I first heard about the possibility of a wrirer's strike this year on this Deadline article (https://deadline.com/2020/01/the-cw-renews-13-series-batwoman-nancy-drew-the-flash-riverdale-all-american-1202823557/) on The CW renewing all of its shows for the 2020-21 season. I always hope negotiations between the WGA and AMPTP work-out well so that episode-order reductions for our favorite TV shows are prevented, and that is why industry strikes are never a good thing. Deadline reported (https://deadline.com/2019/11/tv-studios-strike-preparation-mode-wga-contract-negotiations-netflix-streamers-overall-deals-1202795768/) on this last November.

To those saying "Let Them Strike!": you're only going to get TV viewers upset and you will screw yourselves into having to watch something you don't want to watch, like reality shows, if a writers' strike work stoppage actually happens.

Last I heard, the WGA and AMPTP had set March 23 (https://deadline.com/2020/03/wga-contract-talks-amptp-start-date-march-23-1202876656/) to start talks on a new contract. The Guild's current contract expires May 1.

Deadline reported last week that IATSE (the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) is gearing up for a possible strike against the film and TV industry. An actual strike would be several weeks away, though. IATSE stated on August 31 that they and AMPTP (the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) were "very far apart" on the main economic issues, which include shorter workdays, livable wages, sustainable pension and health benefits, and New Media rates that reflect the success of the streaming companies.

Source: Deadline. (https://deadline.com/2021/09/iatse-strike-threat-against-film-tv-industry-1234828948/)

UPDATE: Now IATSE is gearing up for a SECOND strike (https://deadline.com/2021/09/iatse-second-strike-seeks-separate-authorization-locals-across-us-1234842729/) against the film and TV industry. The first was IATSE and 13 West Coast studio locals seeking a new Hollywood Basic Agreement. This second strike is for a separate contract covering film and TV work in the rest of the U.S.; it's an Area Standards Agreement, which covers 23 locals outside the Los Angeles area.

BREAKING NEWS: Writers Guild of America Members Have Voted Overwhelmingly to Authorize a Strike Against the Studios!

A strike will almost certainly happen if there is no deal by May 1. 98% of eligible voting members approved the strike-authorization vote. Contract talks began on March 20.

Source: Deadline. (https://deadline.com/2023/04/hollywood-strike-writer-vote-overwhelmingly-to-authorize-strike-1235328438/)

Considering how the writer’s strike of 2007-08 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007%E2%80%9308_Writers_Guild_of_America_strike) killed (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effect_of_the_2007%E2%80%9308_Writers_Guild_of_America_strike_on_television) many (https://www.reddit.com/r/television/comments/1xfkrh/what_shows_did_you_watch_that_were_hurtdestroyed/) promising (https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/94492/8-tv-shows-were-creatively-altered-writers-strike) shows (https://www.reddit.com/r/television/comments/1zj4q0/what_shows_were_ruined_by_the_2007_writers_strike/), which current series are at the biggest risk to follow suit?

Same with the 81 strike.

Here are a few articles from Deadline during the past week regarding the upcoming writers strike:


"WGA Members Prep Picket Signs Targeting Studios As Strike Deadline Looms (https://deadline.com/2023/04/writers-strike-picket-signs-target-studios-1235340925/)" (April 28)
"WGA Won’t Extend Talks Past Monday Night If There’s No Deal, IATSE Chief Predicts; AMPTP “May Be Dragging Their Feet,” Matt Loeb Says (https://deadline.com/2023/04/writers-strike-no-extension-past-deadline-iatse-chief-predicts-1235341488/)" (April 28)
"WGA & AMPTP Set More Talks For Sunday As Strike Fears Grip Hollywood; Guild & Studios Still Far Apart (https://deadline.com/2023/04/hollywood-writers-strike-more-talks-wga-amptp-teamsters-1235351171/)" (April 29)

So does that mean that The Simpsons and Family Guy will finally be deep-sixed? Along with the late night talk shows that overwhelmingly praise Democrats and trash Republicans?

BRING IT ON! GO GREED GO!

If it means goodbye to Kimmel and his ilk strike on big daddy.

The only scripted show we currently watch is Young Sheldon.

Will viewers notice the writers' strike? (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/hollywood-writers-strike-wga-viewers-notice-1235478028/)

Of course, viewers who aren't late night or broadcast TV fans will certainly notice (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tv-writers-strike-writers-guild-of-america-what-shows-affected/) the strike if it goes on long enough.

TV writers being unable to make a living "seems at once completely absurd and tragically inevitable" (https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2023-05-03/writers-strike-boom-bust-golden-age-gold-rush-column)

Television's most recent 'Golden Age' set off a gold rush that transformed ... seems at once completely absurd and tragically inevitable.

AI can't replace striking writers (https://www.inverse.com/culture/writers-strike-wga-2023-ai-technology)

Writers critically argue AI lacks the humanity to have any real creative inspiration, resulting in substandard and uninteresting work.

SAG-AFTRA's National Board last Thursday (May 18) voted unanimously to ask its members for a Strike Authorization.

