The Writers Guild of America (East and West) has taken to social media with the notice that, despite its attempts to negotiate for an updated framework of fair pay and equitable treatment for a modern era of streaming entertainment, no agreement was reached, so writers across the country are officially on strike.
The writers strike was effective as of 12:01AM Tuesday, and you will soon see writers at the picket line, standing up for themselves, their peers, and the overarching magic that exists in a writing room. There’s something inherently beautiful about sitting down for a film or television project you’ve long been excited about and seeing the backdrops, camera work, and characters as they all come to life, but what you don’t see is the tireless work from writers who make so much of it possible. In fact, the entertainment world as we know it would cease to exist without the talented writers keeping it going.
So when the WGA began speaking openly about there being only weeks left to reach an agreement, people started paying attention. The last time a strike of this magnitude took place was over a decade ago, and with an expansive realm of entertainment both culturally and economically, the impacts of a strike now would be significant — and that’s precisely what striking writers are counting on.
From late-night talk shows to soap operas, many genres and formats of entertainment will feel the immediate effects of the writers’ strike, while other television shows and films would only be impacted if the strike lasts well into the Summer and Fall months. So which shows will be noticeably different with the writers strike, which likely won’t, and what are notable commentators within the entertainment realm saying about all of this? Sit back and relax because, as usual, we’ve got you covered.
Why is the Writers Guild of America on strike?
The Writers Guild of America is going on strike for several reasons, with one of the main points of contention being that unionized writers are not being paid fairly in the streaming era. This brings production to a halt on some of the most-watched television shows in existence.
Before you get upset at writers when your favorite shows do not continue to move forward as planned, it is essential to understand the economy they are living in, and how the rise of streaming platforms in an entertainment era unlike anything we’ve experienced before has made it difficult for writers in many areas of life, including pay, and a healthy work/life balance.
The WGA, including the East and West Coast branches, unanimously voted to call for a walkout, and NBC notes the core reason for the strike is that writers are facing an “extistential crisis” in the workplace, and that isn’t something that should be downplayed.
A quote from NBC News reads as follows.
“The companies’ behavior has created a gig economy inside a union workforce, and their immovable stance in this negotiation has betrayed a commitment to further devaluing the profession of writing.”
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which NBC calls a trade association bargaining on behalf of studios, television networks, and streaming platforms, claimed to have offered generous increases in compensation for writers prior to the strike.
WGA members are not only seeking pay increases, but adjustments to an ever-changing business model that has made it almost impossible for them to make a living. With platforms like Hulu, Netflix, Disney Plus, Paramount Plus, and others building on excited audiences to watch programs on streaming platforms, writer-producer pay has declined 4%, which NBC News says becomes 23% when adjusted for inflation.
A bulletin from the WGA reads, “companies have used the transition to streaming to cut writer pay and separate writing from production, worsening working conditions for series writers at all levels.”
The Tweets shared by the WGA note that the strike became a necessity for the above-listed reasons. Having attempted for weeks to come to an agreement that felt beneficial for writers, they must now stand firm in what they believe in and the increase in value they so deserve.
Many will remember that the last WGA strike was enacted in 2007 and 2008, lasting for 100 days, and the entertainment sector has only blossomed since then. The last strike took place on the brink of the birth of streaming platforms, services, and higher demand — and the industry been trying to keep up ever since.
Many streaming platforms house series and films of their own in addition to allowing viewers who can’t watch broadcast episodes on the night they air to tune in the next day, and the increase in availability has caused a rise in demand.
Gone are the days when we had to formulate almost mathematic equations to use our commercial breaks wisely; our children will never know life without a pause button, or having to jump over a sofa to sit down in time for the episode to return from commercial breaks. While these advancements have benefited all of us, they shouldn’t come at the misfortune of those who make it possible for us to enjoy so many television and film options.
What shows are being affected by the writers strike?
The strike will immediately impact some shows, including nighttime talk shows like Jimmy Kimmel’s and Jimmy Fallon’s, and the Stephen Colbert Show.
The strike also puts an immediate shutdown on NBC’s Saturday Night Live, which currently had three episodes scheduled for the month of May. It is now finished for the season, which means those hoping to see Pete Davidson return to the series as host this week will not get the opportunity this year.
Most sources say that daytime soap operas will be next. So those of you who have been watching Days of Our Lives since you were little at your grandparents’ house or shows like General Hospital when you stayed home sick as a kid will see your guilty pleasures slowing down and stopping too. Soap operas operate on a different production schedule than many scripted television shows, so there’s not as much of a backlog of episodes to work with.
How does the writer strike impact network television shows? This happens in a different way than talk shows and soap operas.
Series like Grey’s Anatomy, Wednesday’s Chicago One lineup, and Abbott Elementary — to name a few — should end this season without any direct impact. Many finale episodes have already been written and filmed, so we’ll get the usual storyline completion for now.
Depending on the length of the strike, some season premieres and continuations may be impacted, especially if the strike continues into the Summer and Fall seasons, as we said above.
What shows won’t be affected by the strike?
Of course, the primary source impacting the writing workforce, streaming platforms, will likely be fine with the writer strike for quite some time. Sitting on a library of options that could be released, many streaming services have a backlog of entertainment options to run, and they already house existing films and shows people love to revisit.
Of course, as the strike continues, a window does open up for streaming services and films to be delayed; but they’re likely the last to feel the impact. This would occur if the strike continued for months and months, longer than the 2007-2008 strike, which took place for 100 days.
As the tweet above illustrates, the negotiations from the WGA aren’t out of line, but it appears that forward momentum just wasn’t taking place on finding common ground. Until the writers feel they’re paid and treated with the respect they deserve, we could see writers on the picket line for quite some time — and with good reason.