“I didn’t want to do a show with people in boxes on the screen,” executive producer Joanna Johnson tells TheWrap
The five months since the start of the pandemic have seen no shortage of quarantine-related content, but nothing quite as ambitious or technically impressive as Freeform’s “Love in the Time of Corona.”
The four-part limited series was first announced back in early May, barely a month-and-a-half after COVID-19 brought TV production to a screeching halt. At the time, details about the project were scant, simply describing it as “a funny and hopeful look at the search for love, sex and connection during this time of social distancing.” The network said the show would film using “remote technologies,” calling to mind the Zoom reunion panels or one-off scripted outings featuring a row of talking heads.
Continue reading
Join WrapPRO for Exclusive Content,
Full Video Access, Premium Events, and More!
The final version of “Love in the Time of Corona,” however, bears little resemblance to those other projects.
“I didn’t want to do a show with people in boxes on the screen,” executive producer Joanna Johnson said in an interview with TheWrap. “We really wanted to produce a real show. And I don’t think that you would know, necessarily, if you watched it that we were doing this in quarantine.”
Also Read: Freeform's 'Love in the Time of Corona' Trailer Asks 'What Are We Doing With All This Time?' (Video)
Freeform
The original idea for the show came when Johnson’s manager mentioned she had begun dating someone she’d been set up with virtually. “We were talking about the quarantine life for people and how people were still trying to make connections and still realizing the things that were missing in the relationships they had, or thinking about the relationships they wish they had,” Johnson said. “And she said, I think this would make a great show.”
Beyond the shorter runtimes and limited locations — everything was shot inside the cast’s real homes — there’s little to betray in the final product that “Love in the Time of Corona” was shot with remote-controlled cameras and a skeleton crew of only a handful of people. Every scene is covered from multiple angles, with sound and lighting convincingly near the level of a normal production — a far cry from heads in boxes.
“We had a super small crew, but it’s all my team from ‘Good Trouble,'” Johnson said. “I was working with my friends, so it was like a very professional student film; it felt that intimate. And we were all in the trenches together. We were all wearing different hats. Everybody was pulling cable or moving things around, doing what they could.”
On any given day of shooting, Johnson estimates there were no more than seven people on location, including the actors inside and Johnson out in a van nearby. The actors were responsible for their own hair and makeup, as well as a wardrobe sourced primarily from their own closets. One crew member was allowed to enter beforehand when no one else was around to block out the shots, but the actors or friends and family they were co-quarantining with were often called on to help move the two cameras around on the day.
“Compare that maybe seven people to a good 70 people working on ‘Good Trouble.’ It was such a different experience,” she said.
“Everybody gave 110%, but everybody was into it,” Johnson said. “You know, we wanted to pull this off. We wanted to make this work, so there was a great attitude … And the actors were wonderful. They were really enthusiastic and excited to be working. They were excited to be working in their homes and they seemed to like the collaboration, the intimacy of it.”
Freeform
With just over three months between series order to series premiere, “Love in the Time of Corona” came together at a whirlwind pace. It tells four tangentially connected but largely independent stories about people living through the first month of the COVID-19 pandemic, with each story tailored to the actors cast to star in them. All actors who appear on screen together were living together at least for the duration of the shoot, including real-life couple Leslie Odom Jr. and Nicolette Robinson and roommates Tommy Dorfman and Rainey Qualley.
“We basically asked agents, ‘Okay, who you got that’s quarantining together?'” Johnson said. “Then I sort of backed the story ideas into that and wrote the scripts, ultimately, in about two weeks to three weeks. And then we were shooting in July.”
The challenge of making such an of-the-moment series, naturally, is the way moments tend to change. The plot of “Love in the Time of Corona” ends in early May, well before the death of George Floyd and the subsequent explosion of protests around the country became a foundational aspect of the so-called “Time of Corona.”
“We were in the middle of the writing of the episodes and the pre-production part when George Floyd was murdered,” Johnson said. “For a moment we paused and wondered, can we still do the show? I mean, would it feel trite, or would it feel in any way, like we weren’t recognizing that part of the pandemic, that part of the quarantine?”
