More than 35 Hollywood productions have been affected since the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) went on strike last week. With writers’ rooms pausing, productions shutting down, and picketers disrupting filming, studios are feeling the heat from the strike.
Talk shows and variety shows shut down first due to the topical nature of their content, but a lot more scripted productions have announced production pauses or writers’ room closures in the last week since the strike began.
As a film and TV lover, you’re probably wondering what’s going on with your favorite show. We’ve got you covered, so bookmark this page and check back for more information as the strike continues.
Movies
Movies tend to finish the writing process and go into production at least a year before release. Right now, only a few movies are impacted because many productions concluded before the strike began.
We’ll keep this list updated with more affected film productions as the situation progresses.
Lionsgate
Good Fortune
The feature directorial debut from Aziz Ansari suspended production indefinitely due to WGA protestors. Picketers had interrupted filming twice already before Lionsgate made the decision to pause mid-filming. The movie was filming on location ins Los Angeles and stars Seth Rogen and Kenna Reeves.
Marvel Studios
Meanwhile, Marvel faces major headwinds from the WGA strike as well.
Blade has shut down pre-production on the new film that was just picking up steam with a new writer. The movie was due to start filming next month but the script was not ready.
The studio is moving ahead with two film productions globally:
- Deadpool 3 in London
- Captain America: New World Order in Atlanta
As of May 26, filming on the new Marvel movie Thunderbolts in Atlanta has officially paused. The movie joins Blade and the TV series Wonder Man as they await the end of the WGA strike. Thunderbolts is about a team of Marvel superheroes who aren’t the Avengers and includes Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), Sebastian Stan (Winter Soldier), David Harbour (Red Guardian), and Wyatt Russell (John Walker/Captain America/U.S. Agent).
Pro tip: There might be a delay in future Marvel Studios releases, but that just gives you more time to catch up! Head over to our MCU guide for tips on tackling the multi-installment franchise.
Indie productions
The indie film The Island, filming in Spain and directed by Paweł Pawlikowski, has shut down. It’s just one example of independent films being denied insurance due to the ongoing writers’ strike and ahead of the possible SAG-AFTRA strike. Other independent productions are expected to follow suit.
Scripted television and streaming
Scripted television shows are impacted by the WGA strike in two ways:
- Striking writers pause work in the writers’ room or on set
- Picketing writers force a shut down of production due to union members not crossing the picket line.
Even if a show’s script was finished before the strike, filming productions still need to have writers on set to help maintain continuity and make changes based on unforeseen circumstances and budget constraints. So if a show continues despite the strike, you’ll likely see its quality go down, even if it still airs on time.
But many of the shows that are shutting down writers’ rooms will see a long delay in production, which means your favorite shows may not return to air in time for fall premieres. Other shows have only shut down for a day during picketing. The state of scripted television is fluid and could change as the strike continues, but we’ll keep you up-to-date with the details.
Airing on ABC
Abbott Elementary
The writers’ room for ABC’s top comedy, Abbott Elementary, has closed. The show was due to start writing on May 2, the day the WGA strike began.
Airing on Amazon Prime Video
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
There are two weeks of filming left for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and the show is moving forward with production. The showrunners will be absent from set due to the strike, which may impact the creative vision and continuity.
On Call
The new series from producer Dick Wolf (Law & Order) shut down production due to picketing. The show follows a veteran female training officer and her rookie ride-along in Long Beach.
Blade Runner 2099
Filming for the new series is delayed up to a year because of the WGA strike. The series was set to film in Northern Ireland and the screen commission there said, “Northern Ireland Screen confirmed Blade Runner 2099 has been delayed. Northern Ireland Screen is extremely disappointed that Blade Runner 2099 is not going ahead at this time due to the ongoing writers’ strike.”
Airing on Apple TV+
Apple TV+ shows are primarily impacted by Writers Guild members picketing in Los Angeles and New York City.
Loot
Loot shut down after WGA pickets disrupted filming in Los Angeles.
Severance
Severance on Apple TV+ has officially paused production due to pickets with members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and Teamsters union refusing to cross picket lines in New York City.
