Hollywood writers for TV and movies have been on strike since last week to demand higher pay, among other pressing concerns, which continues until now.
As thousands of writers demonstrated outside, production firms had to halt the development of shows like Netflix's 'Stranger Things' and HBO's 'Game of Thrones' spinoff.
Hollywood Writers Strike Halts Shows
Writers walk the picket line on the second day of the television and movie writers' strike outside of Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, California on May 3, 2023.
The Hollywood writers' strike kicked off after the six-week-long talks between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers failed to come to terms, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Since then, roughly 11,000 demonstrated in New York City and Los Angeles streets to voice their concerns, including proper wages and protection against artificial technology (AI).
The people behind our favorite shows and movies are also clamoring for improved transparency of viewership among streaming services like Netflix to standardized royalty payments.
And as such, the strike has forced some production and broadcast firms to shut down the development of some of its programs. Some affected companies include giant streamers like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO.
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Which Shows Are Affected by the Writers' Strike
Writer Eric Heisserer hold his sign on the picket line on the fourth day of the strike by the Writers Guild of America in front of Netflix in Hollywood, California on May 5, 2023.
Besides the impacted companies, the writers strike heavily affected the production of various existing and upcoming shows. Some of the first shows that have gone off-air are many late-night shows, including the 'Tonight Show,' which Jimmy Fallon hosts, and 'Late Night with Seth Meyers,' both on NBC.
CBS' 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' and HBO's 'Last Week Tonight With John Oliver' are now running on reruns amid the strike. The hit Netflix shows Stranger Things also halted production, confirmed by the Duffer brothers, Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer.
Reuters reports that the 'Game of Thrones' prequel 'House of Dragon' has suspended its development too, as well as Hulu's Emmy-winning drama 'The Handmaid's Tale.' Prime Video's 'Lord of the Rings' prequel, 'The Rings of Power,' continues production albeit in the absence of its executive producers, The Washington Post reports. Apple TV+ was not spared from the strike as the production of 'Loot' is now on pause too.
Not to mention that Marvel Studios has shut down the preproduction of its upcoming Blade series. Showtime's 'Yellowjackets' and HBO Max's 'Hacks' are on hold too. Despite the production hiccups, NBC News reports that Oliver Mayer, an emeritus member of the WGA, believes the strike has yet to bring a striking difference in existing programming.
Mayer, a University of Southern California professor of dramatic writing, says, "[it is] a matter of weeks, not months from now," before viewers notice the change. By then, the WGA emeritus member emphasized we would see plenty of show reruns with lesser new content.
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