'Grey's Anatomy' and other shows suspend production due to coronavirus

ABC's long-running medical drama, Grey's Anatomy is among the shows postponing production amid concerns over the coronavirus, according to CNN.

A Disney Television Studios spokesman told the outlet that production on Grey's Anatomy and Genius: Aretha, both of which are produced by the studio, will be postponed for at least three weeks as a precautionary measure.

ABC Television announced Friday that Jimmy Kimmel Live will also halt production starting with its Monday, March 16 show.

An ABC Entertainment spokesperson said the 'hope' was that the late-night show, which is based in Los Angeles, would return with new episodes on Monday, March 30.

Moreover, the network's long-running soap opera, General Hospital, will suspend production through Friday, April 10. The network does not anticipate "an interruption in the broadcast of original episodes," according to a statement.

Genius: Aretha, is a National Geographic series that films in Atlanta, starring Cynthia Erivo and is set to premiere in May. Whereas, Grey's Anatomy, a production based in Los Angeles, is currently airing its 16th season on ABC.

Other than that, productions on 16 of Disney's television pilots will be postponed for three weeks. Those include: Adopted, The Big Leap, The Big Sky, The Brides, Harlem's Kitchen, Home Economics, Kids Matter Now, My Village, Ordinary Joe, Prospect, Rebel, Valley Trash, Work Wife, Wreckage, an untitled project from writers Emily Kapnek and Dean Holland and Thirtysomething sequel.

Those productions are based across the US in cities including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Albuquerque.

The spokesman added that a number of currently airing series produced by Disney Television Studios have already wrapped for the season and are therefore unaffected.

The postponement of production on these shows is the latest notable effect coronavirus has had on Hollywood. Whereas, this week, several film release dates have been pushed back, including those for Mulan and The New Mutants.

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