Source: Deadline. (https://deadline.com/2023/05/sag-aftra-strike-authorization-vote-membership-1235371123/)

lLHamn4VFpY

The 2007-2008 writers strike had weird and often devastating effects for television at the time. But Conan O'Brien managed to thrive. How is it possible to survive a writers strike?

SAG-AFTRA's National Board last Thursday (May 18) voted unanimously to ask its members for a Strike Authorization.

Source: Deadline. (https://deadline.com/2023/05/sag-aftra-strike-authorization-vote-membership-1235371123/)

MAJOR UPDATE: SAG-AFTRA Members Have Overwhelmingly Approved a Strike Authorization Last Monday (June 5).

https://deadline.com/2023/06/sag-aftra-strike-authorization-approved-actors-vote-1235408671/

SECOND UPDATE: SAG-AFTRA Contract Talks Have Officially Begun Following That Strike-Authorization Vote.

https://deadline.com/2023/06/sag-aftra-contract-talks-begin-hollywood-actors-union-1235410308/

Here are some articles at Deadline published at the end of June regarding a SAG-AFTRA strike becoming a reality this month:

"SAG-AFTRA “Prepared To Strike” Letter Hits 1,000 Signatures, Including Guild President Fran Drescher (https://deadline.com/2023/06/sag-aftra-prepared-to-strike-letter-1000-signatures-fran-drescher-1235426575/)" - June 28, 2023
"What Happens To Hollywood (And Beyond) If The Actors Go On Strike (https://deadline.com/2023/06/hollywood-actors-strike-what-will-happen-sag-aftra-contract-1235427558/)" - June 29, 2023
"SAG-AFTRA & AMPTP Agree To Extend Contract To July 12 As Negotiations Continue (https://deadline.com/2023/06/actors-union-extends-contract-negotiations-continue-strike-1235427910/)" - June 30, 2023

(I posted in the comment section of the second article: "Strikemageddon is becoming a reality here, folks…".)

Report: Studios will wait until late October to negotiate with the Writers Guild (https://deadline.com/2023/07/writers-strike-hollywood-studios-deal-fight-wga-actors-1235434335/)

To do so, the studios and the AMPTP believe that by October most writers will be running out of money after five months on the picket lines and ...

Actors are joining writers on strike (https://www.axios.com/2023/07/13/sag-aftra-wga-strike-hollywood)

SAG-AFTRA (https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/writers-strike-actors-sag-aftra-wga-hollywood-b2374854.html), the union (https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/13/sag-actors-union-goes-on-strike-joining-hollywood-writers.html) that represents Hollywood actors, will strike (https://www.wsj.com/articles/hollywood-actors-set-to-join-writers-on-strike-after-contract-expires-d86e7f30) for the first time since 1980 after failing to reach a new labor deal ...

Actors’ strike should revolutionize the fight over AI (https://www.wired.com/story/hollywood-sag-strike-artificial-intelligence/)

Bold-faced names like Meryl Streep and the halting of production (https://search.yahoo.com/search?p=SAG-AFTRA%27s+160%2C000+members+going+on+strike+will+be+a+game-changer.&fr=yfp-t&fr2=p%3Afp%2Cm%3Asb&ei=UTF-8&fp=1) could give artificial intelligence a whole new level of awareness.

It supposedly partly to help small time actors ID since the studios wanted to change the rules to where they would own those day-actor, extra, or bit players images what ever that means. What would their ability to make any money as actors?

SAG-AFTRA strike Day 1 puts extras in spotlight (https://slate.com/technology/2023/07/actor-strike-extras-digital-double-sag-aftra.html)

he Best Part of the Actors Strike So Far. With a viral quote, extras are getting their moment in the spotlight. By Heather Tal Murphy.

Labor Day is seen as "crisis point" for studios in strikes (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/17/business/media/hollywood-actors-writers-strikes.html)

Labor Day Looms as Crisis Point in Hollywood Stalemate. Ongoing strikes could disrupt the entertainment industry in fundamental ways, ...

Will actors’ and writers’ strikes end up destroying network TV? (https://www.vulture.com/2023/07/hollywood-strikes-netflix-networks-disaster.html)

By Josef Adalian, Vulture's West Coast editor

While Hollywood studios’ failure to strike a fair deal with writers and actors hasn’t caused any real pain for Netflix (yet), that’s not the case over at the platform’s broadcast network rivals. For them, the ongoing WGA and SAG strikes represent apocalypse now: With soundstages dark, new episodes of big scripted hits like Abbott Elementary, Chicago P.D., and Ghosts will be missing from prime time this fall, replaced mostly by reality shows, reruns, and imports from the U.K. and Canada. “Network TV was already in a bad place, and this is really going to kick it in the nuts,” says one veteran broadcast exec, who expects ratings to plunge 30 to 40 percent as a result of the de facto cancellation of the fall season. “Every week the strike goes on, the networks get weaker, and Netflix gets stronger.”

