The Writer’s Guild of America, the primary union for writers working at major studios across America, authorized strike action on May 2. The first WGA writer’s strike since 2008, writers working at numerous studios walked out after studio management failed to meet their demands for a better contract before the present contract expired. Studios affected range from Netflix to Warner Bros. to Disney to the East Coast TV behemoths like NBC.
The WGA writers had asked for studio concessions on a variety of issues. These include the base pay of writers, the way that residual checks work (especially in regard to streaming services), and the regulation of AI use in media production. The studio executives were unwilling to meet the union’s demands on almost every issue, necessitating a work stoppage and strike.
“SNL” Among The Shows Affected By WGA Strike
The response to the WGA strike has differed from studio to studio, and network to network. For example, HBO will not cease production of House Of The Dragon Season 2, as all scripts have been completed. Meanwhile, many late-night talk shows will suspend their current runs in the wake of the strike action. Hosts such as Jon Oliver and Seth Myers have actively voiced their support for the strike. It’s almost like writers deserve basic and fair compensation for making millions of dollars for entertainment juggernauts.
Another causality of the strike is Saturday Night Live. After a brief break last weekend, SNL was supposed to return to air on May 6. This would have been the highly-anticipated hosting debut of former castmate Pete Davidson. Not only were fans looking forward to Davidson’s return, but the episode had also gotten press coverage about its content, or lack of, regarding Kim Kardashian. However, with strike action authorized and the show’s writers on the picket line, SNL has been suspended indefinitely. The timeslot will be filled by SNL re-runs instead. Davidson famously left social media several years ago, so it is unclear what his stance on the strikes is. Furthermore, it is unknown if Davidson will get a chance to host when the strike eventually resolves.
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