During this pandemic, many people pass the time by binge-watching television. However, finding new and interesting shows can sometimes be a challenge.  Luckily, there are lots of shows that have premiered or will be premiering this fall for you to watch. 

If you are interested in watching a show about the pandemic, NBC’s Connecting… is on every Thursday at 8/7c.  This is a comedy about a group of friends who try to stay in touch online during this difficult time, which is something lots of people can relate to.  Another show that came out recently was neXt, a sci-fi series about an Artificial Intelligence that has gone rogue, and people must work to stop it.  

Other new shows that were released this fall are Woke and Emily in Paris.  Woke is a series about an African-American cartoonist who has a traumatic run-in with the police, causing him to have a new outlook on the world around him.  Emily In Paris is a romantic comedy and one of the top ten shows on Netflix today.

In addition to these new shows, new seasons of many shows you know and love are also being released this fall.  Season twelve of American Ninja Warrior premiered on Sept. 7, and season eight of The Goldbergs premiered on Oct. 21.  The Masked Singer premiered season four back in Sept., and the new season of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian was released on Oct. 30.  

Many shows will continue to be filmed and premiered  during the pandemic, but the filming of these shows will change greatly.  

A Port Washington Weber student, Tess Romero, is starring in the Disney + series, Diary of A Future President, and has recently gone back to LA to film season two.  

“It’s definitely a new world that we’re all trying to navigate, but we’re slowly getting used to it,” said Romero.

  For the filming of this show, Tess explained that there are two zones, Zone A and Zone B, and everyone in Zone A is tested three times every week.  This zone is the actors, hair and makeup people, and other people that need to be on set at the same time as the actors. The people in Zone B, on the other hand, are only tested once a week.  Tess explained that those in Zone B are never on set at the same time as the actors.

According to Tess, filming takes longer now than it did before the pandemic, but this can sometimes be a good thing.  

“The good part about it is that people don’t get in trouble for taking their time anymore since everything is usually so rushed,” said Romero. 

 On set, actors wear masks and sometimes face shields as well, taking them off when they are filming.  Everyone else is wearing N95, surgical or cloth masks over that, and a face shield over all of that.  

“They are trying not to have COVID-19 affect the story and plot of the show as much as possible.  However, things are a lot different because our contact with people is much more limited,” said Romero. 

Amongst all of the new obstacles, the number of extras is far fewer than it used to be, which makes it challenging to create new relationships and connections.

During these difficult times, it is important to find ways to distract yourself which is why entertainment is so important.