Good news for fans hoping their favorite TV shows will come back soon it is being reported that a deal is close between the writers and the studios. This comes as it has been reported that the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) need to find common ground by October 1 if scripted shows have a chance to air during the 2023-24 broadcast season, according to Deadline.
Regular development is on hold while the writers and actors strike which leaves the fate of multiple TV shows and movie projects in limbo. If a deal isn’t reached, networks will have a lot of programming gaps to fill. The WGA strike has been going on for over 130 days, and the entertainment industry is already showing signs of strain. For the most part, American viewers support the actors and writers on strike, according to a Gallup poll.
According to CNBC, a deal is close, and both sides hope to finalize it today. Details are still thin, but both sides are reportedly optimistic that a deal will be reached today.
If this deal is reached, some shows could quickly return to productions like day and late-night talk shows. Others will take longer and may need to wait for the actors to reach a deal to end their strike.
The Writers Guild America and SAG-AFTRA are demanding concessions like increased pay and job security. The viewer migration to streaming services has impacted how writers get paid, and writers have argued the new model doesn’t fairly compensate them. Streamed shows have fewer episodes and longer breaks between seasons in comparison to broadcast TV series. This means smaller paychecks for writers. There are also far fewer residuals, or those checks paid out to writers and actors after the show airs. SAG-AFTRA is striking in solidarity with writers but has its own list of demands – higher pay along with more contributions to pension and healthcare funds as well as recalculated residuals members are paid through streaming service revenue. The union also wants changes for the self-taping audition process and, like writers, protection against the use of AI.
For now we will have to wait and see what deal the two sides have reached once it has been announced.
Shelby Brown contributed to this article.