers more of the content they love and expect from the brand across our platforms.”

Time will tell how this pandemic will effect the TV industry in the long term, but given that many shows will not have episodes in the can for months, it's likely that many networks could be forced to cancel reliable performers.

What are your thoughts on this news?

Hit the comments.