While we’ve certainly had our fair share of challenges in recent years, TV shows have provided a much-needed escape from reality. But now, it seems even that refuge may be taken away from us.
The Writers Guild of America has officially announced a strike, which includes 11,000 TV and film writers across the United States, that could affect the future of television as we know it. This comes after the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers failed to agree on a new contract that would provide tenable working conditions for WGA members.
“Though we negotiated intent on making a fair deal … the studios’ responses to our proposals have been wholly insufficient, given the existential crisis writers are facing,” said a statement from the union leadership. “They have closed the door on their labor force and opened the door to writing as an entirely freelance profession. No such deal could ever be contemplated by this membership.”
The last time this happened was in 2007, and the strike lasted a whopping 100 days. So, what can we expect this time around?
First up, late-night shows. Because these shows are written on such a tight schedule, they can’t have any episodes banked for future use. This means no more Stephen Colbert interviews, no more Seth Meyers’ political musings, and no more Saturday Night Live sketches. At last night’s MET Gala, Jimmy Fallon expressed his support for the strike, saying, “I wouldn’t have a show if it wasn’t for my writers, I support them all the way.”
Last night a lot of A-list celebs were asked if they support the writers' strike.
Jimmy Fallon said, "I wouldn't have a show if it wasn't for my writers, I support them all the way."
Who else supports the strike? Thread. pic.twitter.com/EjlRWiRXd3
— More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) May 2, 2023
Next, network TV. While most major-network TV shows like Abbott Elementary and the Yellowstone franchise are taking a break for the summer, if the strike extends for as long as it did in 2007, it could eat into the prep time for these shows before they return in the fall. During the last writers’ strike, reality shows took off while TV shows took on some frankly bizarre plotlines.
Yeah but Landry killed a guy https://t.co/PK1MphJajD
— Wes Blankenship (@Wes_nship) May 2, 2023
Now, let’s talk about streamers like HBO Max, Amazon Prime, Hulu and Netflix. These platforms tend to bank more shows than network TV, so they may take longer to feel the effects of a strike. Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos has already stated that the streamer has a large base of upcoming shows and films from around the world that they can rely on to serve their members better than most. However, they may need to be more judicious about the pace at which they put out new content because eventually, that backlog will run dry.
Overall, it’s hard to say what the future holds for television. We may have to say goodbye to some of our favorite shows for a while, so for now, we’ll just have to rewatch some of our favorite episodes until the strike is over.
