EXCLUSIVE: Another show is pausing production until the WGA strike is over. This time it’s Before, the Apple TV+ limited series headlined by Billy Crystal, which hails from Paramount Television Studios.
The show (aka Winston), which has been filming in New Jersey, was temporarily shut down by picketing, including on June 1, per a tweet by WGAE vp Lisa Takeuchi Cullen (you can see it below). The series is believed to have completed about five episodes.
In Before, Crystal play Eli, a child psychiatrist who recently lost his wife when he encounters a troubled young boy. Crystal is also executive producing the series, written by Sarah Thorp and directed by Barry Levinson. Crystal, Thorp, Levinson and Eric Roth executive produce.
The series marks a rare ongoing TV series role for Crystal who previously starred in FX’s The Comedians and ABC’s Soap. Crystal and Levinson served together as executive producers on the 2002 film Analyze That, starring Crystal and Robert De Niro.
This is the latest show to shut down production for the duration of the strike. Most of the impacted series, including Daredevil and The Penguin, have been on the East Coast where WGA East picketers have been vigilant in targeting sets.