You would think such a prospect would send the parent companies of ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox scrambling back to the negotiating table to cut a deal. After all, many of the big issues in the current impasse — streaming residuals, tiny writers’ rooms, short episode orders — are not ones that really impact broadcast TV. These companies also own streamers, but unlike Netflix, those platforms are bleeding money; linear networks still turn a profit every year (though it’s far smaller than years past). What’s more, the autumnal absence of network programming isn’t just an issue for broadcasters: Some of the best-performing titles on Peacock, Hulu, and Paramount+ are next-day runs of network shows — the ones that will soon be AWOL. By letting the strike drag on, legacy companies such as Disney, NBCUniversal, and Paramount Global are risking real damage to both their linear and digital businesses in a way that Netflix isn’t, at least not in the short term. (The long lead times in streaming means it has a deep stockpile of existing programming for fall, while a roster of international content will help keep the lights on when the well eventually dries up in 2024.) “I’ve gotta believe that Netflix is very happy to just sit back and let the networks burn,” one industry vet says. “Whether that’s by design or happy accident, I don’t know. But even if they don’t see the broadcasters as their main competition, everyone is competition in the video space. Now you’re gonna knock three or four of your competitors off who represent 20 percent of viewing.”

Despite all this, the old-school media giants have so far seemed content to link arms with digital-native platforms like Netflix and Amazon, even though the newbies have far more reason to preserve the status quo. That alliance has many longtime broadcast insiders shaking their heads — and wondering whether it will last. With broadcast ratings almost certain to plunge further and faster than they had been already, “it almost feels like the networks are complicit in their own self-destruction,” says former longtime Law & Order: SVU showrunner Warren Leight. “It’s like Stockholm syndrome. They’re siding with people who’ve been eating their lunch for the last decade. I probably have more in common with execs at NBC than the execs at NBC have with execs at Netflix.” The longtime broadcast exec is similarly befuddled: “Maybe their plan is to let their networks wither and die, which is what it seems,” he says.

So what’s behind this very weird marriage of traditional media companies and their disruptors? One line of thinking matches up with what our network suit suggests: The conglomerates actually don’t think their linear businesses can be saved and are fine with the process being sped up by a strike. Just last week, Disney’s Bob Iger seemed to suggest as much when he put a “for sale” sign on ABC and the Mouse House’s cable networks (save for ESPN). Over at Paramount Global, CEO Bob Bakish still talks about the power of his linear brands, but his actions suggest he’s all about streaming: Showtime is now basically a tile on Paramount+, MTV is 24/7 Ridiculousness, and CBS has gotten far less prolific in its scripted output and has let franchises such as SEAL Team and Criminal Minds migrate to its streaming sibling.

But at least CBS still has a president-level exec that’s focused exclusively on the network: NBC (and ABC) don’t even bother with network presidents anymore. Indeed, NBCUniversal just got rid of content chief Susan Rovner, who despite devoting a ton of her energies to making shows for Peacock was known internally as a strong advocate for treating NBC as something other than a distressed asset whose decline needed to be managed. “The nerds in charge of streaming — even at corporations with broadcast networks — resent the networks and their shows,” laments one industry insider with decades of broadcast experience. “A ton of their [streaming] viewing comes from their network shows. But instead of embracing it, they act like it’s a burden.” That divide isn’t just between networks and streamers: Someone who works at a legacy studio with ties to a streamer seconds that analysis of corporate priorities. “People who work at studios want one thing, but our streaming partners have a different way of looking at things,” he says.

Obviously, execs at the legacy companies push back at the idea that some people just want to watch the networks burn, or even the idea that starving broadcasters of their biggest scripted hits for a few months is such a bad thing. While ratings will surely be way down, and ad revenue will also take a big hit, one of the biggest sources of revenue for broadcasters — the hundreds of millions in fees they collect from their affiliates and cable operators — will remain steady. At the same time, expenses will plunge, because reruns and reality cost a lot less than new episodes of scripted fare. One industry insider forecasts the networks have a “pretty good chance to come out ahead, at least for a little while.” That might sound cold and calculating, but it’s also probably true: In its earnings report Wednesday, Netflix said its cash on hand would jump by around $1.5 billion this year, a revenue jump that’s a direct result of not having to pay actors and writers. “That’s why there’s zero hurry to settle,” the network wag says. “Every quarter they’re on strike, spending is down and profits are up.”

But while there could be some short-term “benefits” to broadcast TV switching to strike mode this fall, there’s also a real risk — specifically that the audience that tunes out will never return. “Whenever SVU is off for two weeks, there’s attrition in the ratings,” says Leight. The reality that most returning shows will go at least eight or nine months between original episodes — or longer if the strike drags on beyond October 1 — could spell Nielsen disaster. “This is going to hammer the ratings when shows are back on,” he says. The biggest danger as these insiders see it is that the audiences who have stayed loyal to the broadcast ecosystem — the folks who still watch Abbott Elementary when it airs on ABC every Wednesday — may finally give up and give in to the streaming dark side. “Do they think they’re going to flip a switch and everyone is going to come running back [to network TV] for ten episodes?,” a network insider says. “Maybe most people will, but it’s going to exacerbate what would’ve already been a 5 to 10 percent decline and make it so they’re down 20 percent when it’s all done. It’s just another chance for people to get out of the habit of watching network TV.”

