2023 WGA Strike Explained: What It Means for Your Favorite Shows

We’re pretty much all in agreement that the creative minds behind the best TV shows and movies should be well-compensated for entertaining us. And strikes always feel a bit like one of those movies that sees heroes take on the powerful overlords.

So, it’s fair to say that, as the threat of a WGA (Writer’s Guild of America) strike draws ever nearer, the union has public support. But viewers are also wondering how strike action will affect schedules and what it means for their favourite shows.

And the first to be hit by strike action would be late-night talk shows such as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel Live! These shows require writers to work on the day they go out, so a strike would result in an almost immediate shutdown for them.

It might also mean the end of the season for Saturday Night Live. There are three shows scheduled for May and, once again, the topical nature of the show requires writers to be working in the days and hours immediately leading up to it going on air.

Daytime soaps such as The Bold and the Beautiful and Days of Our Lives would run out of scripts within a matter of weeks so, while they might continue in the short term, the strikes are likely to have some impact on scheduling.

One popular show that would hope not to be affected is Law & Order. The final episodes of the police procedural have already been filmed and are good to go. Although protracted strike action could prevent the showrunners from getting to work on the next season.

In preparation for the anticipated strike action some shows, including NBC’s Quantum Leap have begun work on their new season early. Whether this proves successful, though, is up in the air. The Screen Actors Guild has come out in support of the writer’s strike, so there’s every chance members will refuse to record while strike action is ongoing.

In this instance, the shows may find they have a head start when a resolution is reached, but don’t quite manage to finesse the system in the way they have planned.

Streaming shows tend to have a longer lag than network TV programmes so the effect on Netflix, Paramount+ and Disney+ might not be felt until after any strike action is long since over.

And for movies the time lag is even greater. It’s likely that any form of strike action will hit release dates for 2024 and 2025 – particularly as the industry is still reeling from Covid.