Tyler Perry plans to quickly film Sistas and The Oval this summer while sequestering casts and crews

Deadline

Perry's two BET series could offer a preview of how American TV series will tackle filming in the coronavirus era. Sistas and The Oval are poised to become the first U.S. shows to start production amid the pandemic, with Sistas Season 2 starting shooting on July 8, followed by The Oval Season 2 on July 28. Both Perry-produced series plan to begin filming their second seasons, one at a time, while the casts and crews stay on the sprawling 330-acre Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta. But unlike most series, filming will only last a few weeks. According to Deadline, Perry is adamant that every cast member be comfortable. He's even held Zoom calls with them laying out his plans. "The crew of Perry’s shows is primarily local, based in Atlanta," reports Deadline's Nellie Andreeva. "For the casts, Perry is providing his private plane. After they test negative pre-boarding, they will be flown from Los Angeles and New York to Atlanta. Upon arrival, everyone will be tested and quarantined in their rooms for four hours while they wait for the results. The cast and crew will be tested 4 times over the 2.5 weeks of the shoot, with Carlos Del Rio, professor at Emory Vaccine Center, serving as testing consultant. While Perry’s fast way of production is pretty unique, Sistas and The Oval will provide a blueprint for other studios as the first primetime live-action series to get the cameras rolling in the U.S. while Hollywood is plotting a safe way out of the current coronavirus-related shutdown." Perry's plans were announced as the Australian soap Neighbours has recently resumed filming with extra precautions. But unlike in the United States, coronavirus is largely under control in Australia.