If you didn’t spend hours on end during your quarantine last spring binge-watching countless series on Netflix or Hulu, then what did you do? If you know me, you know I have a hard time finishing a long TV series, no matter how much I love watching it. However, with a suddenly open schedule during my time at home from March to August, I knew it was time to stop rewatching How I Met Your Mother, The Vampire Diaries and Gossip Girl. With so many series to choose from, I don’t struggle with picking a show to watch, but I struggle with making it through the whole series. It’s easy for a show to face burnout; in other words, shows can often remain strong for about four seasons and lose their spark after a while. Luckily, quarantine helped me discover two of my new favorite series: All American and Legacies.
Out of all the shows I could have chosen (and there are a lot of options), the reason I was drawn to both of these is because they are two seasons each. It was easy to watch episodes on end because every episode was addictive. Even though both shows have episodes that are about 40 minutes long, I was able to happily reach the end and still want more.
Based on a true story, All American is truly a cultural reset and the perfect high school series for Gen Z to watch. Starring Daniel Ezra, who plays aspiring football player Spencer James, this show tells the story of two different types of worlds–more specifically two different high schools–colliding through American football. This show tackles prominent issues in modern society such as interracial marriage, police bias, depression, drug addiction and racial profiling. Aside from the issues All American sheds a light on, this series does a great job of making the audience fall in love with each character and become attached to their storylines.
Legacies is a spin-off series of The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, two hit supernatural TV series. Both of these shows do a great job of creating intricate plot lines and complex character development for each character. It’s truly magical to see it all come to life and follow hundreds of years in a storyline. As a fan of both of these series, I knew I had to try Legacies out. Although I will admit that I’m unsure if I would love this series if it was eight seasons long, I love this show for what it is now, and I am eager to see what will come next.
I was patiently awaiting a third season for both of these series, considering it was announced that both series would have one by this fall. However, due to COVID-19, production for both of these shows was delayed. For months, I wondered what the world of TV would turn into as COVID-19 became more of a reality than a phase. On the bright side, even though I had to wait, both shows are releasing their third season in January!
So, many people may be wondering, how is this possible? Will this change the course of television? Well, for starters, both of these shows have extra precautions to take to film safely, but it is possible to pull it off.
Cody Christian, who plays fan-favorite Asher Adams in All American, filmed this Instagram video to show his fans what a day on set looks like.
“We’re making sure we’re having a safe, but yet productive season three,” Christian said in the video.
In other words, masks may be on set, and cast members may have had to self-isolate before production began, but the show must go on! Production began on Sept. 28, and I’ll be on the edge of my seat until the show’s release date of Jan. 21.
Leaving fans on a mega cliffhanger during the season two finale, postponing Legacies was every fan’s worst nightmare. Luckily, however, production was able to resume and fans should expect to get all their questions answered in January.
As you can see in this post, masks must now be dress code for the Salvatore Boarding House students! Even though the show must take extra precautions to ensure safety during the pandemic, it was still possible for The CW to pull off yet another season of this binge-worthy show.
Many other notable shows have also resumed filming during COVID-19, such as Dancing With the Stars, The Bachelorette and Big Brother.
I’ve accepted the fact that many of the shows I was looking forward to have been delayed, but I am overjoyed that filming is finally resuming and that I won’t have to wait too much longer to continue watching my favorite shows.