I had tickets to be in a studio audience of a TV show — what should I do?

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With more and more TV shows taping without live studio audiences due to fears over the coronavirus, you might be wondering what to do if you have tickets to be in the audience of your favorite show.

Read the latest about TV studio audience changes due to coronavirus.

First, shows may try to contact ticket holders via email, phone or SMS to let them know of any cancellations or changes to taping schedules.

However, this likely won’t always be feasible (or the shows may not be willing to do so), so it’s important to check before you head out.

A good starting point is the show’s website or social media accounts — but be sure to look a few days back.

You can also try calling the number or emailing the address you originally contacted to get tickets, though it’s possible these lines of communication may be overwhelmed. Also, many of them often lead to voicemail or email boxes that aren’t checked frequently.

Keep in mind that almost all shows with studio audiences reserve the right to cancel any tapings or refused to admit audience members at any time and without notice, so it’s also entirely possible, especially with the evolving situation of coronavirus, that you could be turned away at the door even after being assured that the taping was still on.

Most shows also do not recommend making a special trip to a city just to see a taping of a show — just in case it gets canceled, so this is good advice to consider.

If you have a trip planned that involves travel, especially via air or public transit, with the sole goal of seeing a TV show be taped, you may want to consider cancelling sooner rather than later to potentially avoid any cancellation or change fees. Check with your hotel or airline to see if they are waiving or reducing cancellation fees.

It’s also worth noting that travel, especially via air, just to see a TV show be taped, is likely a trip that should be avoided at this time. While there’s no immediate threat to airplane passengers, it’s always possible to pick up a bug on a plane so it may not be worth making the trek, especially if there’s a chance the “main attraction” you’re planning to do is canceled.

Finally, keep in mind that TV shows will not reimburse you for any travel costs even if they cancel the taping or bar you from entry to the studio — so take that into consideration when considering whether to cancel or not.