Peter White Television EditorEXCLUSIVE: American Idol was one of the first major entertainment formats to battle through the COVID-19 production shutdown to finish its last season with a series of episodes filmed remotely.The talent competition is now heading into production on its fourth season for ABC and is back at its usual scale, albeit safely.Deadline understands that filming begins today with the judge’s auditions episodes, filmed at a number of locations across California.