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On Tuesday, May 2nd, the first Hollywood writers’ strike in 15 years began. American audiovisual writers are being asked to stop as a bargaining chip to negotiate with the major studios. The union was seeking an annual salary increase of $429 million, and the studios only offered a raise of about $86 million, aimed primarily at improving conditions for first-time screenplay writers.
Television is the medium that might notice this unemployment most, especially if it is prolonged. The late-night shows (Jimmy Fallon, Steven Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel), which are already broadcasting repeats, are affected first. There will also be no Saturday Night Live or Last Week Tonight with John Oliver or Real Time with Bill Maher (these three shows can be seen in Spain). Others that will be directly affected will be the events the major networks had planned to showcase their new programming – some have already been canceled – the Emmys campaigns and even, if it lasts until September, we might stay without the gala of the Emmy, scheduled for September 17th.
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As for the fictional series, we’ll have to wait for it to be renewed for it to really get noticed. Abbott College, for example, wanted to start writing its third season, but they closed the writers’ room, which could result in fewer episodes next year. Cobra Kai had its sixth season in the writing stages and they have already announced that production will be delayed indefinitely. The Yellowjackets’ writers’ room had only been open a day when it was closed due to the strike. Although the second season of Good Omens could premiere this summer, writer and screenwriter Neil Gaiman has warned that if they continue the strike, they won’t count on his promotion.
William Zabka, Xolo Maridueña, Mary Mouser and Ralph Macchio in Cobra Kai. COURTESY OF NETFLIX
In other cases, production is not in jeopardy, as with the second season of La casa del dragón, which has already been written and is continuing its plans. In fact, filming is expected to return to the streets of Cáceres and Trujillo later this month. The shooting of the second part of Andor continues unchanged. The new chapters of Tokyo Vice, now being fully recorded in Japan, are still in production as the scripts were already finished. Filming for the second season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has just over two weeks ahead of it and will take place without any writers being present on set, something they had already planned. The fourth season of The Mandalorian was already written.
Another of the most-watched series, Stranger Things, began writing its fifth season last August, though Netflix hasn’t confirmed if it finished on time. Of course, they have warned from the union that anything recorded while the writers are on strike must scrupulously respect the script already written, without being able to change a single word. Other fiction platforms or pay-TV, as in the case of the comedy Hacks, stopped their production because they could not count on screenwriters on the set.
Free-to-air TV series that air in Spain near the United States, such as Grey’s Anatomy or Ghosts, do not see their immediate broadcast in jeopardy and will finish their current season without any problems since they have already been written and filmed . However, should the strike be prolonged, this could result in an enforced delay in the start of the 2023-2024 season, as it is usual for the scriptwriting rooms of these productions to start working towards the end of May. If this is not the case, the return of the series will have to be postponed and could even result in the production of fewer chapters. However, some of these series had already been renewed and new episodes were already underway. Those that will be directly affected are the daily fictions. Although they are working on a margin, if the strike lasts longer than a month they might feel its consequences.
Roman Zaragoza, Richie Moriarty and Rebecca Wisocky in the second season of Ghosts in an image provided by TNT. Bertrand Calmeau (CBS)
The specialized website The Hollywood Reporter explains why it will be harder for the viewer to notice the consequences of this strike than it was 15 years ago. On the one hand there are today the digital platforms with their thousands of hours of permanent content and international productions. Also, the strike will take place when the television season is already over, so it will take a long time to be noticed (the 2007-2008 strike started in November, so in the middle of the season). With long nights in the doldrums as the format and audience, his absence won’t do too much harm to the chains either. Studios have prepared for this strike by renewing in advance and stocking up on reality shows. For example, Dancing With the Stars, which aired exclusively on Disney+, will also air on ABC next season. According to THR, the studios could be prepared for a three- or four-month strike. That the screenwriters persevere is likely to be more complicated. In their favor, the directors and the actors could also go on strike because their contracts expire in June.
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