Privately, some corporate execs don’t disagree that a protracted strike could be devastating to the network model. But they also argue that striking workers — particularly those in the WGA — should be just as worried. Even if the guilds achieve most of their goals, if the result is a dramatically weakened network TV ecosystem, that will mean far fewer of the good-paying, residual-producing, back-end-yielding broadcast jobs. Networks were already cutting back on the percentage of their lineups devoted to comedies and dramas, and the strike promises to further tip the scales against scripted. “The moment the strike was announced, ABC announced an all-reality schedule,” the network insider says. “There’s no going back to a majority of the schedule being scripted. It’s not going to happen. I think the writers have a lot of legit grievances. But some of the best jobs they’ve ever had are going to be gone after this … This feels to me like we’re going to come out of this strike and everybody’s going to lose.”

That might be true, but it’s hardly the guilds’ fault that their employers have embraced a streaming model that clearly does not work for them the way it does for Netflix and other tech-owned streaming platforms. Most of the jobs in TV are now in streaming and at companies not associated with broadcasters. It wouldn’t make sense for the WGA and SAG to ignore the real issues in streaming compensation in the hopes of preserving the shrinking number of good jobs on network TV. That’s not to say there isn’t room for writers and actors to compromise or to concede the legitimate stresses facing their employers. But any such conversation would have to start with companies either conceding there needs to be performance-based compensation attached to streaming residuals or for legacy companies realizing their interests aren’t the same as Netflix or Amazon.

For that to happen, however, there would have to be a massive shift in thinking among the members of the AMPTP, who so far seem more focused on complaining about the rhetoric coming from guild leaders than on trying to come up with serious counterproposals to address central issues such as streaming residuals. Even insiders sympathetic to the studios suggest that is unlikely to happen soon because while people at the network and studio level are still passionate about competing and winning against the tech giants, the folks running most of these corporations are focused on making their bottom lines look as good as possible as quickly as possible — no matter how much pain results. Just look at the last year of brutal layoffs at big media companies, which have been cutting profitable departments and divisions despite the obvious damage it’s doing to their end product. “It’s a mistake to assume there’s zero degree of humanity at any of these corporations. There isn’t,” says one industry veteran. “There’s not one thought given to ‘What does the business look like in five years’ or ‘How do we entertain the public?’ It’s all about what does this quarter look like and where is our stock price going.”

The studios and networks should grow a pair and tell these overpaid hacks to stick it because for every writer and actor who is picketing there are hundreds of struggling writers and actors who could really use the work.

TV rewatch podcasts face uncertainty (https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/21/23802412/tv-rewatch-podcasts-sag-strike-hollywood-strike)

But there's still a fair amount of uncertainty over whether celebrity rewatch podcasts are a form of promotion and whether the strike order ...

John Oliver slams "absolutely disgusting" studios for not currently negotiating to end the actors' and writers' strikes (https://deadline.com/2023/07/john-oliver-amber-ruffin-ziwe-protest-at-wga-comedy-writers-picket-1235449603/#:~:text=John%20Oliver%2C%20host%20of%20HBO's,are%20not%20negotiating%20right%20now.)

John Oliver, host of HBO's Last Week Tonight, said, “I like what Chris Keyser said yesterday, 'This isn't a war, this is a basic request for some completely understandable contract points' so I want to see a fair deal as soon as possible. It is absolutely appalling that they are not negotiating right now.

Studios' response to actors and writers has amounted to "slo-mo self-sabotage" (https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/hollywood-self-sabotage-writer-strike)

BREAKING NEWS: WGA & AMPTP Can’t Agree to Resume Negotiations; Because of This, the WGA's Current Strike Will Go On Indefinitely (https://deadline.com/2023/08/writers-strike-meeting-union-studios-no-new-talks-1235455349/)

And just like that, StrikeMageddon has officially reached motherf**ker levels now...

John Oliver slams "absolutely disgusting" studios for not currently negotiating to end the actors' and writers' strikes (https://deadline.com/2023/07/john-oliver-amber-ruffin-ziwe-protest-at-wga-comedy-writers-picket-1235449603/#:~:text=John%20Oliver%2C%20host%20of%20HBO's,are%20not%20negotiating%20right%20now.)

John Oliver, host of HBO's Last Week Tonight, said, “I like what Chris Keyser said yesterday, 'This isn't a war, this is a basic request for some completely understandable contract points' so I want to see a fair deal as soon as possible. It is absolutely appalling that they are not negotiating right now.

John Oliver is one of the reasons why Americans actors and writers are getting underpaid. Hollywood has been hiring foreign nationals or outsourcing them in droves for decades now. How many Americans hosting British TV shows or playing Brits on British TV shows and in movies? *crickets* Oh, but the Brit who came to America to take over as host for an American TV show wants to pontificate about this situation.