Sinking Spring
In Philadelphia, Sinking Spring was shut down by picketers. The show is about lifelong friends who pose as DEA agents to rob a country house. It is set to film through July in Philadelphia.
Airing on CBS
FBI: Most Wanted
A spin-off of the FBI franchise from Dick Wolf was halted by picketers in New York. The show is finishing filming for the currently-airing fourth season.
Jeopardy
Co-host Mayim Bialik is stepping away from hosting during the strike. However, production is said to continue with fellow co-host Ken Jennings stepping in. The show is produced by Sony and syndicated through CBS. The writers have been seen picketing in LA.
Airing on Disney+
Agatha: Coven of Chaos
Production on the WandaVision spinoff Agatha: House of Harkness is underway and has not yet been impacted by the strike.
Andor
Andor’s scripts were completed prior to the strike and its production is continuing, however showrunner Tony Gilroy has ceased his production duties—both writing and non-writing. A bigger shutdown might still be underway.
Bunk’d
Bunk’d on Disney Channel paused production during the strike. Eight episodes remain to be filmed in the season.
Daredevil: Born Again
Disney+’s new Marvel show Daredevil: Born Again paused production for a day due to WGA picketing.
Wonder Man
The Wonder Man production in Los Angeles has shut down due to picketing.
Airing on Freeform
Good Trouble
Picketers halted production on Season 5 of Good Trouble, which was filming in Los Angeles. The show does plan to finish filming the current season.
While You Were Breeding
Kristin Newman, show runner for the upcoming Freeform show based on her memoir, made the decision to shut down post-production of the show during the WGA strike.
Airing on FOX
You Bet Your Life
The game show You Bet Your Life has halted production during the strike as host Jay Leno stands with the Writers Guild and has been spotted handing out donuts at picket lines. The show has been suspended until the strike is over.
Family Guy and American Dad
Seth MacFarlane and the showrunners for Family Guy and American Dad are stepping away for the duration of the WGA strike. Creator and voiceover actor for Family Guy and co-creator and VoiceOver actor for American Dad, MacFarlane’s departure is a big loss for two of FOX’s biggest animated shows. Showrunners Brian Boyle and Matt Weitzman (American Dad) and Rich Appel and Alec Sulkin (Family Guy) have also said they will no longer work on the shows while the WGA is on strike. Family Guy finished airing Season 21 on May 7 and American Dad has a production backlog that should keep episodes airing. However, the loss of showrunning and voiceover talent is a blow to FOX.
MacFarlane is a longtime supporter of the WGA and has been seen on picket lines.
Airing on FX
American Horror Story
Season 12 of American Horror Story on FX was disrupted by picketers. However, the show is still in production in New York City.
The Old Man
Filming on Season 2 of the Jeff Bridges drama has been suspended. Production has completed four episodes of the second season while five scripts for the season have been written. However, the last script reportedly needs rewrites, which are not possible during the WGA strike. There has also been picketing near the set, which caused previous production delays.
Airing on HBO Max (soon to be just ‘Max’)
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight
The writers’ room for the Game of Thrones prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight has shut down. George R. R. Martin addressed the shutdown for shows relating to Game of Thrones in a blog post on May 10.
Duster
The Max period drama from J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan has shut down production in New Mexico. Picket lines from WGA members were set up and IATSE and teamsters refused to cross. This is one of many production shutdowns resulting from writers guild picket lines. Abrams himself has been seen on the picket lines at Fox Studios in Los Angeles.
Hacks
Filming on the Emmy-award-winning comedy Hacks, about a comedy writer, has paused production for the duration of the strike.
House of the Dragon
All scripts have been turned in for HBO’s House of the Dragon, and production is scheduled to continue. Rewrites and reshoots will be done after the strike.
The Penguin
The new spinoff series starring Colin Farrell as the Penguin from the Batman universe has suspended production due to WGA picketers. The show was filming in New York when Teamsters and local guilds refused to cross the picket line.
Pretty Little Liars: Summer School
Another show filming in New York, Pretty Little Liars: Summer School shut down production due to WGA pickets. The show was originally known as Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin before its Season 2 renewal.
