12.01am PT on Tuesday morning, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) called on its 11,500 members to go on strike. By Tuesday afternoon, many were on picket lines outside major studios in New York and Los Angeles, and the impact of a work stoppage over compensation, streaming-based residuals, minimum staffing guidelines and other concerns cascaded through Hollywood – though, given the timing, the proliferation of streaming, and the ability of studios to bank episodes ahead of time, it’s unclear how many people will notice.
Workers and supporters of the Writers Guild of America protest at a picket line outside Paramount Studios after union negotiators called a strike for film and television writers in Los Angeles.
‘Pens down!’: Hollywood writers strike as late-night comedy shows go dark
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At the frontline of impact were late-night variety shows, which rely on writers to craft topical jokes based on up-to-the-minute headlines. On Tuesday, CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers all halted production and will air reruns during a strike that could potentially last several weeks. (The last writers strike 15 years ago stretched for 100 days, from November 2007 until February 2008.) HBO paused production on the weekly shows Real Time with Bill Maher and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, in the middle of a guest-host run by longtime contributor Dulcé Sloan as part of a rotating audition to replace Trevor Noah, also switched to reruns. And NBC’s Saturday Night Live, which had three episodes left in its 48th season, announced a production shutdown on Tuesday afternoon, beginning with former cast member Pete Davidson’s hosting debut this Saturday.
It’s not unfamiliar terrain for many of the late-night brethren, who have developed a friendlier camaraderie compared to the more cutthroat ratings wars of the 90s and 2000s, particularly after the mutual upheaval and uncharted terrain of the pandemic. (Several filmed a farewell segment for the Late Late Show’s James Corden, who conveniently ended his eight-year run last week.) In recent weeks, late-night hosts and top producers have been on group calls developing a coordinated response in anticipation of a strike, which several hosts have experienced before.