Will the 2023 WGA Strike Affect Young Sheldon Season 7?
The largest industry protests are endangering the hit CBS sitcom.
As the Writers Guild of America has been on strike since May 2, 2023, the production of many series has come to a halt, and that stoppage seems to be the largest one since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The protesters are demanding equal payments for broadcast TV and streaming platform writers, as the latter are not protected by the existing Minimum Basic Agreement. A limit for artificial intelligence use in the industry is also on the agenda.
Naturally, there are concerns that the shows that are currently in production or airing may be left unfinished without their writers.
Young Sheldon is among the most popular projects on television right now. Since 2017, it has been on the air for six consecutive years in spite of the global pandemic that seemed to make the entire world stop. While the sixth season is coming to an end, Season 7 has been confirmed for renewal. But what are the chances it won't be affected by the ongoing WGA strike?
Given Young Sheldon's immense popularity, it is highly unlikely that the show will be canceled by CBS. Firstly, CBS is a network channel, and its writers are protected by the MBA. Secondly, the hit show's writers must be getting very nice salaries for their work. Besides, willing to keep this cash cow of a show going for another season, CBS will definitely agree to top the payments of the Young Sheldon's writing crew.
However, there is still a risk that the number of episodes in the sitcom's next season may decrease. For instance, Covid-19-restricted Season 4 saw only 18 out of 22 episodes — the usual episode count of one Young Sheldon season. So we may expect the next season to contain fewer episodes than the current one.
Fortunately, there's now plenty of time to resolve the conflict within the industry before Young Sheldon's seventh season is due to air. The show is split between fall and spring and is continuously shot (and written) throughout the year.
As for now, Season 6 is currently airing on CBS, with the next episode released on May 11, 2023.