As of 12:01 on May 2nd, 2023, the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike has officially begun, and the inability of the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to reach an amenable resolution to negotiations which started prior in the week will have a profound ripple effect on the television landscape. The 2023 WGA Writers Strike will hit late-night hardest of all, but it will also disrupt the production of several streaming series after failing to meet the demands of WGA members. With writers from coast-to-coast picketing, it’s the biggest walkout in 15 years with no clear end in sight.
Achieving something similar to the model that already exists for broadcast television’s viewership-based residual payments, as well as higher salaries, and tighter regulations on AI for scriptwriting is the hope of the WGA, but one of the biggest sticking points is a proposal requiring studios and companies to staff their series with a certain number of writers during production and post-production. While some series like House of the Dragon have completed scripts, the AMPTP’s failure to meet the WGA’s demands for financial compensation and job security has an immediate impact on the current seasons of other scripted series, in some cases truncating them significantly.
13 Jimmy Kimmel Live!
The late-night and political satire talk show on ABC is going on a hiatus, so fans of Jimmy Kimmel’s particular brand of humor won’t be treated to his affable ruminations on current events for at least two weeks if not more. ABC will air repeats of past episodes in the absence of JKL now and for the foreseeable future. The Hollywood writer’s strike could disrupt Kimmel’s return for quite some time, and the conversation is ongoing.
12 The Tonight Show
Jimmy Fallon won’t be giggling along with any new guests this week as NBC puts The Tonight Show on hiatus for the next several weeks. Any guest interviews and musical performances will be postponed, and reruns of prior episodes will air in place of new material. The SNL alum won’t be appearing on late-night screens for at least another two weeks, but has expressed support of his writers in the past.
11 The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Along with his other late-night talk show hosts, Stephen Colbert and The Late Show will be going dark following the start of the WGA strike on May 2nd, with reruns airing in lieu of new episodes. Colbert mentioned the looming strike on the May 1st episode, voicing his support for the writers of his show as he held up their picture. He expressed support for unions and if the strike did indeed occur, looked forward to seeing his fans in a few weeks.
10 Late Night With Seth Meyers
Seth Meyers already laid out the conditions of the WGA strike on previous episodes of Late Night with Seth Meyers, preparing for the moment when NBC would put it on hold. A writer himself, Meyers recalled the WGA writing strike that occurred between 2007 and 2008 and lasted for 100 days, affecting his time on SNL as well as countless other series. Meyers stands in solidarity with other Hollywood writers and will appear again in a few weeks.
9 Real Time With Bill Maher
HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, which recently aired a controversial episode with guest Elon Musk, will be another late-night talk show going on hiatus during the writer’s strike. The outspoken and at times abrasive talk show host has addressed the strike in the past few weeks, and will prepare to rejoin the late-night lineup in a few weeks. While Real Time with Bill Maher will be dark, reruns (including Musk’s appearance) will run in place of new episodes.
8 This Week Tonight With John Oliver
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HBO’s other late-night talk show This Week Tonight with John Oliver will be going dark, and its caustic host will only be seen in reruns for the next several weeks. Oliver has discussed the WGA strike in previous episodes of his series and even referenced the WGA strike from 15 years ago that affected his time on The Daily Show. He stands in solidarity with WGA members and hopes to see his fans again soon.
7 The Daily Show
The Daily Show has already said goodbye to its most recent host Trevor Noah and now Comedy Central will put the series on hold due to the WGA strike. After Noah’s departure, the series has had a rotating cast of hosts, which is expected to continue once it returns in a few weeks. Even prior to 2015, when its longtime host Jon Stewart left, The Daily Show always supported its writers and will have reruns until the WGA strike is over.
6 SNL
While rumors swirled about whether SNL would honor the WGA strike, it seems like the weekly sketch comedy show will be following its live late-night peers and going dark. SNL alum Pete Davidson was scheduled to host on May 6th with musical guest Lil Uzi Vert, but that show has officially been canceled. In its place, NBC will run a repeat episode, which is a practice that will likely continue the following Saturday if no clear consensus can be reached between the WGA and the AMPTP.
5 Yellowjackets
Currently, in its second season, progress for Yellowjackets Season 3 will stop following the official announcement of the WGA strike. With its writing room shut down, the Showtime drama’s Season 2 Episode 6 has a new release date and there’s no news on whether it’s affected by the strike. Co-creator Ashley Lyle has been active on her social media explaining how much fun it will be to resume writing Season 3 as soon as the WGA gets a fair deal.
4 Abbott Elementary
May 2nd would have seen the writers room for Abbott Elementary Season 3 convene, but the WGA strike took precedence. This could affect the number of episodes that can be written for the next season depending on how long the strike goes on. Since Abbott Elementary is a show that is written while it airs if the strike goes on for a significant amount of time, Season 3 may not be released as scheduled and could be much shorter.
3 Cobra Kai
Popular scripted drama Cobra Kai closed the doors to its writers room where Season 6 was being penned. Jon Hurwitz, co-creator of the nostalgia-friendly series, has been active on his social media platforms about acting in solidarity with the writer’s strike and joining his peers being off-set for Season 6. Like Abbott Elementary, the WGA strike could affect the number of episodes fans receive next season.
2 Big Mouth
Following the recent announcement by Netflix of Big Mouth’s 8th and final season, the writers room was open for business, but the 2023 WGA strike has put a stop to the creative process. The animated series was already six weeks into writing Season 8, and the creators could have finished it in August had there been no disruptions. Currently, they stand in solidarity with their fellow Hollywood writers, with the pause potentially affecting the number of episodes fans get for the series finale.
1 Stranger Things
Netflix’s biggest series might be in trouble. With no word yet about the progress of Stranger Things Season 5, it’s possible that the Duffer Brothers haven’t finished it, and the WGA strike could have consequences for the final season, set to air in 2024. With so much riding on its epic conclusion, the Writers Guild of America strike could significantly impact its storylines.
Source: Variety
