Late-night TV shows go dark as writers strike for better pay

Have you ever been watching your favorite show? Only for the writing to fall apart and the plot to unravel? Well, more TV letdowns may be on the table if the proposed Hollywood writers strike goes ahead. Writers from N C I S Marvel and stranger things could all be stepping away from their desks very soon. This is clarified. The Writers Guild of America is the union that represents the almost 10,000 writers who are behind our favorite film and TV shows since late March, the union has been bargaining with representatives of the biggest production companies in Hollywood to update their contract, which is set to expire on May 1st so far, the talks aren't going so well. On April 17th, the W G *** union authorized the strike. 98% of its members voted in favor of the strike if no satisfactory deal is offered by the May 1st deadline, thousands of Hollywood writers will step away from their keyboards. Why are writers considering striking all of us here are writers, the pictures originated with us. They're our ideas but they're owned by the studio. Why should it be able to take the money? Our money that's not too far off. According to W G *** members, Hollywood has prioritized revenue from streaming platforms over compensated writers fairly in the past decade. The median weekly pay for *** writer slash producer has decreased by 4%. And when you take inflation into account, that's *** 23% drop. According to the guild, half of all TV, writers are being paid the minimum allowed by the union contract feature film screenwriters pay also hasn't seen the increase since 2018. Writers are also being paid less to produce the same amount of content. The current contract honors *** time in which TV shows were around 22 episodes long and writers were paid per episode. Now, with streaming shows usually have 10 episodes and those episodes can be *** spectacle like in House of Dragon. This means writers have to stretch their paychecks to last longer before they can move on to other work. Residuals have also been *** large of strife for writers in the streaming age. Residuals are *** form of royalty payments. Writers receive as *** show or film continues to be used. Streaming platforms do not pay residuals based on success like broadcast networks do instead, the payment for writers is agreed regardless of the popularity of the show on their platforms. The writers of Hollywood are demanding change from studios for their next contract. The key demands can be broken down into three categories, compensation and residuals. The union is asking for appropriate payment, increased residuals and increased minimum compensation. The pension plan and health insurance, the W G *** is asking for increased contributions to the writers plans and then improved professional standards, fostering diversity and regulating the use of artificial intelligence. If these demands aren't met by the studios and *** contract can't be reached, the writers will start their strike. The last time this happened was 15 years ago, it had major implications across Hollywood and for viewers at home, the 2007 to 2008 strike lasted 100 days and cost the economy of Los Angeles an estimated $2.1 billion. About 1/4 of all prime time scripted programming was lost. It affected dozens of TV shows driving some into cancellation. Friday night lights lost, breaking *** heroes and gossip girl were just some of the hit shows that were affected. Many shows were forced to end their seasons early with as little as half the number of scheduled episodes. This resulted in some rush storylines, clumsy dialogue and nonsensical season finales. Late night comedy shows were also severely affected too, given their weekly scripting S N L completely shut down showing reruns and eventually it laid off half of its staff. Film was also affected. Though given its longer timeline, it took *** while for viewers to see the impact. Many issues came in the form of rewrites which usually happen on set, led by professional writers without union writers to touch up scripts. Some screenplays were left messy and disorganized in the James Bond movie quantum of solace. The screenplay was rushed out by Paul Haggis just before the strike deadline. Lead actor Daniel Craig was enlisted to help rewrites alongside the director in the absence of Haggis. The film is often ranked as one of the worst of Craig's tenure as 007. If the strike goes ahead, the first thing viewers can expect is the immediate stop of comedy variety shows like S N L, The Tonight Show. And last week tonight, it would also have *** knock on effect with TV. Shows that are set to premiere in the fall without *** writing team to start. Now, many premieres will be delayed. Studios are responding by stockpiling content and speeding up production on existing shows. They're also banking on reality TV, which doesn't require scripting. This indicates that they are preparing themselves for the strike however long that may be.

