The pandemic has its prints all over CanadaB次元官网网址檚 winter TV season.

While some shows affected by lockdowns last March were able to resume production in the summer and air in the fall, many were held up by restrictions, a lack of COVID-19 insurance, and the development of expensive health and safety protocols with officials and unions.

The result is a January and February slate packed with new programming shot over the past few months with much testing, distancing, sanitization and personal protective equipment.

The Canadian Press spoke with talent behind some Canadian shows about production challenges, and how positive cases were dealt with on set.

B次元官网网址淜IMB次元官网网址橲 CONVENIENCEB次元官网网址� ON SHOOTING UNDER DURESS

Star Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, who plays patriarch Appa on the family sitcom, says the pandemic pushed the start of production on the new season in Toronto from last May to September.

Writers modified some storylines and used fewer guest actors, while the whole team was B次元官网网址渇astidiousB次元官网网址� about their COVID protocols.

Away from the set, everyone limited their contact to those in their immediate household, realizing that B次元官网网址渓ike dominoes, if one goes, everything sort of goes.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淢ission accomplished,B次元官网网址� Lee says. B次元官网网址淲e shot season five under duress, the worst circumstances, but we didnB次元官网网址檛 have one case, knock on wood.B次元官网网址�

Simu Liu, who plays AppaB次元官网网址檚 son Jung, was in Australia shooting MarvelB次元官网网址檚 upcoming film B次元官网网址淪hang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten RingsB次元官网网址� when the pandemic hit and couldnB次元官网网址檛 get back to Toronto to shoot B次元官网网址淜imB次元官网网址檚 ConvenienceB次元官网网址� until near the end of production.

The protocols made the shooting process B次元官网网址渧ery piecemealB次元官网网址� and put pressure on the cast to B次元官网网址渘ail a scene and move onB次元官网网址� so they could stay on schedule, Lee says.

B次元官网网址淥therwise, itB次元官网网址檚 like a big train wreck: one delay at the beginning makes it a mess at the end. So that was really difficult to do.B次元官网网址�

Lee cites a host of other challenges, including the safety risk of acting without a mask, and not being able to communicate as well while wearing PPE during rehearsals.

But he was happy to be working and it all made him B次元官网网址渁ppreciate that much more the professionalism and the quality of the crews.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淓very step of the way, I felt safe,B次元官网网址� Lee says. B次元官网网址淧ersonally, I felt safer on set than anywhere else outside of my home.B次元官网网址�

(Fifth season debuted Jan. 19 on CBC)

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B次元官网网址淐ORONERB次元官网网址� ON INTIMATE SCENES

Masks are already a common sight on this show about a coroner in Toronto, but even more so in the new season as itB次元官网网址檚 set during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Showrunner Morwyn Brebner says when the pandemic hit, theyB次元官网网址檇 already done a monthB次元官网网址檚 worth of writing but realized they would have to B次元官网网址渞einvent the seasonB次元官网网址� to address the new reality.

B次元官网网址淎 few of us were really concerned: B次元官网网址榃ill we not have a problem with COVID by the time we start to air it? Will it feel a little bit like old news?B次元官网网址� Ha! Were we wrong,B次元官网网址� adds lead director/executive producer Adrienne Mitchell.

The writing team penned the new scripts together via video conferencing, limiting the amount of stand-ins and background performers on set.

Shooting began in the fall with protocols including daily temperature checks and weekly COVID testing. Departments worked different shifts to limit the amount of people in spaces, which made shooting more time-consuming.

Filming took place outside where possible. Actors not in the key cast were distanced from the stars when shooting scenes indoors.

With so much separation on set, scenes of intimacy B次元官网网址渇elt really significant,B次元官网网址� says Brebner.

Eye acting and body movement become more important in scenes where the characters wore masks.

B次元官网网址淵ou start to shoot a little looser so you can see body language, because body language adds a lot of information,B次元官网网址� Mitchell says.

While the production had B次元官网网址渁 few issuesB次元官网网址� with COVID-19 cases, B次元官网网址渢hey werenB次元官网网址檛 on set and they were easily contact-traced,B次元官网网址� says Mitchell, noting they didnB次元官网网址檛 have to shut down. B次元官网网址淲e have had no community spread, and what we had was very little.B次元官网网址�

(Third season debuts Feb. 3 on CBC)

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B次元官网网址淗EARTLANDB次元官网网址� ON CHANGING THE SCRIPT

Star Amber Marshall says the storylines for the new season of the Alberta-shot family ranch story were already written depicting spring and summer vistas when the pandemic hit.

