Soap operas are slowly beginning to get back up and running following several months of forced hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the digital soap opera The Bay is the latest to resume production.
Actor A Martinez, who plays the role of Nardo Ramos, took to Instagram with a photo of himself back to work at the series that streams on Amazon Prime.
"First work for me in the New Normal, where the shooting set itself is segregated from all the rest of location," he captioned his photo, which was posted on Thursday, July 9. "People have been remarkably aware of one another in space, and very careful not to intrude needlessly. To say such courtesy is appreciated is an understatement, and prayers are up that things will get better soon, and not exponentially worse."
Created by Gregori J. Martin, The Bay stars Mary Beth Evans (Kayla Brady, Days of our Lives) as wealthy socialite Sara Garrett, and Kristos Andrews as her youngest "golden boy" son, Pete Garrett. It is set in the posh seaside town of Bay City, where the privileged residents are entangled in one scandal, betrayal, or love affair after another.
The Emmy-winning digital drama made its debut on September 15, 2010, and is currently celebrating its upcoming tenth anniversary. As Soap Central previously reported, The Bay has been releasing "favorite 'classic' moments" from the soap on Instagram TV and will continue to do so through mid-September. The classic moments will retell "the compelling story of the denizens of Bay City from the very beginning."
In other A Martinez news, the fan favorite actor is said to be returning to the role of Days of our Lives' Eduardo Hernandez. For more on that story, click here.
UPDATE (August 10, 2020): The Bay's production company, LANY Entertainment, has shared additional details about how the Amazon series has safely resumed production, with filming of season six currently underway at a secure location outside Los Angeles County.
"Strictly adhering to the newly established industry guidelines, LANY Entertainment and The Bay producers have implemented rigorous safety standards and protocols including a skeleton crew and most of the cast being quarantined on a private 800-acre property, in addition to regular COVID-19 testing, and mandatory daily temperature checks from an onset medical professional," the company says in an official statement.
The new season is written and directed by creator/showrunner Gregori J. Martin and executive producer and executive story editor Wendy Riche. Deadline reports that additional writers for season six include Anne Schoettle (The Young and the Restless), Nick Peet (NBC's Grimm), and Susan Dansby (Ambitions).
Karrueche Tran will return for the sixth season as Vivian Johnson-Garrett, who, together with her husband, Pete (Kristos Andrews), is faced with important and socially relevant issues involving heart-wrenching COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter storylines. The season six cast also includes Carrington Garland (ex-Kelly Capwell, Another World) as Realtor Kelly Johnson; John Aprea (ex-Arthur, Days of our Lives; ex-Lucas/Alexander Nicos, Another World) as former Mayor Jack Madison; and Vanessa Williams (ex-Valerie Grant, DAYS), who last appeared as Cleo Harris in season two and now returns as the new Bay City mayor.
All-new episodes of season five of The Bay will be released later this summer on Amazon Prime Video. The ten-episode season six will premiere with a two-part 10th anniversary special on September 15, with the remaining episodes slated for release in December (exact date TBA).
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