Tara McCauley November 6th, 2020 - 2:08 PM
A team member on the crew of TNT’s Claws tested positive for COVID-19, which has resulted in a fourteen-day pause on the show’s New Orleans production. Deadline broke the news on Thursday, stating that the decision to halt production for two weeks “was made out of abundance of caution.”
Claws, which stars Niecy Nash (Reno 911!, Claws) as nail salon owner and rising crime boss Desna Simms, films out of New Orleans, Louisiana. Though the crime dramedy series is set in the fictional nail salon, Nail Artisans, in Palmetto, Florida, New Orleans has served as the production’s home for the past four seasons.
The upcoming fourth season of Claws is meant to be the show’s final season, but COVID-19 has caused many complications in bringing the final chapter of Desna’s story to fans. Production on the fourth season began in the spring, only to be shutdown in March due to the onset of COVID-19.
While COVID-19 slowed down Claws, Nash still had plenty to keep herself busy with during quarantine as the reboot of Reno 911! premiered on Quibi and Never Have I Ever made a successful debut on Netflix. Both shows, released during the initial production hiatus of Claws season four, featured Nash and received renewals shortly after airing. According to Comicbook, Reno 911!’s season eight production is to continue despite Quibi’s shutdown.
Between her successful run of streaming shows and marriage to singer Jessica Betts, Nash has had an eventful 2020. Nevertheless, the actress was eager to return to the role of Desna and happy to share Desna’s return with fans when Claws picked up production once more a few weeks ago, via Instagram.
However, a return to set during a pandemic meant constant testing and adherence to COVID-19 protocols. Said testing turned up a positive test this week, with Deadline reporting that “the asymptomatic diagnosis was confirmed as a result of required and ongoing testing for all employees on productions of Warner Bros. TV”
In stark contrast to scripted series such as Charmed and Young Sheldon, which only halted production for one day after crew members have tested positive, Claws has halted the entire production for two weeks to ensure the safety of its cast and crew.
The cast and crew of TNT’s Claws have yet to comment on the news, as most of their energy on social media this week has been focused on updates regarding the 2020 presidential election.