When the press suggest nothing will happen until October -- that's not just a scattershot call. Every year all the Hollywood movers and shakers take all of August off for vacation and won't return until after Labor Day. Only the worker bees keep working. Then the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur holidays come in September for another week off. So nothing will start until mid-late September and take at least a month to settle and we're in October as predicted. Then everyone leaves again in mid-November for Thanksgiving and work two weeks in December before disappearing unitl the New Year. So talks must happen during those brief productive periods when execs are focused. Or it will be 2024.

They can strike forever as far as I'm concerned. For the first time in my life I don't give a damn.

Really sad that the many production workers have been swept up in this mess. What will they do with their sources of income shut off?

The studios can always relocate to non union/ right to work states and tell them all to stick it.

They can strike forever as far as I'm concerned. For the first time in my life I don't give a damn.

IMO, you should care, because Hollywood has been throwing American culture under the bus for a long time now and doesn't care how much damage it will do. It's already happening. The studios have handed American history, culture and icons lock, stock and barrel to Brits, Canadians, Aussies, New Zealanders and everyone else in between, and now so much of our culture is distorted. (Look at how our comic book movies glorify the villains now and are filled with sex and violence.)

On top of everything else, Hollywood will just keep importing more Japanese and South Korean stuff, with all of their cultural baggage and regressive crap involving minors.

It will not be a good thing for America if an entire generation of kids grow up on movies and TV that are supposedly for "Americans" but is written, directed and acted by foreigners who don't understand or respect us, seize writing and directing opportunities as a chance to saddle them with their cultural baggage, or send them subtle messages about how superior European and Asian culture are to American culture.

IMO, you should care, because Hollywood has been throwing American culture under the bus for a long time now and doesn't care how much damage it will do. It's already happening. The studios have handed American history, culture and icons lock, stock and barrel to Brits, Canadians, Aussies, New Zealanders and everyone else in between, and now so much of our culture is distorted. (Look at how our comic book movies glorify the villains now and are filled with sex and violence.)

On top of everything else, Hollywood will just keep importing more Japanese and South Korean stuff, with all of their cultural baggage and regressive crap involving minors.

It will not be a good thing for America if an entire generation of kids grow up on movies and TV that are supposedly for "Americans" but is written, directed and acted by foreigners who don't understand or respect us, seize writing and directing opportunities as a chance to saddle them with their cultural baggage, or send them subtle messages about how superior European and Asian culture are to American culture.
I don't think Hollywood respects us anymore. They've been throwing us nothing but garbage most of this century. All the people in Hollywood I loved are either dead or too old to do much. I was a kid during the 1980 and 1981 strikes. I cared a lot back then...not so much now. I watch very little current movies and the only current TV shows I watch are the aging NCIS and the Chicago shows. I can wait to see them.

WGA strike hits Day 100 (https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2023-08-08/writers-strike-100-days-wga-sag-aftra-hollywood-labor-dispute#:~:text=The%20Writers%20Guild%20of%20America's,compensation%20for%20shows%20distributed%20online.)

The Writers Guild of America's strike against the major media companies has turned into a marathon. The labor action hits the 100-day mark on Wednesday — a milestone that matches the duration of the bitter slog 15 years ago, when screenwriters demanded compensation for shows distributed online.

(Look at how our comic book movies glorify the villains now and are filled with sex and violence.)

On top of everything else, Hollywood will just keep importing more Japanese and South Korean stuff, with all of their cultural baggage and regressive crap involving minors.

It will not be a good thing for America if an entire generation of kids grow up on movies and TV that are supposedly for "Americans" but is written, directed and acted by foreigners who don't understand or respect us, seize writing and directing opportunities as a chance to saddle them with their cultural baggage, or send them subtle messages about how superior European and Asian culture are to American culture.

As a fan of comic book movies/shows, and of Japanese media, I'd say it's way too late there. :lol: Most 80s/90s "kids" already absorbed a lot of that stuff growing up, and we're perfectly fine.

Emmys officially move to January (https://worldscreen.com/emmy-broadcast-officially-moved-january/#:~:text=The%2075th%20Emmy%20Awards%20have,strikes%20by%20actors%20and%20writers.)

The 75th Emmy Awards have been rescheduled to air on January 15, 2024, on FOX. Originally scheduled to broadcast in September, the awards have been postponed due to the strikes by actors and writers.

I don't think Hollywood respects us anymore. They've been throwing us nothing but garbage most of this century. All the people in Hollywood I loved are either dead or too old to do much. I was a kid during the 1980 and 1981 strikes. I cared a lot back then...not so much now. I watch very little current movies and the only current TV shows I watch are the aging NCIS and the Chicago shows. I can wait to see them.

We're getting garbage from Hollywood because it's been throwing our own talent under the bus, refusing to give the new generation of creative American writers, actors and visionaries a chance to come up with the type of fun, entertaining and interesting stuff that we used to have decades ago.

For example, Mark Burnett, a Brit, is why American TV is cluttered with trash reality TV shows instead of the scripted television shows we used to get. A large majority of our scripted shows are shot overseas or based off of foreign shows. We also don't get great kids shows and specials anymore because Hollywood imports anime and ignores American cartoonists, who it used to look to for inspiration (Garfied and Friends, Charlie Brown, etc.).

