Although the writers’ and actors’ strike is over, things in Hollywood have not entirely returned to normal. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) strikes officially ended on Sept. 27 and Nov. 9 of last year (respectively), after months of protesting. Both SAG-AFTRA and the WGA were on strike while negotiating their salaries after their previous deal expired.
The WGA has asked for many changes in their working conditions, including a TV staffing minimum, which changes per show depending on the number of episodes, a set number of weeks of employment per season, increased wages, streaming residuals and regulation of artificial intelligence.
According to screenwriter Justin Shipley, in past years writers were asked to do more work for less pay, and the new conditions now allow them to recieve a more fair deal.
Numerous shows or movies have been postponed or even canceled due to the studios cutting costs. Not only does this affect writers, but also many others working behind the scenes.
Additionally, the delays and cancellations have had a negative impact on the businesses that rely on the Hollywood economy, according to Shipley.
“There was a lot of support from the other guilds; by effectively shutting down Hollywood, by refusing to create new content, we ended up shutting down productions, and that affected a huge number of people. Anywhere from directors to actors to huge crews, it takes hundreds of people to make a movie or a TV show,” Shipley said. “Writers are just a very small percentage of that and, I think for the most part, the crew members sort of had our backs and understood what we were doing, [so] I think there was a lot of solidarity against the studios.”
For people who are used to constant new films and shows, the dramatic decline in productions will have a huge impact, Shipley said.
“In the immediate future– think 2024– you’re just going to see a lot less content because the strike delayed a lot of things and killed a lot of projects, the shows that you love that are returning are going to take some time for them to come back. And there will be fewer movies and TV shows released this year,” Shipley said. “But that’s just the short term, I think in the long term, it’s just a much better ecosystem for writers.”
While major streaming platforms have many shows waiting to be released, there will be a pause in television due to delays from the strike. Popular shows will finish their seasons, as they have completed writing and filming, but shows that would return or premiere in September cannot start work on new seasons or series.
Sophomore Subheksha Khanal said she was disappointed to see her favorite shows get pushed back or even canceled, but she is in full support of the strike because writers’ rights are more important than always having a new show to watch. One production she said she was particularly looking forward to was “Stranger Things.”
“Even though I’m disappointed that “Stanger Things” got delayed by so much, it was for a good cause,” Khanal said.
Filming for the fifth season of “Stranger Things” was supposed to begin in May of 2023. However, the strike started in the first week of May, causing a temporary cancellation. Now, filming for season five has officially begun, but it will not premiere until 2025.
While television shows have had an almost immediate impact due to delays, movies will also be affected. Some prominent and highly anticipated films that have been delayed include “Knives Out 3,” “Avengers 5,” and “How to Train Your Dragon.”
