NBC Suspends Late-Night Programs

NBC said it would suspend production of its two flagship late-night programs for a period of at least two weeks, the latest bit of fallout around wee-hours TV related to the spread of coronavirus, The NY Post reports.

Starting Friday, “The Tonight Show” and “Late Night” will suspend production through a previously planned hiatus, which had been scheduled for the week of March 23. “We will continue to monitor the situation closely and make decisions about future shows as we get closer to the start of production,” NBC said in a statement.

Both shows had planned to start broadcasting Monday without a live, in-studio audience, a nod to the new requirements of life under the spread of coronavirus. All of the nation’s late-night programs had made similar decisions, which means every national late-night program will proceed without one of the format’s bedrock elements – a live crowd that can react to all the jokes and sketches, and even influence the host’s actions and tone over the course of a segment or a night.

Rita and Tom Hanks

Coronavirus has also slammed Hollywood.

➤MOVIE DELAYS
Release dates for movies are shifting. Fast and Furious 9 from May 22 to April of 2021, No Time To Die from April to November; A Quiet Place 2 from March to TBD and Peter Rabbit 2 from March to August. China has closed its 70,000+ theaters, and Italy, France and Germany have shut many or most as well.

➤FILMING
The Falcon and Winter Soldier are no longer filming in Prague, and the release date for the Disney+ show will likely be pushed.  Production for Mission Impossible 7, Riverdale, Survivor and the Amazing Race have been put on hold.

➤TOM HANKS AND RITA WILSON
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson shared publicly that they have been diagnosed with coronavirus in Australia. "Hello, folks. Rita and I are down here in Australia. We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches," Hanks began on social media. "Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the coronavirus, and were found to be positive."

Hanks gave his fans an update last night (March 12th), writing on Instagram, "Hello folks. @ritawilson and I want to thank everyone here Down Under who are taking such good care of us. We have Covid-19 and are in isolation so we do not spread it to anyone else. There are those for whom it could lead to a very serious illness. We are taking it one-day-at-a-time." He continued, "There are things we can all do to get through this by following the advice of experts and taking care of ourselves and each other, no? Remember, despite all the current events, there is no crying in baseball. Hanx."

They are reportedly in stable condition at a Queensland hospital and are cooperating with officials.

➤GATHERINGS
On Thursday, California Governor Gavin Newsom recommended the cancellation or postponement of gatherings of 250 or more people through at least the end of the month.