This is why I say you should care. If the writers lose, that will be the nail in the coffin of American entertainment. The very reason why it's so bad now is that the trend has been to hire only foreigner or import content, so imagine how much worse it will be.

Contract Negotiations to Continue as No Progress Made in WGA-AMPTP Talks (https://www.cbr.com/contract-negotiations-continue-as-no-progress-made-made-in-wga-amptp-talks/)

Talks between WGA and AMPTP stall despite daily meetings; the WGA strike continues with no clear resolution in sight.

Right now is the time to go into the vaults and start airing and releasing shows that were passed for bigger named shows like they did in 1980 and movies that would've otherwise went to limited release and direct to video due getting crowded out by big releases.

Henry Winkler Says “Most of the People in My Industry Don’t Have Enough” Amid Strikes (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/henry-winkler-actors-dont-have-enough-amid-strikes-1235575613/)

"In New York, the playwright is supreme; here, the writer is dismissed. That's crazy," Winkler said of the current writers and actors strikes.

BY KIRSTEN CHUBA

AUGUST 26, 2023 10:54PM

Henry Winkler took a few moments away from Saturday night’s This is About Humanity’s 5th annual fundraising soirée — which he hosted at his Los Angeles home alongside daughter Zoe Winkler Reinis — to weigh in on (https://www.reddit.com/r/television/comments/162pahy/henry_winkler_says_most_of_the_people_in_my/) the ongoing writers and actors strikes.

“I have said this many times, but if it ain’t on the page, it ain’t on the stage. In New York, the playwright is supreme; here, the writer is dismissed. That’s crazy,” Winkler told The Hollywood Reporter. “That’s No. 1. No. 2, I love my job, I am very lucky. Most of the people in my industry don’t have enough. It is very important that we all make sure everybody has enough. That’s my feeling.”

“Here’s what I feel: it’s going to end. How it ends, I have no idea. But until it ends, I’m very, very fortunate,” Winkler continued. In the meantime, he is staying plenty busy, noting that he has his 39th children’s book coming out soon, as well as his autobiography, Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond, which is due out on Oct. 31.

The star was also recently nominated for his ninth Emmy, and fourth for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series for his role as acting teacher Gene Cousineau in the final season of Barry — which he will now be waiting until January to see if he’s won, after the awards show was delayed four months due to the strikes. The Writers Guild of America has been on strike since May 2, with SAG-AFTRA joining the picket line on July 13.

Fall TV looks post-apocalyptic (https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/fall-tv-season-2023-bleak-writers-strike-mel-gibson-amptp-frasier-1234812280/)

With the writers’ strike entering its fifth month, and the AMPTP making bad-faith offers to writers and actors, fall TV is gonna take a major hit.

Fall TV looks post-apocalyptic (https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/fall-tv-season-2023-bleak-writers-strike-mel-gibson-amptp-frasier-1234812280/)

With the writers’ strike entering its fifth month, and the AMPTP making bad-faith offers to writers and actors, fall TV is gonna take a major hit.

Football is on the way to save the day. College will carryon into early Jan and the NFL will end in February.

Yee haw.

Hollywood studios have already lost the strikes. Now it’s time to surrender​ (https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2023-08-31/wga-sag-aftra-strike-studios-amptp-surrender)

The writers and actors have already won the battle of solidarity and righteousness; the question now is how long before the studios get over themselves (https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/hollywood-studios-have-already-lost-the-strikes-now-it%E2%80%99s-time-to-surrender.5369707/) and make a deal.

It would be great to say something sensible like “a week,” but given the unfiltered arrogance, shocking hostility and general bone-headedness the studios have displayed thus far, it’s difficult to know. They could double themselves down into a 2024 with few new series and the least surprising Oscar race in history (“Barbie” versus “Oppenheimer,” Round 2.)

Every attempt the AMPTP has made to control the negotiations or the public narrative has backfired. After the Writers Guild of America went on strike in May, “tough” talking from anonymous executives about how they were in it to win it even if it meant writers losing their homes only served to strengthen the writers’ unity.

And help set a fire under the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, which went on strike in July.

Comments from Netflix’s Ted Sarandos, who said the streamer would just lean into international content, and Disney’s Bob Iger, who lectured strikers for their unreasonableness, resulted in a swell of picket lines and sympathy from every employer who has seen American jobs move overseas or heard how their wealthy bosses simply could not “afford” to offer single-digit percentage raises.

Yet, despite polls indicating that a clear majority of Americans support the striking guilds, the AMPTP has portrayed the studios as the injured parties: We thought we could make TV without advertising, which obviously we couldn’t, but it’s not our fault.

Here's a claim:

"...despite polls indicating that a clear majority of Americans support the striking guilds..."

Has anyone here been polled?

Here's a claim:

"...despite polls indicating that a clear majority of Americans support the striking guilds..."

Has anyone here been polled?

Im seeing the exact opposite of support on youtube.

I was wondering when the SAG would eventually betray the WGA.

https://deadline.com/2023/08/the-walking-dead-spinoffs-interview-with-the-vampire-to-resume-production-sag-aftra-deal-1235533050/

Im seeing the exact opposite of support on youtube.
I haven't been polled and for the first time in my life I just don't care about them.

