What’s going on with the 2023 Writers Strike? If you were to wander through the studio lots of Hollywood anytime in the past few months, you wouldn’t hear the clickety-clack of keyboards or murmurs of discussion coming from sealed boardrooms. Instead, you’d hear chants of protest from the studio gates.
That’s right, the people behind some of the best TV series and best movies swapped the writers’ room for the picket line when they went on Strike in May 2023. In September 2023, after five long months, the strike came to an end. Now, you may be wondering why you should care about the strikes, but the honest answer is that these walkouts will have enormous ramifications for TV and film.
It doesn’t matter if you watch every Marvel movie on opening night or enjoy the most prestigious drama series; this will affect you. So to help you out, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide to explain the 2023 Writers Strike, including why the strike began, what the writers wanted, and all the TV series and movies that were affected.
Why did the writers strike?
The Writers Guild of America went on strike because its members believed that recent shifts in the entertainment industry posed an existential threat to “the survival of writing as a profession.”
Furthermore, when the WGA declared the strike, it asserted the belief that certain companies are out to “create a gig economy inside a union workforce.”
WGA members also claimed they are finding it harder and harder to make a living and that their work isn’t valued. There are also concerns surrounding the use of AI to write scripts and the potential ramifications that may have on the industry.
“Driven in large part by the shift to streaming, writers are finding their work devalued in every part of the business,” the WGA said in a statement. “While company profits have remained high and spending on content has grown, writers are falling behind. The companies have used the transition to streaming to cut writer pay and separate writing from production, worsening working conditions for series writers at all levels.”
What did the writers want?
The writers wanted better pay and a more secure future. They argued that several entertainment companies have seen explosions in profits over the last few years but that they haven’t been fairly compensated for their work.
The WGA also seeks to establish a policy around the use of AI in script writing.
When did the 2023 Writers Strike begin?
The 2023 Writers Strike began on May 2 after negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
What TV series are affected by the 2023 Writers Strike?
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- 911 season 7
- Abbott Elementary season 3
- A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms
- American Dad! season 20
- American Horror stories season 3
- American Horror Story season 12
- A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight
- Andor season 2 – continuing filming without active writers on set
- Big Mouth season 8
- Billions season 7
- Blade Runner 2099
- Bunk’d
- Cobra Kai season 6
- The Conners season 6
- Daredevil season 4
- Days of Our Lives – will continue to air pre-recorded episodes for now
- Euphoria season 3
- Evil season 4
- Emily in Paris season 4
- Étoile season 1
- Family Guy season 22
- FBI: Most Wanted season 5
- General Hospital – will continue to air pre-recorded episodes for now
- Good Omens season 2 – Neil Gaiman will not be promoting the show
- Good Trouble season 5
- Grey’s Anatomy season 20
- House of the Dragon season 2 – scripts complete and filming moving forward but no rewrites
- Hacks season 3
- High Potential season 1
- Late Night With Seth Meyers
- Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
- Loot season 2
- Night Court season 2
- Not Dead Yet season 2
- The Penguin
- Password season 2
- Power Book II: Ghost season 4
- Power Book III: Raising Kanan season 3
- Pretty Little Liars: Summer School season 2
- P-Valley season 3
- Jimmy Kimmel Live
- The Chi season 6
- The Last of Us season 2
- The Daily Show
- The Good Doctor season 7
- The Old Man season 2
- The Handmaid’s Tale season 6
- The Mandalorian season 4
- The Really Loud House season 2
- The Rings of Power season 2 – production moving forward without showrunners
- The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
- The Rookie season 7
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
- The White Lotus season 3
- The Upshaws season 3
- Stranger Things season 5
- Saturday Night Live
- Sinking Spring season 1
- Severance season 2
- Station 19 season 7
- The Venery of Samantha Bird
- Yellowjackets season 3
- Uncoupled season 2
- Unstable season 2
- While You Were Breeding season 1
- Will Trent season 2
- Wonder Man
- Zero Day
What movies were affected by the 2023 Writers Strike?
The Writers Strike has negatively impacted movies that are deep in production, as it’s widespread on movie sets for rewrites to be happening as the movie’s being filmed.
Here’s a list of movies affected by the 2023 Writers Strike:
- Blade
- Thunderbolts
- Good Fortune
- Spider-Man 4
- Unstoppable
Marvel Studios claimed that the strikes will not affect its upcoming movie release dates, but the studio is still having to make adjustments to its normal process to keep production running smoothly.
With the writers on the picket line, that meant there was no one left to punch up dialogue besides the actors, directors, and producers. During the last Writers Strike, this led to odd things happening, like director Marc Forster having to rewrite the Quantum of Solace script, and we all know how that turned out.
It’s possible then that the strike will impact several ongoing productions, but we can’t speculate at this time as to which movies may see a drop in quality as the writers swap their pens for placards.
As with TV, the writers’ strike will likely continue to have an impact on movie release dates into next year and potentially beyond. We’ll be keeping this list updated regularly as we get more news.
When did the 2023 Writers Strike end?
The Writers Strike officially ended at 12:01am PT on September 27, 2023, after an agreement was reached and WGA members were told they could return to work.
“We have reached a tentative agreement on a new 2023 MBA, which is to say an agreement in principle on all deal points, subject to drafting final contract language,” the WGA said in an email to members. “We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional — with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership.”
The agreement came after a nearly five month long strike and various negotiations. It sounds like this marks a major win for the WGA, and will hopefully secure the future of existing and upcoming writers across the industry with new, fair working conditions and compensation.
With the impact the 2023 Writers Strike is going to have on the industry, you’ll likely need to start finding some classic shows and films to watch until everything is fully back to normal. Don’t worry. We’ve got a list of the best action movies and the best horror series to see you through.
We’ve also got a guide to all the new movies that we definitely know are coming out this year, as well as more thorough articles breaking down the Killers of the Flower Moon release date, The Marvels, and the Wonka release date.
