'Survivor' officially pulled from CBS Fall 2020 schedule due to COVID-19 pandemic

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CBS has officially pulled its hit reality competition series “Survivor” from its fall 2020 lineup.

The network announced a switch to its Wednesday night lineup for the 2020-2021 season on Tuesday in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forcing countless TV and film productions to adjust to keep casts and crew members safe and healthy.

“Producers for ‘Survivor,’ the Network’s perennial Wednesday 8:00 p.m. series, are continuing to work with officials in Fiji on the appropriate time to start production on its next edition, with health and safety matters the top priority for everyone involved,” the network wrote in a press release.

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The usual 8 p.m. timeslot for “Survivor” will be replaced by “The Amazing Race,” prompting the Season 4 return of “Seal Team” to take over the 9 p.m. slot. According to Entertainment Weekly, “The Amazing Race” finished production on its upcoming 32nd season before the pandemic hit, making it the obvious choice to replace “Survivor,” which had to shut down production in March as the pandemic started to change people’s way of life all around the world.

Jeff Probst, host and executive producer of 'Survivor' won't be back to filming any time soon due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Reuters)

The outlet reports that “Survivor” Season 41 was scheduled to begin shooting on March 24, with Season 42 scheduled to commence production in May. However, both seasons appear to be on indefinite hold as coronavirus cases continue to soar in some parts of the United States.

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Deadline reports that the move marks the first major broadcast network to retool its fall schedule in light of the pandemic. The outlet notes that people can likely expect many more schedules to be changed between now and when fall TV shows are supposed to start airing.

CBS Entertainment President Kelly Kahl previously told the outlet that “The Amazing Race” and “Survivor” would be particularly difficult to get back into production given that it requires the network to deal with the logistics of filming in foreign countries at a time when travel to and from America is limited.

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As of Wednesday morning, the novel coronavirus has infected more than 13,113,181 people across 188 countries and territories, resulting in at least 578,628 deaths. In the U.S., all 50 states plus the District of Columbia have reported confirmed cases of COVID-19, tallying more than 3,431,574 illnesses and at least 136,466 deaths.