Here’s how the Hollywood writers’ strike could impact your favorite show

Topline

At the start of a Hollywood writers’ strike, shows that rely on active writers’ rooms, like late-night talk shows and Saturday Night Livewill be the first to close, while scripted shows that have yet to write their next seasons, like Abbott Elementary School And yellow jackets, could experience delays if the strike persists.

Highlights

crucial quote

Abbott Elementary School writer Brittani Nichols spoke out in favor of the strike on Democracy now! Tuesday, indicating: If this strike lasts a long time, our program will not come out in time. And it might change the episode count, which I’m sure people will be very upset about. This could change the air date. It could change a lot of different things.

Surprising fact

All shows in upcoming seasons will not be delayed: AndorA star wars franchise series, would have finished writing its second season before the strike with a few days to spare, just as HBO hit Dragon House.

What Writers Ask

Streaming is at the center of the negotiating stalemate: The WGA says writers’ pay has fallen as studios have poured money into streaming content, especially because streaming shows tend to having fewer episodes, often 8–12 per season compared to the over 20 that were once typical. The writers also say that residual payments from a streaming service pale compared to the money they would earn from TV reruns, in part because streaming residuals are fixed, not based on viewership, and original streaming content generally remains exclusive to that streamer and is not licensed to other networks, sold in overseas markets, or released to DVD. The WGA has required viewership-based residuals for streaming content to reward writers whose content has been widely viewed, but the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios in the negotiation process, rejected the proposal . The WGA estimates that the median weekly salary of writer-producers has decreases 23% over the past decade, adjusted for inflation, making it difficult for writers to earn a living. Members of the WGA are also struggle versus mini-theatres, a system where studios will hire a small number of writers to write for a show not yet greenlit, the jobs, according to the WGA, are underpaid and can last as little as 10 weeks. To end this practice, which the writers say requires more work from fewer people over a shorter period of time, WGA has propose set minimums for the number of writers in a writers room and the duration of the writers room. AMPTP said he offered generous pay increases for writers, though the WGA dismissed these demands as wholly insufficient given the existential crisis facing writers. Negotiations persisted for months, and in April, 98% of the Writers Guild vote to authorize a strike, which went into effect on Monday evening when the 2020 WGA contract expired.

Tangent

The Met Gala, one of Hollywood’s biggest fashion parties, took place in New York just hours before the WGA strike began. Many stars on the red carpet expressed their support for the writers, including Quinta Brunsonwho plays and writes Abbott Elementary School. Actress Amanda Seyfried went viral on Twitter for sharing his thoughts on the strike: Everyone should be paid for their work. It’s fucking easy. WGA Fellow Jimmy Fallon said he hoped that a strike would be avoided, but he supports his writers without whom he would have no show.

Large number

100. That’s how many days the WGA’s last strike lasted, from November 2007 to February 2008. Saturday Night Live aired no new episodes throughout the strike and laid off employees, while late-night talk shows went on long hiatuses. Some late-night hosts eventually returned to the air and paid their writers out of their own pockets, including Conan OBrien, who tried tactics like seeing how long he could spin his wedding ring on his desk to fill airtime. The strike boosted unscripted shows like Big brother and Donald Trump The apprenticewhile other scripted shows like Ugly Betty And breaking Bad were cut short. Some film scripts were rushed before the strike, forcing shoddy scripts to be produced and leading, as many have speculated, to negative reviews for films like Quantum of Comforta James Bond film starring Daniel Craig, and Transformers: Revenge.

Further reading

Hollywood writers are on strike. Here’s why it matters. (voice)

Seth Meyers, Melanie Lynskey and More Support WGA During Strike Authorization Vote (Vulture)

Hollywood hit with writers’ strike after talks with AMPTP failed; Guild Slams Studios for their gig-saving mentality (Deadline)