Here's a claim:

"...despite polls indicating that a clear majority of Americans support the striking guilds..."

Has anyone here been polled?


It's political propaganda of course. Just like everything else.

"Every scientist agrees on climate change."

No they don't. That's a crock of ****.

Warner Bros. suspends big-name producers' deals (https://deadline.com/2023/09/warner-bros-television-overall-deals-suspended-greg-berlanti-bill-lawrence-mindy-kaling-1235538736/#:~:text=UPDATED%3A%20More%20than%20three%20months,s%20Kaling%20International%2C%20sources%20said.)

UPDATED: More than three months into the writers strike, Warner Bros. Television has moved in to suspend the remaining overall deals with some of its top creators. The list includes Greg Berlanti Productions, Bill Lawrence's Doozer Productions, and Mindy Kaling's Kaling International, sources said.

Fox Leans Into Animation “Moment” with Strike-Impacted Fall Schedule as Deadline Nears for Return of Scripted Originals in 2023-24 Broadcast Season (https://deadline.com/2023/09/fox-krapopolis-animation-strike-fall-schedule-1235545088/)

This article on Deadline says that October 1 is seen as the date that the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes need to be resolved by (and definitely the last chance for such a resolution) so that scripted shows, which also include 9-1-1: Lone Star and The Cleaning Lady, have a chance of returning to air during the 2023-24 broadcast season.

I'm thinking those two unions' demands may be just insurmountable at this point.

Hollywood studios, writers near agreement to end strike, hope to finalize deal Thursday, sources say (https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/21/hollywood-studios-writers-near-agreement-to-end-strike-hope-to-finalize-deal-thursday-sources-say.html)

"Writers and producers are near an agreement (https://www.reddit.com/r/television/comments/16o3ter/hollywood_studios_writers_near_agreement_to_end/) to end the Writers Guild of America strike after meeting face to face on Wednesday, people close to the negotiations told CNBC..."

Hollywood studios, writers near agreement to end strike, hope to finalize deal Thursday, sources say (https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/21/hollywood-studios-writers-near-agreement-to-end-strike-hope-to-finalize-deal-thursday-sources-say.html)

"Writers and producers are near an agreement (https://www.reddit.com/r/television/comments/16o3ter/hollywood_studios_writers_near_agreement_to_end/) to end the Writers Guild of America strike after meeting face to face on Wednesday, people close to the negotiations told CNBC..."

Please! Let's hope not!

Please! Let's hope not!

Don’t worry, no deal yet, per LA Times (but why don’t you want one?)

>>>On Thursday night, both sides continued meeting because they didn’t want to lose momentum, according to a person familiar with the matter who declined to be named. As of a little after 9 p.m., the two side had not yet scheduled a time to meet again, according to two people briefed on the talks.<<<

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2023-09-21/wga-amptp-writers-strike-meeting

Don’t worry, no deal yet, per LA Times (but why don’t you want one?)
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2023-09-21/wga-amptp-writers-strike-meeting

Some of us feel like the current crop of writers just aren't very good at their jobs. They snub their collective noses up at the tradiotional sitcom and have effectively killed it, even though traiditonal sticoms such as Friends and The Big Bang Theory can still attract a wider audience than shows not filmed in a traditional sitcom format.

For every Vince Gilligan (fan of classic television) you have 1000s of millenial writers that shouldn't be alllowed anywhere near a keyboard and monitor.

Don’t worry, no deal yet, per LA Times (but why don’t you want one?)

>>>On Thursday night, both sides continued meeting because they didn’t want to lose momentum, according to a person familiar with the matter who declined to be named. As of a little after 9 p.m., the two side had not yet scheduled a time to meet again, according to two people briefed on the talks.<<<

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2023-09-21/wga-amptp-writers-strike-meeting

Oh, we need to worry, alright. These current strikes are already doing so much damage to the new TV season that all of the current scripted broadcast TV shows are in danger of being forced to skip the 2023-24 season entirely, and their next new episodes will not air until after the Paris Olympics next year. And Jeopardy! is really going to overdo it with the recycled contestants with not just the three Second Chance competitions this month, but also the new Champions Wildcard and extended Tournament of Champions, and I don't see a return to regular-play games at any point in season 40. Strike fatigue is already starting to settle in.

#LetUsWorry
#StrikeFatigue

(but why don’t you want one?)

Imagine, if you will, only having Greg Gutfeld on FOX News, whose job isn't affected, being the only late night talk show host between now and the 2024 Presidential Election. The people will be spared the leftist anti-Republican anti-God rhetoric and bigotry from the likes of Colbert, Kimmel, etc. A statesman and not a globalist would be our 47th President, and the best the Democrats could muster would be someone to the right of George Wallace, as opposed to Obama or someone bought and paid for by George Soros.

Who wouldn't like that?

Who wouldn't like that?

Me.

