May 24, 2023 by Francisca Schmalz (‘24)
The union representing thousands of writers for television and movies, known as the Writers Guild of America West (WGA), has gone on strike for the first time since 2007. The writers of Hollywood have officially put their pencils down as of May 2, 2023. In the sixteen years that have passed since the last strike, television and movie production has changed tremendously. Companies have been pouring billions into streaming services in the last decade–always pumping out multiple shows per month to keep the consumers happy, while neglecting the overworked and undercompensated writers of Hollywood.
It was no shock when the WGA called their strike, after their contentious triennial negotiation for a new contract with some of the major Hollywood studios. There had been rumors the negotiations this year were going to be difficult. And as we saw in some interviews at the MET gala, actors were already preparing to take sides. Keeping the negligence of the writers in mind and their weak earnings, it’s clear this strike may last a while and impact television and movies as we currently know.
There isn’t an exact timeline of how long the strike will last. The last strike in 2007 lasted over a hundred days, however the longest strike on record in 1988 was 153 days. While negotiations have been attempted, with some Hollywood companies saying their offers were a “generous increases in compensation for writers,” the union says the opposite–claiming the studios have been fixed on their set offers.
Tara Kole, founding partner of the JSSK entertainment law firm, said, “Any hope that this would be fast has faded. I hate to say it, but it’s going to be a while.” The union isn’t backing down, and despite going against some of the biggest studios in Hollywood, they are gaining support on the picket line from famed names. Such names include Seth Meyers, Bob Odenkirk, Pete Davidson, John Mulaney, Jimmy Fallon, Natasha Lyonne, and Drew Barrymore. There are many more celebrities supporting the strike, either publicly or in private.
So why is the strike important? Well, while the strike will affect movies and their productions, it’s going to have a significant impact on television–specifically on streaming services, and some of America’s favorite shows. Viewers should expect to witness a dip in the rate at which many shows streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, and Amazon Prime will be released. Netflix specifically, which is known for their multiple releases per month, is expected to be affected tremendously. However, we won’t be seeing these consequences until later this year.
Already, late-night shows have gone dark in support of the strike, such as “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” and “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” When the strike of 2007 occurred, the late-night shows remained dark for two out of the three months the strike went on. Some other shows you will likely see being affected include Abbot Elementary, American Dad, Family Guy, Big Mouth, Andor, Blade, House of the Dragon, The Rings of Power (which is currently continuing production without a writing staff), Stranger Things, Yellowjackets, and Jeopardy. Jeopardy was the first show to face the effects of the strike. The reason for this is that often producers go on strike with their writing teams. In Jeopardy’s case actress, neuroscientist, and host of Jeopardy Mayim Bialik has walked off in support. In cases like House of the Dragon, the producer Ryan Condal is remaining on set however since all the scripts for season two were turned in before May 2nd, and he has agreed to continue working on the series in a non-writing manor.
The consumers shouldn’t only care about their favorite television series being delayed though. The more important issue is the ethical matter in question. The negotiations coming to a halt were largely based on financial compensation. The guild was also attempting to put safeguards regarding artificial intelligence. Since artificial intelligence has largely gained popularity, the safeguards were brought to the table for job security. Along the lines of job security, comes the issue with streaming shows. Most streaming only shows have gone from twenty episodes to eight to twelve episodes per season, which the guild claims depleted their working conditions. Finally, the writers are long for better residual pay. Residual pay is like royalties, but for reruns.
Prolonged production shutdown will likely end up causing their studios more harm than they think. In 2007 the shutdown costed the L.A economy an estimated 2.1 billion dollars. If you the consumer are looking to help support the W.G.A, then you’re in luck. The W.G.A has set up a carpool sign-up sheet, for those in the Los Angeles area who have the time or a car. Or you can support them directly with donations on their website. Most importantly, educate yourself, engage on social media, show the studios the consumer is unhappy. If you’re in the protesting areas, there’s a picketing line schedule that you can check out. Just be aware as a consumer, that you have the power to help the W.G.A strike.
Works Cited
Koblin, John, and Brooks Barnes. “Why There Is Talk of a Writers’ Strike in Hollywood.” The New York Times, 21 Mar. 2023, www.nytimes.com/article/wga-writers-strike-hollywood.html.
Maddaus, Cynthia Littleton,Gene, et al. “Strike Chaos Consumes Hollywood: What Made Studios Balk and Writers Walk.” Variety, 3 May 2023, variety.com/2023/tv/features/writers-strike-2023-how-long-1235601720/.