Soap opera ‘Bold and the Beautiful’ is first US TV show to resume production. How are they doing it?

LOS ANGELES — New episodes of the soap opera “The Bold and the Beautiful” will begin airing July 20 after nearly three months of reruns because of a shutdown of production at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, CBS announced Monday.

“The Bold and the Beautiful” resumed production June 17, the first US television series to do so.

Cast and crew members are tested for the coronavirus on a regular basis, and a COVID-19 director is on set at all times to make sure government and union protocols are followed. Those include fewer people allowed on set, social distancing and wearing face masks at all times, with an exception made for actors who are filming a scene.

During filming, actors remain at least 8 feet apart, and camera tricks and editing are used to make them appear closer together, executive producer and head writer Bradley Bell told the Hollywood Reporter.

For some close-ups, the husbands and wives of the actors are enlisted as stand-ins, so two characters can appear to be touching, the producer told the trade magazine.

The most recent original “B&B” episode aired April 23.

“The Bold and the Beautiful” — which premiered on March 23, 1987 — is the most-watched US-produced daytime drama in the world and a three-time Daytime Emmy winner for outstanding drama series.

Source: Orange County Register