The Last of Us, Euphoria, and The White Lotus
In an interview with Deadline, Francesca Orsi, HBO’s Head of Drama Series, revealed writing for the new seasons of The Last of Us, Euphoria, and The White Lotus has stopped. Orsi noted that if the strike lasts six to nine months, more HBO projects will be significantly delayed.
Airing on NBC
Password
The game show Password on NBC has paused filming of Season 2 due to the writers’ strike. Host Jimmy Fallon is among the people not crossing the WGA picket lines. The show is one of a handful of unscripted productions impacted by the strike so far.
Night Court
The NBC sitcom Night Court is expected to pause production due to the strike, as it needs writers on set for punch-ups. However, there has been no official word from NBC.
Airing on Netflix
Big Mouth
Writers were working on the eighth (and final!) season of Big Mouth when the strike hit and the room shut down.
Cobra Kai
Cobra Kai has closed the writers’ room for Season 6. “Pencils down in the Cobra Kai writers room. No writers on set. These aren’t fun times, but it’s unfortunately necessary,” series co-creator Jon Hurwitz wrote on Twitter.
Stranger Things
Stranger Things has shut down. The Duffer Brothers shared the news by writing on Twitter, “Writing does not stop when filming begins. While we’re excited to start production with our amazing cast and crew, it is not possible during this strike.”
Unstable
Production on Netflix’s Unstable has also shut down. Show star Rob Lowe has been seen on the WGA picket lines.
The Upshaws
The series has filmed 10 out of 12 episodes for an upcoming season and has since paused production. The show is executive produced by Wanda Sykes, who said production is suspended during the strike. The completed episodes will still premiere on August 17.
Airing on Paramount+
Evil
Paramount+ series Evil wrapped production early, in part due to the efforts of picketers. It will have a shortened season.
Airing on SHOWTIME
The Chi
In Chicago, picketing writers shut down production of The Chi for the foreseeable future. The upcoming sixth season of the SHOWTIME series paused production on May 15 after two days of picketing and disrupted shooting in Chicago. Six episodes from the season have already been completed; there are four left to film. It is unknown when the series will resume production.
Billions
Cast and crew members on Showtime’s Billions refused to cross the picket line and shut down production for a couple of hours during the first week of the strike.
Yellowjackets
After one day of writing, the writers’ room for Season 3 of the Showtime drama Yellowjackets has paused.
Airing on STARZ
P-Valley
P-Valley has postponed production in Atlanta. The show has not begun filming but the writers room has closed for the strike. Creator and showrunner Katori Hall said, “We will not be filming until a fair deal is reached.”
Power Book II: Ghost
In New York City, the spinoff of Power Book was filming when WGA picketers temporarily shut down production of the show. Power Book II: Ghost is in filming its fourth season while its creator, Courtney Kemp, is out picketing with the guild in Los Angeles.
Power Book III: Raising Kanan
The writers’ room for Power Book III: Raising Kanan on STARZ has shut down for Season 3.
Unt. Ava DuVerany Drama
An upcoming series from writer-director Ava DuVernay has halted production for the rest of the WGA strike. The series has been filming in Wilmington but the half-hour show, starring Joshua Jackson and Lauren Ridloff, has since paused work.
The Venery of Samantha Bird
Starz’s The Venery of Samantha Bird paused production with two episodes to go due to the strike.
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Live shows and variety shows
The writers’ strike impacts live shows and variety shows more than any scripted content because of the quick turnaround and topical nature of the programs. Without writers, many of the shows have had to shut down or pivot to accommodate the strike.
Awards shows
Since most awards shows hire writers to script out portions of live events, this awards season might look a little different. Check out our 2023 awards show schedule for a full list of upcoming awards shows.
MTV Movie & TV Awards: Canceled
The MTV Movie Awards were scheduled to air live on Paramount+ on May 7. However, after host Drew Barrymore and several presenters backed out in solidarity with the writers’ strike, the live ceremony was canceled. Instead, MTV aired a pre-recorded clip show, which is still available to watch on Paramount+.
ACM Awards: Unaffected
The 2023 American Country Music (ACM) Awards aired on May 11 on Amazon Prime Video. According to Billboard, its writers completed its scripts before the strike began, and the show continued like normal.
