Teddy Perkins—code name COVID-19—is currently holding Season 3 of Atlanta hostage.
According to Deadline, production for FX’s Atlanta has been placed on hold for at least two weeks, following the federal declaration of a national emergency due to COVID-19, the disease caused the coronavirus.
Other FX shows that have halted production as federal and local governments attempt to reduce the virus’ reach include Snowfall, Fargo and Y: The Last Man.
For those of us engaging in social distancing (which is hopefully everyone at the time of this blog’s publishing), Atlanta was likely a good option to revisit as we awaited its inevitable release in 2021. Speaking of which, if there’s any show that would definitely refer to the coronavirus as “The Rona” on broadcast television, it would be Atlanta (or Black-ish).
In true comedic form, writer/producer Stephen Glover took to Twitter shortly after the announcement to add a bit of levity to the situation noting, “Y’all ain’t ever getting Season 3 of Atlanta.”
Full disclosure: I almost wrote “Stephen G. Lover” as the producer’s name until I remembered that Donald’s brother works on this show. Almost got me there, Mr. Lover!
Atlanta was originally scheduled to return with a back-to-back, double-feature of seasons, starting with Season 3 (dubbed “Part 1”) in January 2021 and a quick follow-up of Season 4 (dubbed “Part 2”) in Fall 2021.
Like many industries, the television industry has felt a significant impact from the coronavirus, as it continues to spread. Deadline is currently keeping an ongoing list of television shows that have halted or delayed production due to coronavirus concerns.