Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune Halting Production Completely Due to Coronavirus Concerns

As COVID-19 continues to spread worldwide and people take measures, such as social distancing, to slow the pandemic there’s been a lot of impact on various aspects of life across the globe, especially in the entertainment industry. Whereas last week many film and television productions were simply monitoring the situation, this week we’re seeing those same productions halt temporarily in the name of health and safety. The latest of those happens to be both Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. It was announced on Monday that both shows were suspending production until further notice.

“With the increasing concern surrounding COVID-19, we have decided to temporarily suspend production on Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune,” a tweet from the official Jeopardy! Twitter read. “The health and well-being of our contestants, staff, and crew are our top priority and we will continue to monitor the situation as it develops.”

Monday’s announcement comes just a week after it was announced that both shows would be filming without a live audience due to COVID-19 concerns, though this new completely shut down makes a lot of sense, especially in the case of Jeopardy! Given host Alex Trebek’s battle with pancreatic cancer and ongoing treatment, he is at higher risk if exposed to the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune aren’t alone in their suspension of production. Saturday Night Live also announced on Monday that the series would be extending its brief hiatus indefinitely in response to the ongoing pandemic. The CW also stopped production on many of its shows, including Riverdale, The Flash, Supergirl, and Batwoman last week and Disney+ halted production on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Loki, and WandaVision as well.

It’s not just film and television production shutting down, either. Movie theaters are also closing their doors right now as well. Regal Cinemas announced on Monday that it would be closing every location in the United States for the foreseeable future and Alamo Drafthouse made a similar announcement on Monday night.

“We are deeply saddened to announce that all Alamo Drafthouse Cinema corporate-owned location and all but one franchise-owned locations, are now closed until further notice,” they said on their website. “All shows have been canceled, and all tickets will be refunded.”

“When we re-open after this unprecedented and indefinite hiatus, it will be in a dramatically altered world, and in an industry that’s been shaken to its core,” the statement continued. We’ll be in close contact over the coming days and weeks with our teams, suppliers, and colleagues on what these closures mean and what we plan to do next.”