Also Read: Which Summer 2020 Broadcast TV Series Has Seen the Largest Lifts From DVR Viewing?
Freeform
Johnson said it was ultimately decided, in conjunction with the network, that the show should stand as it was conceived, as a snapshot of the period in history when the national mood was defined by a sense of isolation and collective loneliness. “Love in the Time of Corona” simply alludes to the conversation about racial injustice bubbling under the surface by weaving the death of Ahmaud Arbery into Odom and Robinson’s storyline.
The show similarly opts not to reckon with the human toll of the pandemic, a task almost certainly beyond the scope of a four-part series shot with such limited time and crew. The disease itself rarely gets a mention beyond the series title.
“I didn’t want to do a show about coronavirus,” Johnson said. “I wanted to do a show really about the effects of quarantine … Definitely, the characters in our show are privileged in the sense that they’re not suffering in the ways that so many people are.”
“Other shows are tackling that, and that’s really important as well,” she continued.
“Love in the Time of Corona,” however, is not a show about tragedy. “We chose to do a more hopeful version,” Johnson said. “When we watch TV these days, you know, we kind of want escape, and we kind of want some kind of positive message. That was the tone we decided to set with this show.”
Freeform
“Love in the Time of Corona” will premiere across two nights, Saturday, Aug. 22 and Sunday, Aug. 23 at 8 p.m. on Freeform.
Fall TV 2020: All the Premiere Dates for New and Returning Shows - So Far (Photos)
-
Fox/ABC/Amazon/FXFall is in full swing, but not much has changed since this summer with many people still staying at home as much as possible to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Luckily, dozens of new and returning shows are premiering this autumn to keep you company. TheWrap has rounded up all the dates we know -- so far -- for Fall TV shows' debuts. We will continue to update the list as more become available.
For the purposes of this gallery, we've designated Sept. 1 as the beginning of fall rather than the official Sept. 22 start, since "Fall TV" is sure to be more loosely defined this year.
Also Read: ‘The Masked Singer’ Pulled Off Its Pandemic Season With Animation, Fan Voting and a Baby Alien
-
MTVSeries: "Teen Mom 2" Net: MTV Premiere Date: Tuesday, Sept. 1 Time: 8 p.m.
-
MTV
Series: "16 and Recovering" Net: MTV Premiere Date: Tuesday, Sept. 1 Time: 9 p.m.
-
NBC
Series: "Transplant" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Tuesday, Sept. 1 Time: 10 p.m.
-
BET
Series: "House of Payne" Net: BET Premiere Date: Wednesday, Sept. 2 Time: 8 p.m.
-
BET
Series: "Assisted Living" Net: BET Premiere Date: Wednesday, Sept. 2 Time: 9 p.m.
-
Peacock
Series: "A.P. Bio" Net: Peacock Premiere Date: Thursday, Sept. 3 Time: N/A
-
HBO Max
Series: "Raised by Wolves" Net: HBO Max Premiere Date: Thursday, Sept. 3 Time: N/A
-
Netflix
Series: "Away" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 4 Time: N/A
-
Peacock
Series: "Noughts + Crosses" Net: Peacock Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 4 Time: N/A
-
Amazon Prime Video
Series: "The Boys" Net: Amazon Prime Video Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 4 Time: N/A
-
OWN
Series: "Black Love" Net: OWN Premiere Date: Saturday, Sept. 5 Time: 9 p.m.
-
Starz
Series: "Power Book II: Ghost" Net: Starz Premiere Date: Sunday, Sept. 6 Time: 9 p.m.
-
NBC
Series: "American Ninja Warrior" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Monday, Sept. 7 Time: 8 p.m.
-
Spectrum Originals
Series: "L.A's Finest" Net: Spectrum Originals Premiere Date: Wednesday, Sept. 9 Time: N/A
-
Hulu
Series: "Woke" Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Wednesday, Sept. 9 Time: N/A
-
Netflix
Series: "Julie and the Phantoms" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Thursday, Sept. 10 Time: N/A
-
Netflix
Series: "The Duchess" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 11 Time: N/A
-
Showtime
Series: "Our Cartoon President" Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Sunday, Sept. 13 Time: 8:30 p.m.
