Writers all over Hollywood are officially holding their pencils down as the Writers Guild of America (WGA) is officially on strike. With the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) not heeding the demands of the writers amid the ever-shifting era of streaming on television, the writers behind almost every show you watch on television stormed the picket line in protest.
Given the conundrum at hand, many people are wondering - how could the WGA Strike affect my favorite music shows on television?
According to various sources, some shows will be affected, and some won't be. But first, let's break down why the WGA is protesting in the first place.
WGA Strike Explained
Per accounts, television writers are being paid the same thing they were paid ten years ago. Right off the bat, that sounds worse, considering the economic shifts that the world has brought about now. With the Golden Age of Streaming upon us, writers who usually got residuals from special re-airs on television back then were being paid less today - because, as you know it, you can watch anything, everywhere on streaming sites today. (via Vanity Fair)
Despite the industry shifting, the writers, the brain, and the heart of every show fall behind as they support, fuel, and nourish the said shift.
The WGA is supposed to sign a contract with the AMPTP to renew the guild's commitment, but they are withholding from coming to an agreement to address the writer's demands - among which is to demand major streaming giants like Warner Bros., Netflix, and Disney, to pay them fairly.
With the writers picketing, many shows on television started shutting down.
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TV Shows Affected By The WGA Strike
Late Night Shows
Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Myers, Stephen Colbert, and The Daily Show have shut down production in support of the strike. Saturday Night Live has also postponed Pete Davidson's return to the show. Supposedly, Lil Uzi Vert and Foo Fighters are scheduled to perform on the show. With Late Night Shows coming to a halt, television promotions for music shows will be greatly impacted.
Reality Singing Competitions
According to Billboard, "The Masked Singer" won't be impacted by the strike as the remaining episodes were already pre-taped. Meanwhile, "The Voice" and "American Idol" will wrap up as scheduled as they both take on their grand finales.
Cable Series
Meanwhile, those primetime shows you have come to love might be the ones greatly affected. As writers stormed out, some shows who were currently developing their next season inside the "Writer's Room" will be affected. This means Country music fans who were very fond of "Yellowstone" might have to wait patiently for Season 5 to arrive, and alt-rock lovers of "Yellowjackets" might have to wait too since they were in between show development when the strike happened.
Talk Shows
According to The Hollywood Reporter, "The Kelly Clarkson Show," although they have WGA scribes, have pre-taped material sufficing their show. "The Drew Barrymore Show" has wrapped up its latest season.
To date, we still do not know when the strike ends, so pre-taped shows who had sufficient materials for the next few weeks might pull through, but the strike would definitely impair the television programming for the next season and would very much affect music promotion in television in general. The 2007 WGA Strike lasted 100 days; who knows how long this strike would last?
Check out the WGA's demands here to know more about it.
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