The first Hollywood strike in 15 years began Tuesday as the economic pressures of the streaming era prompted unionized TV and film writers to picket for better pay outside major studios, a work stoppage that already is leading most late-night shows to air reruns.“No contracts, no content!” sign-carrying members of the Writers Guild of America chanted outside the Manhattan building where NBCUniversal was touting its Peacock streaming service to advertisers.Related video above: 'Clarified,' Will there be another Hollywood writers strike?Some 11,500 film and television writers represented by the union put down their pens and laptops after failing to reach a new contract with the trade association that represents Hollywood studios and production companies.The union is seeking higher minimum pay, more writers per show and shorter exclusive contracts, among other demands — all conditions it says have been diminished in the content boom driven by streaming.“There’s too much work and not enough pay,” said demonstrator Sean Crespo, a 46-year-old writer whose credits include the former TBS show “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee.”The labor dispute could have a cascading effect on TV and film productions depending on how long the strike lasts, and it comes as streaming services are under growing pressure from Wall Street to show profits.Late-night television was the first to feel the fallout, just as it was during the 2007 writers strike that lasted for 100 days.All of the top late-night shows, which are staffed by writers that pen monologues and jokes for their hosts, immediately went dark. NBC’s “The Tonight Show,” Comedy Central’s “Daily Show,” ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live,” CBS’s “The Late Show” and NBC’s “Late Night” all made plans for reruns through the week.NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” which had been scheduled to air a new episode Saturday, will also go dark and air reruns instead.“Everyone including myself hope both sides reach a deal. But I also think that the writers’ demands are not unreasonable,” host Stephen Colbert said on Monday's “Late Show.”“This nation owes so much to unions," Colbert said. "Unions are the reason we have weekends, and by extension why we have TGI Fridays.”Playwright Tony Kushner (“The Fabelmans”) and “Dopesick” creator Danny Strong were among those demonstrating in New York on Tuesday.The strike's impact on scripted series and films will take longer to notice. If a strike persisted through the summer, fall TV schedules could be upended. In the meantime, those with finished scripts are permitted to continue shooting.During the 2007 strike, late-night hosts eventually returned to air and improvised their way through shows. “Tonight” show host Jay Leno angered WGA leadership when he began writing his own monologues.One late-night show won't go dark. Fox News' “Gutfeld!” with Greg Gutfeld will continue airing new episodes, Fox said Tuesday.The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents studios and productions companies, said it presented an offer with “generous increases in compensation for writers as well as improvements in streaming residuals.”The trade association said in a statement that it was prepared to improve its offer “but was unwilling to do so because of the magnitude of other proposals still on the table that the guild continues to insist upon."A shutdown has been widely forecast for months. The writers last month voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, with 98% of membership in support. Writers say their pay isn't keeping pace with inflation, TV writer rooms have shrunk too much and the old calculus for how residuals are paid out needs to be redrawn.Streaming has exploded the number of series and films that are annually made, meaning more jobs for writers. But writers say they’re making less than they used to while working under more strained conditions. The WGA said “the companies’ behavior has created a gig economy inside a union workforce.”The union is seeking more compensation for writers up front. That's because many of the payments writers have historically profited from on the back end — like syndication and international licensing — have been largely phased out by the onset of streaming.The studios' trade association said Monday that the primary sticking points to a deal revolved around so-called mini-rooms — the guild is seeking a minimum number of scribes per writer room — and the duration of employment contracts.The writers' union says more flexibility is needed for writers at a time when they’re contracted for series that tend to be shorter-lived than the once-standard 20-plus episode broadcast season. They are also seeking more regulation around the use of artificial intelligence, which writers say could give producers a shortcut to finishing a WGA writer's work.“Understand that our fight is the same fight that is coming to your professional sector next: it’s the devaluing of human effort, skill, and talent in favor of automation and profits," said the writer-director Justine Bateman.Many studios and production companies are slashing spending. The Walt Disney Co. is eliminating 7,000 jobs. Warner Bros. Discovery is cutting costs to lessen its debt. Netflix has pumped the brakes on spending growth.With a walkout long expected, writers have rushed to get scripts in and studios have sought to prepare their pipelines to keep churning out content for at least the short term. But the loss to local economies can be considerable. Los Angeles is estimated to have lost $2.1 billion in economic output during the last strike.“We’re assuming the worst from a business perspective,” David Zaslav, chief executive of Warner Bros. Discovery, said last month. “We’ve got ourselves ready. We’ve had a lot of content that’s been produced.”Overseas series could also fill some of the void. “We have a large base of upcoming shows and films from around the world,” Ted Sarandos, Netflix co-chief executive, said on the company’s earnings call in April.The WGA strike may only be the beginning. Contracts for both the Directors Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, the actors union, expire in June. Some of the same issues around the business model of streaming will factor into those bargaining sessions.The actors' union on Tuesday encouraged its members to join the writers’ picket lines in solidarity. Aron Ranen and David Bauder contributed to this report.

“No contracts, no content!” sign-carrying members of the Writers Guild of America chanted outside the Manhattan building where NBCUniversal was touting its Peacock streaming service to advertisers.

Related video above: 'Clarified,' Will there be another Hollywood writers strike?