-
ABC
Series: "Dancing With the Stars" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Monday, Sept. 14 Time: 8 p.m.
-
HBO
Series: "The Third Day" Net: HBO Premiere Date: Monday, Sept. 14 Time: 9 p.m.
-
HBO
Series: "We Are Who We Are" Net: HBO Premiere Date: Monday, Sept. 14 Time: 10 p.m.
-
Epix
Series: "Enslaved" Net: Epix Premiere Date: Monday, Sept. 14 Time: 10 p.m.
-
Comedy Central
Series: "Tosh.0" Net: Comedy Central Premiere Date: Tuesday, Sept. 15 Time: 10 p.m.
-
Netflix
Series: "Challenger: The Final Flight" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Wednesday, Sept. 16 Time: N/A
-
FXX
Series: "Archer" Net: FXX Premiere Date: Wednesday, Sept. 16 Time: 10 p.m.
-
Peacock
Series: "Departure" Net: Peacock Premiere Date: Thursday, Sept. 17 Time: N/A
-
HBO Max
Series: "The Great Pottery Throw Down" Net: HBO Max Premiere Date: Thursday, Sept. 17 Time: N/A
-
Hulu
Series: "Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 18 Time: N/A
-
Hulu
Series: "Pen15" Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 18 Time: N/A
-
Netflix
Series: "Ratched" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 18 Time: N/A
-
The CW
Series: "World's Funniest Animals" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 18 Time: 9 p.m.
-
Fox
Series: "L.A.'s Finest"* Net: Fox Premiere Date: Monday, Sept. 21 Time: 8 p.m. *Broadcast debut of Spectrum Originals series' first season
-
Fox
Series: "Filthy Rich" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Monday, Sept. 21 Time: 9 p.m.
-
Fox
Series: "The Masked Singer" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Wednesday, Sept. 23 Time: 8 p.m.
-
Fox
Series: "I Can See Your Voice" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Wednesday, Sept. 23 Time: 9 p.m.
-
Amazon
Series: "Utopia" Net: Amazon Prime Video Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 25 Time: N/A
-
FX
Series: "A Wilderness of Error" Net: FX Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 25 Time: 8 p.m.
-
Fox
Series: "The Simpsons" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Sunday, Sept. 27 Time: 8 p.m.
-
Fox
Series: "Bless the Harts" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Sunday, Sept. 27 Time: 8:30 p.m.
-
Fox
Series: "Bob's Burgers" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Sunday, Sept. 27 Time: 9 p.m.
-
Showtime
Series: "The Comey Rule" Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Sunday, Sept. 27 Time: 9 p.m.
-
Fox
Series: "Family Guy" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Sunday, Sept. 27 Time: 9:30 p.m.
-
FX
Series: "Fargo" Net: FX Premiere Date: Sunday, Sept. 27 Time: 10 p.m.
-
NBC
Series: "Weakest Link" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Tuesday, Sept. 29 Time: 8 p.m.
-
AMC
Series: "Gangs of London" Net: AMC+ Premiere Date: Thursday, Oct. 1 Time: N/A
-
AMC
Series: "The Salisbury Poisonings" Net: AMC+ Premiere Date: Thursday, Oct. 1 Time: N/A
-
Getty
Series: "Monsterland" Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 2 Time: N/A
-
Netflix
Series: "Emily in Paris" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 2 Time: N/A
-
CBS
Series: "Undercover Boss" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 2 Time: 9 p.m.
-
Series: "Warrior" Net: Cinemax Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 2 Time: 10 p.m.
-
NBC
Series: "Saturday Night Live" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Saturday, Oct. 3 Time: 11:30 p.m.
-
Series: "Pandora" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 4 Time: 8 p.m.
-
Showtime
Series: "The Good Lord Bird" Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 4 Time: 9 p.m.
-
Epix
Series: "Britannia" Net: Epix Premiere Date: Sunday Oct. 4 Time: 9 p.m.
-
AMC
Series: "The Walking Dead: World Beyond" Net: AMC Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 4 Time: 10 p.m.
