Writer’s strike officially ends

148 days makes work stoppage the second longest on record

Late night shows to return next week

After 148 days, the 2023 WGA Strike officially came to an end at 2:01 a.m. Wednesday after 148 days – the second longest on record, just five days short of tying the mark set by the 1988 walkout taking place from March 7 to August 7. This means writers can write, pitch, and sell projects once again as the guild has lifted the order barring work for any struck (or now unstruck) company. A deal with producers and studios was reached Sunday night. 

The end of the strike also means talk shows will be able to start their programs up quickly. HBO is the first back with Real Time on Friday and Last Week Tonight on Sunday with NBC mentioning the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Myers returning the next night. as is CBS’ Late Show With Stephen Colbert and ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live. The following week, several daytime shows are expected to return including Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Clarkson, and CBS’ The Talk. 

Comedy Central announced The Daily Show is returning October 16 with guest hosts (Trevor Noah departed before the strike started.) 

Guild leaders approved the new contract Tuesday night as WGA members on social media overwhelmingly praised the deal – meaning the contract ratification should pass very easily. 

Here are some of the key points the guild and AMPTP agreed on:

– Most MBA minimums will increase by 5% on ratification of the contract, 4% on May 2, 2024 and 3.5% on May 2, 2025.

– Health and Pension contribution rate increases in the second year of the agreement to 12 percent.

– On artificial intelligence – writing, rewriting, or sourcing material isn’t allowed, and the guild can legally push back if they use it to train AI models. 

– Writers will now get better streaming residuals based on viewership and more transparency on streaming viewership numbers. Writers also get increased foreign streaming residuals. 

– Mini-rooms, a huge issue in the work stoppage, are now forbidden with a minimum established regarding room size with better job security  and two writers must on set at all times

– Writers must be kept on during production 

– Scriptwriters gets two-step deals

– Increased compensation for series employment, including weekly pay increases and increased script fees for writers

– For more information on these key points and to read the agreement in full (it is 94 pages long), click here. 

Keep in mind the SAG-AFTRA strike isn’t over, so getting guests would be a challenge though this won’t be a problem for the daytime talkers as they often feature everyday people.  The good news is SAG-AFTRA meetings are set to begin Monday, as all parties seem eager to end this strike. The soon the actors’ strike is over, the sooner the entire entertainment industry can get back up to speed. 

From what this person read, the deal reached by the guild and AMPTP costs less than what the studios lost from the duration of the strike. You wonder why the studios and producers could’ve made this deal much sooner instead of playing games in the media and making ludicrous statements in order to make a point no one understood.  It’s clear the AMPTP caved in to the writers, as without them and actors – there is no Hollywood as perhaps they should have realized this point $1 billion ago.