Many of us were disappointed to hear that our favorite shows were being canceled or that new seasons were being postponed when the pandemic started. Most shows take at least a year to release a new season, so this news was truly disheartening. Although COVID-19 was the main reason for many cancellations, ultimately fear led Hollywood to put a hold on projects. In this post, we will discuss specific instances when Hollywood decided to “shut down.”
Top 5 shows that were delayed or canceled by COVID-19
- Stranger Things
- The Witcher
- Grey’s Anatomy
- The Walking Dead
- Riverdale
As a Stranger Things fan, I was super upset when I found out that productions were being delayed. Season 4 did not come out until spring of 2022. According to Cinemablend, Season 4 production was shut down after only two weeks of filming due to the pandemic. However, Shawn Levy, a producer on Stranger Things, claims that shutting filming down had positive effects on the show. This was the first time an entire season was written before shooting began. However, we still ended up waiting about three years for season 4 to come out since the release of season 3. And I can definitely say it was worth the wait. Season 4 was by far the best season, and it brought in record viewership to Netflix. Although the pandemic seems to have positively affected Stranger Things, this was not the case for many other shows that faced pressure during it.
The other five shows on the list above faced similar fates during filming in early 2020, and trust me, we were all upset. This forced us to have to watch “re-uns” of older seasons, which got boring very quickly. Personally, this is when I discovered new shows to watch, including one of my favorites, Shameless. Shameless ended in 2021, with the ending being very controversial. There were many loose ends, and questions left unanswered. I later found out through The Hollywood Reporter, that COVID-19 forced the writers of Shameless to re-write half of the final season, as it was severely rushed to the end. Rushed endings and confusion are so stranger to shows that were filmed during COVID-19, and it left viewers frustrated. I know I stated earlier that the wait for Stranger Things was very frustrating, but I think everyone would have preferred a wait over a rushed, non-confusing ending.
COVID VS. Hollywood 
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