-
AMC
Series: "Soulmates" Net: AMC Premiere Date: Monday, Oct. 5 Time: 10 p.m.
-
DC Universe
Series: "Swamp Thing"* Net: The CW Premiere Date: Tuesday, Oct. 6 Time: 8 p.m.
*Broadcast debut of DC Universe series' first season
-
NBC
Series: "Ellen's Game of Games" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Tuesday, Oct. 6 Time: 9 p.m.
-
Fox
Series: "Next" Net: Fox Premiere Date: Tuesday, Oct. 6 Time: 9 p.m.
-
The CW
Series: "Devils" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Wednesday, Oct. 7 Time: 8 p.m.
-
The CW
Series: "Coroner" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Wednesday, Oct. 7 Time: 9 p.m.
-
The CW
Series: "Supernatural" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Thursday, Oct. 8 Time: 8 p.m.
-
NBC
Series: "Connecting..." Net: NBC Premiere Date: Thursday, Oct. 8 Time: 8 p.m.
-
The CW
Series: "The Outpost" Net: The CW Premiere Date: Thursday, Oct. 8 Time: 9 p.m.
-
Disney+
Series: "The Right Stuff" Net: Disney+ Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 9 Time: N/A
-
Netflix
Series: "The Haunting of Bly Manor" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 9 Time: N/A
-
AMC
Series: "Fear the Walking Dead" Net: AMC Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 11 Time: 9 p.m.
-
ABC
Series: "The Bachelorette" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Tuesday, Oct. 13 Time: 8 p.m.
-
The CW
Series: "Tell Me a Story"* Net: The CW Premiere Date: Tuesday, Oct. 13 Time: 9 p.m.
*Broadcast debut of CBS All Access series' first season
-
CBS
Series: "The Amazing Race" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Wednesday, Oct. 14 Time: 9 p.m.
-
BET
Series: "Sistas" Net: BET Premiere Date: Wednesday, Oct. 14 Time: 9 p.m.
-
CBS All Access
Series: "Star Trek: Discovery" Net: CBS All Access Premiere Date: Thursday, Oct. 15 Time: N/A
-
Hulu
Series: "Helstrom" Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 16 Time: N/A
-
Netflix
Series: "Grand Army" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 16 Time: N/A
-
ABC
Series: "Shark Tank" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 16 Time: 9 p.m.
-
ABC
Series: "America's Funniest Home Videos" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 18 Time: 7 p.m.
-
Getty
Series: "Supermarket Sweep" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 18 Time: 8 p.m.
-
ABC
Series: "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 18 Time: 9 p.m.
-
ABC
Series: "Card Sharks" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 18 Time: 10 p.m.
-
Netflix
Series: "Unsolved Mysteries" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Monday, Oct. 19 Time: N/A
-
NBC
Series: "The Voice" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Monday, Oct. 19 Time: 8 p.m.
-
ABC
Series: "The Goldbergs" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Wednesday, Oct. 21 Time: 8 p.m.
-
ABC
Series: "The Conners" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Wednesday, Oct. 21 Time: 9 p.m.
-
ABC
Series: "black-ish" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Wednesday, Oct. 21 Time: 9:30 p.m.
-
Netflix
Series: "The Queen's Gambit" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 23 Time: N/A
-
HBO
Series: "The Undoing" Net: HBO Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 25 Time: 9 p.m.
-
NBC
Series: "This Is Us" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Tuesday, Oct. 27 Time: 9 p.m.
-
ABC
Series: "American Housewife" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Wednesday, Oct. 28 Time: 8:30 p.m.
-
NBC
Series: "Superstore" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Thursday, Oct. 29 Time: 8 p.m.
-
Disney+
Series: "The Mandalorian" Net: Disney+ Premiere Date: Friday, Oct. 30 Time: N/A
-
ABC
Series: "The Good Doctor" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Monday, Nov. 2 Time: 10 p.m.
-
CBS
Series: "Young Sheldon" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Thursday, Nov. 5 Time: 8 p.m.
-
CBS
Series: "B Positive" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Thursday, Nov. 5 Time: 8:30 p.m.
-
CBS
Series: "Mom" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Thursday, Nov. 5 Time: 9 p.m.