James: the strike covers a lot more than late night hosts, there hasn't been a great late night host since Jay Leno retired. I couldn't care less about current late night really. Why I want the strike settled is for favorite primetime shows of mine like Blue Bloods, Accused, The Neighborhood, the FBI franchise, S.W.A.T.'s final season, 9-1-1's first season on ABC, and Law and Order which is coming off its best season in awhile. Episode orders for most of those will be greatly reduced, which is a bad thing. Even syndicated game shows are being affected with Jeopardy! having to use recycled contestants and recycled clues, and You Bet Your Life with Jay Leno has stopped production until the strike ends.

If anyone really cares, it looks like the WGA strike might be over.

John Oliver lashes out at studios (https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/10/02/john-oliver-lashes-out-at-studios-in-late-night-return-after-writers-strike-could-have-offered-deal-on-day-one/)

The comedian and Last Week Tonight host said he was angry at the studios for prolonging a strike they could have ended on day one.

PBS mostly unaffected by strikes (https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/pbs-fall-schedule-wga-sag-aftra-strikes-1235749879/)

Here's how PBS' unique agreements with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA allowed it to launch a fall lineup with business mostly as usual.

Studios Declare SAG-AFTRA Talks “Suspended”; Slam Guild For Rejecting Terms Offered To WGA & DGA (https://deadline.com/2023/10/actors-strike-talks-suspended-1235570997/)

This is an implication that there's no way to really save the 2023-24 U.S. Broadcast TV season now.:sad:

I'm betting both sides will reach an agreement in November or December and show productions will pick back up in January.

Now I'm seeing a couple articles on Deadline posted this year regarding the potential for an IATSE strike at the end of the current American broadcast season.

"'They Should Fear Us': Teamsters & IATSE Link Arms For March Contract Talks With Studios" (https://deadline.com/2024/01/teamsters-iatse-contract-talks-1235810276/) (January 31, 2024)

"IATSE Forewarns Strike Authorization Vote Ahead Of March Negotiations: 'Not Interested In Extending This Agreement'" (https://deadline.com/2024/02/iatse-strike-authorization-vote-amptp-negotiations-1235819807/) (February 8, 2024)

"Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer Says He’s 'Hopeful' For Productive IATSE Talks: 'Nobody Really Wins In A Strike'" (https://deadline.com/2024/02/lionsgate-ceo-jon-feltheimer-iatse-strike-guild-negotiations-1235819815/) (February 8, 2023)

Any strike threat is legitimate trouble, as any IATSE strike will lead to the fifth broadcast season in six years in which TV shows are forced to have drastically shortened seasons, with the current season having the most damage done to it thanks to last year's "Strikemageddon" (aka the Dual Writers and Actors Strikes).

Audiences have returned for strike-delayed season (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/strikes-ratings-tv-top-hits-audiences-came-back-1235851857/#:~:text=Even%20after%20the%20toll%20of,than%20their%202022%2D23%20averages.)

Even after the toll of the dual work stoppages last year, totals for a host of broadcast shows are on par with or better than their 2022-23 averages.

IATSE and the Hollywood Studios Have Set a June 24 Return Date to the Bargaining Table with Just One Month Until Their Contracts Expire

* Deadline reported on the first week of June that big differences over wage increases and benefits still remain (https://deadline.com/2024/06/iatse-negotiations-update-finalizing-basic-agreement-1235957799/).
* The current contracts will be up on July 31, and IATSE has said that it will not be extending the present deals past that deadline.
* Could those Hollywood Unions be "over-striking"? IATSE was dangerously close to striking in October 2021, but that didn't happen. Then "Strikemageddon" (by the WGA and the SAG) came in the Summer of 2023 and resulted in almost every scripted broadcast TV show's season order for 2023-24 reduced to just over 10 episodes.

Source: Deadline. (https://deadline.com/2024/06/iatse-contract-talks-continue-date-1235969648/)

So Much for an IATSE Strike This Summer? IATSE and the Studios Have Reached a Tentative Deal on an Area Standards Agreement

Source: Deadline. (https://deadline.com/2024/06/iatse-area-standards-agreement-deal-studios-1235985568/)

SAG-AFTRA Chief Won’t “Rule Out A Strike” Heading Into Contract Talks With Studios & Streamers Next Month

There are still some broadcast TV shows that haven't recovered from the last SAG-AFTRA strike (aka "Strikemageddon") in the 2023-24 season, and most of them were prevented from having good-sized syndication packages because of that strike. I'm afraid this is something that will have to be ruled out, because fans of those TV shows just don't want to see another strike become reality.

Source: Deadline. (https://deadline.com/2026/01/actors-strike-possible-2026-1236676773/)

SAG-AFTRA Chief Won’t “Rule Out A Strike” Heading Into Contract Talks With Studios & Streamers Next Month

There are still some broadcast TV shows that haven't recovered from the last SAG-AFTRA strike (aka "Strikemageddon") in the 2023-24 season, and most of them were prevented from having good-sized syndication packages because of that strike. I'm afraid this is something that will have to be ruled out, because fans of those TV shows just don't want to see another strike become reality.

Source: Deadline. (https://deadline.com/2026/01/actors-strike-possible-2026-1236676773/)

Bring. It. On.