Big Brother and Love Island may still air this summer on CBS though later than originally planned

While production has been shut down on CBS reality shows Big Brother and Love Island, the network is still confident the shows could air this summer, albeit later than their original plans.

Though there is still no formal plans in place to resume production, CBS Entertainment President Kelly Kahl told Deadline he is ‘optimistic’ for a late-summer debut.

Production would normally be under way on both shows now, with Big Brother typically debuting in June, and the second season of Love Island previously set for a May 21 premiere before the production delay.

‘With Love Island and Big Brother, we still hope to have on the air this summer, it could be a little later than usual but we’re still optimistic about getting those on,,’ Kahl said.

‘Those shows turn around pretty quickly, Big Brother has live shows every week and Love Island literally airs the night after it shoots, those shows do not have long post processes,’ Kahl added.

When Big Brother does come back on the air, the hit reality series, hosted by Julie Chen, will be celebrating its 20th season on the air.

Though nothing is for certain at this time, CBS is eyeing productions starting by late summer in Los Angeles.

Big Brother is based on the original Dutch format that has become a sensation all over the world, with the American version the second-longest-running adaptation behind the Spanish edition.

The show’s international editions in Germany and Canada made headlines as cast mates had no idea about the COVID-19 virus back in March.

The first season of CBS’ Love Island, based on the hit British format, was shot in Fiji, with CBS and ITV Entertainment currently exploring other locations.

ITV America CEO David George told Deadline in March that an episode of Love Island is typically turned around in less than 48 hours.

‘Once the switch is turned on, we can get it to air very quickly. We’re trying to get it as ready as possible so when [CBS] says ‘go’, we’re ready, location-wise, build outs, casting,’ he said.

CBS unveiled their primetime lineup on Tuesday, with 23 returning shows and three new programs.

The new programs are a gender-swapped reboot of The Equalizer, starring Queen Latifah and B Positive with Thomas Middledtich and Analeigh Ashford, from creator Chuck Lorre.

The third program, Clarice, following young FBI agent Clarice Starling (Rebecca Breeds) set six months after The Silence of the Lambs, is set to debut in midseason.