-
CBS
Series: "NCIS: Los Angeles" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Sunday, Nov. 8 Time: 8:30 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. PT
-
CBS
Series: "NCIS: New Orleans" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Sunday, Nov. 8 Time: 9:30 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT
-
FX on Hulu
Series: "A Teacher" Net: FX on Hulu Premiere Date: Tuesday, Nov. 10 Time: N/A
-
NBC
Series: "Chicago Med" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Wednesday, Nov. 11 Time: 8 p.m.
-
NBC
Series: "Chicago Fire" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Wednesday, Nov. 11 Time: 9 p.m.
-
CBS
Series: "S.W.A.T." Net: CBS Premiere Date: Wednesday, Nov. 11 Time: 9 p.m.
-
NBC
Series: "Chicago PD" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Wednesday, Nov. 11 Time: 10 p.m.
-
ABC
Series: "Station 19" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Thursday, Nov. 12 Time: 8 p.m.
-
NBC
Series: "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Thursday, Nov. 12 Time: 9 p.m.
-
ABC
Series: "Grey's Anatomy" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Thursday, Nov. 12 Time: 9 p.m.
-
CBS
Series: "The Unicorn" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Thursday, Nov. 12 Time: 9:30 p.m.
-
NBC
Series: "The Blacklist" Net: NBC Premiere Date: Friday, Nov. 13 Time: 8 p.m.
-
Netflix
Series: "The Crown" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Sunday, Nov. 15 Time: N/A
-
CBS
Series: "The Neighborhood" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Monday, Nov. 16 Time: 8 p.m.
-
CBS
Series: "Bob Hearts Abishola" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Monday, Nov. 16 Time: 8:30 p.m.
-
CBS
Series: "All Rise" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Monday, Nov. 16 Time: 9 p.m.
-
HBO
Series: "His Dark Materials" Net: HBO Premiere Date: Monday, Nov. 16 Time: 9 p.m.
-
CBS
Series: "Bull" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Monday, Nov. 16 Time: 10 p.m.
-
CBS
Series: "NCIS" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Tuesday, Nov. 17 Time: 8 p.m.
-
CBS
Series: "FBI" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Tuesday, Nov. 16 Time: 9 p.m.
-
CBS
Series: "FBI: Most Wanted" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Tuesday, Nov. 16 Time: 10 p.m.
-
ABC
Series: "Big Sky" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Tuesday, Nov. 17 Time: 10 p.m.
-
ABC
Series: "For Life" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Wednesday, Nov. 18 Time: 10 p.m.
-
ABC
Series: "A Million Little Things" Net: ABC Premiere Date: Thursday, Nov. 19 Time: 10 p.m.
-
Hulu
Series: "Animaniacs" Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Friday, Nov. 20 Time: N/A
-
CBS
Series: "SEAL Team" Net: CBS Premiere Date: Wednesday, Nov. 25 Time: 9 p.m.
-
HBO Max
Series: "The Flight Attendant" Net: HBO Max Premiere Date: Thursday, Nov. 26 Time: N/A
-
Netflix
Series: "Virgin River" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Nov. 27 Time: N/A
-
Showtime
Series: "Shameless" Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Sunday, Dec. 6 Time: 9 p.m.
-
CBS All Access
Series: "The Stand" Net: CBS All Access Premiere Date: Thursday, Dec. 17 Time: N/A
Here’s when 125 broadcast, cable and streaming series debut and come back
Fall is in full swing, but not much has changed since this summer with many people still staying at home as much as possible to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Luckily, dozens of new and returning shows are premiering this autumn to keep you company. TheWrap has rounded up all the dates we know -- so far -- for Fall TV shows' debuts. We will continue to update the list as more become available.
For the purposes of this gallery, we've designated Sept. 1 as the beginning of fall rather than the official Sept. 22 start, since "Fall TV" is sure to be more loosely defined this year.
Also Read: ‘The Masked Singer’ Pulled Off Its Pandemic Season With Animation, Fan Voting and a Baby Alien
Reid Nakamura
TV reporter • reid.nakamura@thewrap.com • @reidnakamura