The first Hollywood strike in 15 years began Tuesday as the economic pressures of the streaming masa prompted unionized TV plus film writers to picket for better pay outside major studios, a work stoppage that already is leading most late-night shows to air reruns.
“No contracts, no content!” sign-carrying members of the Writers Guild of America chanted outside the Manhattan building where NBCUniversal was touting its Peacock streaming layanan to advertisers.
Some 11,500 film plus television writers represented by the union put down their pens plus laptops after failing to reach a new contract with the trade association that represents Hollywood studios plus production companies.
The union is seeking higher minimum pay, more writers per show plus shorter exclusive contracts, among other demands – all conditions it says have been diminished in the content boom driven by streaming.
“There’s too much work plus not enough pay,” said demonstrator Sean Crespo, a 46-year-old writer whose credits include the former TBS show Full Frontal With Samantha Bee.
The labour dispute could have a cascading effect on TV plus film productions depending on how long the strike lasts, plus it comes as streaming services are under growing pressure from Wall Street to show profits.
Late-night television was the first to feel the fallout, just as it was during the 2007 writers strike that lasted for 100 days.
All of the top late-night shows, which are staffed by writers that pen monologues plus jokes for their hosts, immediately went dark. NBC’s The Tonight Show, Comedy Central’s Daily Show, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, CBS’s The Late Show plus NBC’s Late Night all made plans for reruns through the week.
NBC’s Saturday Night Live, which had been scheduled to air a new episode Saturday, will also go dark plus air reruns instead.
“Everyone including myself hope both sides reach a deal. But I also think that the writers’ demands are not unreasonable,” host Stephen Colbert said on Monday’s Late Show.
“This nation owes so much to unions,” Colbert said. “Unions are the reason we have weekends, plus by extension why we have TGI Fridays.”
Playwright Tony Kushner (The Fabelmans) plus Dopesick creator Danny Strong were among those demonstrating in New York on Tuesday.
The strike’s impact on scripted series plus films will take longer to notice. If a strike persisted through the summer, fall TV schedules could be upended. In the meantime, those with finished scripts are permitted to continue shooting.
During the 2007 strike, late-night hosts eventually returned to air plus improvised their way through shows. Tonight show host Jay Leno angered WGA leadership when he began writing his own monologues.