Some 11,500 film and television writers represented by the union put down their pens and laptops after failing to reach a new contract with the trade association that represents Hollywood studios and production companies.

The union is seeking higher minimum pay, more writers per show and shorter exclusive contracts, among other demands — all conditions it says have been diminished in the content boom driven by streaming.

“There’s too much work and not enough pay,” said demonstrator Sean Crespo, a 46-year-old writer whose credits include the former TBS show “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee.”

The labor dispute could have a cascading effect on TV and film productions depending on how long the strike lasts, and it comes as streaming services are under growing pressure from Wall Street to show profits.

Late-night television was the first to feel the fallout, just as it was during the 2007 writers strike that lasted for 100 days.

All of the top late-night shows, which are staffed by writers that pen monologues and jokes for their hosts, immediately went dark. NBC’s “The Tonight Show,” Comedy Central’s “Daily Show,” ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live,” CBS’s “The Late Show” and NBC’s “Late Night” all made plans for reruns through the week.

NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” which had been scheduled to air a new episode Saturday, will also go dark and air reruns instead.

“Everyone including myself hope both sides reach a deal. But I also think that the writers’ demands are not unreasonable,” host Stephen Colbert said on Monday's “Late Show.”

“This nation owes so much to unions," Colbert said. "Unions are the reason we have weekends, and by extension why we have TGI Fridays.”

Playwright Tony Kushner (“The Fabelmans”) and “Dopesick” creator Danny Strong were among those demonstrating in New York on Tuesday.

The strike's impact on scripted series and films will take longer to notice. If a strike persisted through the summer, fall TV schedules could be upended. In the meantime, those with finished scripts are permitted to continue shooting.

During the 2007 strike, late-night hosts eventually returned to air and improvised their way through shows. “Tonight” show host Jay Leno angered WGA leadership when he began writing his own monologues.

One late-night show won't go dark. Fox News' “Gutfeld!” with Greg Gutfeld will continue airing new episodes, Fox said Tuesday.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents studios and productions companies, said it presented an offer with “generous increases in compensation for writers as well as improvements in streaming residuals.”

The trade association said in a statement that it was prepared to improve its offer “but was unwilling to do so because of the magnitude of other proposals still on the table that the guild continues to insist upon."

A shutdown has been widely forecast for months. The writers last month , with 98% of membership in support. Writers say their pay isn't keeping pace with inflation, TV writer rooms have shrunk too much and .

Streaming has exploded the number of series and films that are annually made, meaning more jobs for writers. But writers say they’re making less than they used to while working under more strained conditions. The WGA said “the companies’ behavior has created a gig economy inside a union workforce.”

The union is seeking more compensation for writers up front. That's because many of the payments writers have historically profited from on the back end — like syndication and international licensing — have been largely phased out by the onset of streaming.

The studios' trade association said Monday that the primary sticking points to a deal revolved around so-called mini-rooms — the guild is seeking a minimum number of scribes per writer room — and the duration of employment contracts.

The writers' union says more flexibility is needed for writers at a time when they’re contracted for series that tend to be shorter-lived than the once-standard 20-plus episode broadcast season. They are also seeking more regulation around the use of artificial intelligence, which writers say could give producers a shortcut to finishing a WGA writer's work.

“Understand that our fight is the same fight that is coming to your professional sector next: it’s the devaluing of human effort, skill, and talent in favor of automation and profits," said the writer-director Justine Bateman.

Many studios and production companies are slashing spending. The Walt Disney Co. is . Warner Bros. Discovery is cutting costs to lessen its debt. Netflix has pumped the brakes on spending growth.

With a walkout long expected, writers have rushed to get scripts in and studios have sought to prepare their pipelines to keep churning out content for at least the short term. But the loss to local economies can be considerable. Los Angeles is estimated to have lost $2.1 billion in economic output during the last strike.

“We’re assuming the worst from a business perspective,” David Zaslav, chief executive of Warner Bros. Discovery, said last month. “We’ve got ourselves ready. We’ve had a lot of content that’s been produced.”

Overseas series could also fill some of the void. “We have a large base of upcoming shows and films from around the world,” Ted Sarandos, Netflix co-chief executive, said on the company’s earnings call in April.

The WGA strike may only be the beginning. Contracts for both the Directors Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, the actors union, expire in June. Some of the same issues around the business model of streaming will factor into those bargaining sessions.

The actors' union on Tuesday encouraged its members to join the writers’ picket lines in solidarity.

Aron Ranen and David Bauder contributed to this report.

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