Hollywood insiders have been talking for months about the possibility of film and TV writers going on strike — but now, it's looking more and more like the reality. Members of the Writers Guild of America voted to authorize a strike last week, which means writers could walk off the job anytime after their contract expires Oct. 31.
What does that mean for us viewers? Well, it doesn't mean we won't have any TV or movies to watch — in fact, studios have been speeding up the filming schedule on movies and stockpiling extra TV scripts just in case. But what we're watching could soon start to look very different. Here are some of the probable outcomes:
- Already, some poorly rated first-year TV series are sticking around longer than normal, simply because studios would rather stockpile episodes of a low-rated show than not have any series at all.
- Late night TV shows would look different almost immediately; here's a funny anecdote about how Letterman coped during the last strike, in 1988.
To hear what would happen to scripted shows, daytime TV, and movies, just read more
- Daytime TV would be affected next, because those shows run every day and don't do well in repeats; news or sports programming could be substituted instead.
- Once stockpiled episodes of scripted TV shows ran out, there would be an influx of game shows, reality shows and news programs — as well as programming from overseas (the BBC version of The Office, anyone?). Fun fact: The news program Hard Copy was a product of the 1988 strike, which also helped the rise of 48 Hours and Cops.
- Eventually, we'd get reruns. Lots and lots of reruns.
- Movies wouldn't be affected until 2009, but if the strike went on long enough, foreign films and documentaries could fill multiplexes — and some major releases could be delayed.
The writers and studios could still come to an agreement, but the clock is ticking. If you want to check out something really bleak, check out this story that has TV executives saying a strike would actually be good because it could give them a do-over for the lackluster start to the TV season. Yikes. Have you been following news about the potential strike? Are you worried about your shows going off the air? Or would you welcome the opportunity to (gasp!) turn the TV off and do something else?
Manoush
Burner
Miu Miu
As someone who dearly loves well-written scripts, this makes me nervous. I am going to be pretty upset if potentionally well written shows (is anyone else craving the next "West Wing" caliber thing?) will be off the air.
1I remember the last writers' strike. The airwaves were full of flashback shows.
2On the bright side, this might save Cave Men for a while. On the down side, everything else. This could be BAD.
3While it's certainly a cause for worry for those who love scripted television and good movies, the real people who are affected are the crews. Construction, transportation, hair and make up, costumes, etc., these people all make up the largest industry in California which is about to essentially shut down. So many people will be out of work and vying for the same positions on the reality shows. We're all trying to ignore it now, because crews are stretched thin across the many films that have sped into production, but if the strike continues into next year, it's going to be a major problem.
I'm on a show until February, but after that...? There's really no need for assistant coordinators on reality shows. I'm a little concerned. The best part is that these writers are striking for more residuals and percentages on top of their already astronomical wages. They're putting at stake the jobs of people who are making in a year a fraction of what they make on one script. That's fair, right?
4Wow, Phasekitty, as dumb as this sounds, I never considered that aspect of the situation. I was just like, waah, what will I do without my Ugly Betty... I feel pretty stupid now.
5This has got to be pretty scary for you and everyone else whose livelihoods are on the line right now. I really hope this gets resolved quickly so that you won't have to worry. I wish the best for you!
Good points Phasekitty. Strikes always affect people that we don't think of.
As far as programming, it may give some shows a chance, like the ones that they sometimes put on mid season, and suddenly they have a hit on their hands. We will have to wait foer future episodes though, lol.
6And I'd love to see the original version of the Office.
Phasekitty, thanks for your posting. Too often we forget what a huge impact work stoppages have on other workers who are not part of the group that is withholding services. Up until now, I've been focusing on what the impact will be on me as a viewer; thanks for helping me be a little less selfish. The TV executives take on the situation is disturbing.
7This would probably help me cure my tv watching.
8I just wish the 31st would ocme already so I can find out if I'm moving to the states or not... I've been planning it for a couple months, but if the strike happens, the work dries out, and there's no way. On the plus side, there are rumours that if the strike happens, the Canadian industry might get some work back, because with the dollar going up, pretty much everything here has dried up.
9*come
10phasekitty rightly points out the industry-wide effect this strike will have, but I wanted to add that a lot writers are not making astronomical wages. The average WGA member's annual income is about $68,000. Not a pittance, and much more than I'm making, but also not a great salary in LA, especially if you're raising a family on it. And it's an industry where your salary fluctuates wildly; in any given year, only about 1/2 of WGA membership earns any money writing.
I hope a strike can be averted or resolved quickly. I'm another person who's not in the WGA but would be affected by a strike. It would/will suck suck suck, but I also think that the writers demands are reasonable and fair. The positions of the producers and TV executives has been really astonishing.
Keeping my fingers crossed for all of us!
11yeah, this whole strike thing is pretty crazy. my friend who's studying to be a screenwriter says that things are pretty much already in the process of shutting down and a lot of people are already starting to be out of work. people probably won't notice immediately, since studios essentially have enough new material for shows to last til about january, but after that the effects of a strike will really start to show.
i personally think the demands of the WGA are reasonable -- no one ever thought selling tv shows on dvd would amount to much money, or that they'd ever be offering that kind of thing online for profit. why let the bigwigs in hollywood rake in all the profit when the success of their shows/movies ride on the shoulders of others talent? i think that it's unfortunate a strike like this will inevitably affect more than just directors and producers -- like phasekitty said, this will truly be an industry wide shut down, but in the hopes of creating a more fairly balanced industry, i don't see what else they can do.
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