When filming was pushed from last April to September, writers had to alter scripts to reflect the fall and winter seasons that would be seen onscreen instead.

B次元官网网址淭here were a lot of things that sprung up on us, even throughout shooting, such as we had certain actors written into certain stories and then they werenB次元官网网址檛 able to travel (to set),B次元官网网址� Marshall says.

B次元官网网址淪o of course there this mad scramble of, B次元官网网址楬ow are we going to continue this story without that character here?B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

The B次元官网网址淗eartlandB次元官网网址� set inherently allows for distancing, since many scenes are filmed outdoors. For indoor shoots, each department was put into a certain B次元官网网址渮oneB次元官网网址� that would only work with each other.

Producer Tom Cox says COVID didnB次元官网网址檛 ever reach the set.

(14th season debuted Jan. 10 on CBC)

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B次元官网网址淧RETTY HARD CASESB次元官网网址� ON WORKING WITH A SKELETON CREW

Catherine Lang, COVID supervisor for the new buddy-cop series in Toronto, says she and the producers pored over scripts to try to minimize risky contact between actors.

They also checked with the cast on whether they were comfortable in various scenarios, and held daily morning safety meetings with the whole team.

The crew and the cast were B次元官网网址渧ery onsideB次元官网网址� with their COVID protocols, B次元官网网址渂ecause nobody wanted to shut down.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淲e had debriefs with our department heads just last week, and everyone said that they actually felt safer at work than they did out in public,B次元官网网址� says Lang.

B次元官网网址淲e had no incident of anyone contracting COVID-19 in our workplace,B次元官网网址� she adds, noting there were two positive cases that were contracted outside production, caught through testing and had no community spread.

Stars Adrienne C. Moore and Meredith MacNeill say the hardest thing was not being able to see peopleB次元官网网址檚 faces while putting together a brand-new show, especially crew members, whom they view as their collaborators.

Moore says she tried to have special moments with the crew and express her gratitude to them, while everyone worked as a team.

B次元官网网址淚n those morning meetings, if there was a problem, if somebody was afraid of something or wanted to do something, no one was afraid to talk about it,B次元官网网址� says MacNeill.

(Debuts Feb. 3, on CBC)

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B次元官网网址淧RIVATE EYESB次元官网网址� ON DEALING WITH POSITIVE CASES

Producer Alex Jordan says the pandemic interrupted the prep period for season 4 of the private-detective show in March and they couldnB次元官网网址檛 start production until August.

Filming took place in studio for the first couple of weeks to ensure protocols were solid before shooting outside, which was limited to as many single locations as possible and with fewer background performers.

Each department was podded together and had their own bathrooms. Town hall meetings took place in a parking lot.

B次元官网网址淥ur COVID team grew from a handful to a small army,B次元官网网址� Jordan says, rhyming off a long list of team members specifically dedicated to the protocols, including two medics.

The stars and crew who worked directly with actors were known as B次元官网网址渢he red zoneB次元官网网址� and tested for COVID more frequently.

B次元官网网址淭hrough the testing we caught five positives, but we had no community spread and none reached the floor (of production),B次元官网网址� Jordan says, noting they suspected two of the positive cases were a result of viral shedding from people whoB次元官网网址檇 had COVID a while ago and had been cleared by government to return to work.

Insurance-wise, B次元官网网址淧rivate EyesB次元官网网址� was considered an B次元官网网址渁t-risk production,B次元官网网址� meaning if the show had to shut down, all of those costs would have been on production company eOne.

B次元官网网址淓ntertainment One was very nervous, I was stressed out for the entire shoot until the very last day,B次元官网网址� Jordan says. B次元官网网址淚t was probably the hardest thing IB次元官网网址檝e ever done.B次元官网网址�

But they B次元官网网址渉ad zero shutdownsB次元官网网址� during the whole production, he adds.

B次元官网网址淚t was nail-biting but we did it.B次元官网网址�

(Fourth season airing on Global)

Victoria Ahearn, The Canadian Press

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