“Atlanta”, “True Gems” and “Russian Doll” EPs Pandemic on the Benefits of Forced Break

There have been a few shows since last year’s Slate Emmy that have caught the attention of the television academy, many of which have been forced to suspend due to COVID-19. AMC you better call saulNominated for Best Drama annually in 2015-2020 by MIA and HBO. ფIphoria s HeritageBoth won the cups in 2020. There was also no-competition FX atlantahbo Pubamazon Amazing Mrs. Miesel and netflix ozarks s Russian doll – All titles whose production schedule was affected by the pandemic.

This year, in a field packed with hundreds of contenders, many shows are coming back from a long hiatus after COVID-19 safety protocols updated them. It is one of many series returned after their hiatus. atlanta (There were 45 months between the second and third seasons), Russian doll (38 months between the first and second season) and HBO real gems (26 months between seasons 1 and 2) – Three comedians hoping their long absence won’t hurt their Emmy chances.

“When there’s a lot of time between seasons, it doesn’t work in your favor,” he says. real gems Creator, showman and star Danny McBride. The evangelical television sitcom wrapped up on the second day of production in March 2020, a few months before most of the show’s megachurch scenes were filmed in Charleston, South Carolina at the Coliseum, which will produce the on-location production. last summer. .

Like most optimists, McBride thought the COVID-19 shutdown could only last a few weeks. But as the pandemic progressed, he realized that the window for the season two finale was rapidly closing.

McBride’s restlessness during this period led to the jewelers A Christmas special, a long-running episode that sees his Jesse Gemstone on a mission trip to Haiti with his son Gideon, but the idea was scrapped because COVID-19 continued to increase in South Carolina, where it was going to be filmed. Hoping to return to production in 2021, McBride said he sat down and “opened” two sets for the season. “My father gave us the opportunity to reach a level of copying that you don’t normally have time for. [for] “Because you write for the producer,” McBride said, adding that the “essence” of the second season remained the same, but he removed the fat characters by cutting to make room to explore the season’s arc more effectively. “We wrote a lot, but we could always use more time. That’s the only thing Covid has given us: a little more time. ”

Russian doll Executive producer and director Alex Buono says his show’s writing staff also took advantage of the production hiatus. “The show is trying to deal with these big existential ideas,” says Buono of the series starring Natasha Lyon, whose character Nadia spends the first season rehearsing her birthday until she finds a way out. Time loop. Suddenly, in their own existential uncertainty, the writers spent nine months remaking the second season, where Nadia travels back in time on the New York subway.

Buono says the extra time also helped them clean up the logistics of the subway scenes. “We spent months working with our producer, our cinematographer and the House of Visual Effects, talking about how to do this,” says the EP, “because we know it would be very difficult to shoot in subway stations.” These scenes were eventually filmed on stage, with “visual effects walls” around the subway car.

atlantaThe season three premiere expresses the confidence that executive producer Stephen Glover (brother of Emmy-winning creator and star Donald Glover) shares when he talks about returning to his show. The episode contains a story that excludes the four main protagonists of the series, the episode serves as a reminder atlantaHis idiosyncratic ambition.

“I was probably overconfident,” laughs Stephen Glover, commenting on how the new season was handled, noting that the protagonist’s limited screen time was polarizing among the show’s fans.

Unlike McBride and Buono, Glover argues that this season was conceived almost exactly when the writers completed scripts for Fall 2019. “A lot of people probably think the idea of ​​not using actors was COVID-related or planning. [problems]”But it’s always been that way,” he said. “I think it was tough and unique enough to feel clean even after a year of production delays.”

McBride, Buono and Glover say they wondered if viewers would come back when their shows returned. “I think if we were on Streamer, I would be worried,” McBride said. “That’s a very dangerous thing on television right now: too much. I know how much work goes into all of this and how hard it is to fix it all.”

The story first appeared in the May 25 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. Click here to subscribe.