Television Academy Honors: Canceled
The Television Academy Honors, originally scheduled for May 31, have now been canceled. The ceremony would not have been televised, but still decided to cancel in solidarity with the WGA.
Tony Awards: Continuing without writers
The 2023 Tony Awards will still air on June 11 on CBS and Paramount+, despite the WGA’s decision to not grant the show an exception from the strike. Lin-Manuel Miranda was supposed to write the opening number, but stopped writing at the start of the strike, so the CBS is continuing with an unscripted live show rather than negotiating with the writers. If the lack of opening number bums you out, you can always skip the broadcast and watch the (best) 2013 opening number instead.
Daytime Emmys: Postponed
The 2023 Daytime Emmys that were set to air on June 16 on CBS and Paramount+ have been postponed to an unknown date. The Creative Arts & Lifestyle ceremony scheduled for June 17 has also been postponed. We will update this page with the new date when we know more.
Daytime shows
Daytime talk shows don’t tend to be as scripted as other shows, or they film episodes in advance.
Talk shows still in production:
- The View* (ABC)
- Live with Kelly and Mark (ABC)
- Tamron Hall (ABC)
- The Kelly Clarkson Show (NBC)
*Sources recently told the Hollywood Reporter that The View has a few WGA writers whose work will not be done for the duration of the strike.
Other shows have stopped production entirely, although it’s not always clear whether this is due to the strike.
Talk shows no longer in production:
- The Talk (CBS)
- The Drew Barrymore Show (ABC)
It is not yet clear how the strike will impact soap operas, as they air daily but have a backlog of episodes already filmed.
Late-night shows
The majority of the late-night shows have ceased production in solidarity with the writer’s strike. A couple of stray shows are still in production, either because they do not employ union writers or because they do not employ writers at all.
Late-night shows still in production:
- Watch What Happens with Andy Cohen (Bravo)
- Gutfield! (Fox News)
Colbert and Meyers spoke about the pending writers strike on their shows before the strike started. Both are WGA members and announced their support for the strike.
Late-night shows no longer in production:
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)
- The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
- Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)
- Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)
- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
- The Daily Show (Comedy Central)
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live (SNL) has canceled its final three episodes of Season 48. Pete Davidson, Kieran Culkin, and Jennifer Coolidge were meant to host. We currently don’t know when the show will return for Season 49, but it will likely depend on when the studios, including NBC, agree to the WGA’s terms.
WGA strike FAQ
What is picketing?
Writers are targeting productions in Los Angeles, New York, Pennsylvania, and Chicago with pickets and shutting down production.
If at least two people are holding a line with picket lines, then it’s an official picket line and other unions can refuse to cross the line. That’s what’s been happening with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and Teamsters across the country, and the coordinated effort is shutting down productions.
These picket lines cost studios thousands of dollars and reinforce how integral unions are to the studios. The goal is to prove how important writers are to productions and bring studios back to the table for negotiations.
According to FilmLA, shooting days in LA have declined by 40% week-over-week since the strike began.
How long was the last writers’ strike?
The last WGA strike began on November 5, 2007, and lasted for 100 days until February 12, 2008. It is not the longest WGA strike—that honor goes to the 1988 strike, which lasted 153 days or just over five months.
How many strikes have the WGA had?
Since the union was established in 1954, there have been eight strikes, including this one. The first strikes focused on pay scales, script ownership, material submissions, and residual payments. Since then, strikes have focused on pay-TV residuals, foreign residual payments, and internet distribution for content. The union and the studios have resolved each strike in an average of 100 days each time.
What happens during a writers’ strike?
A writers’ strike means pencils down for all writers. Since the deadline passed and the contract expired on May 2, 2023, writers are not allowed to work on projects for studios, meet with studio executives about projects, or do any writing for studios. That’s why late night shows immediately shut down; writers aren’t allowed to work on them. Other shows may also shut down production without writers on hand to write episodes and contribute rewrites during production.
From there, it’s all about the picketing! Thousands of writers have shown up across the country and picketed for a fair contract. Members of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), Directors Guild of America (DGA), Teamsters, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), and other unions are joining the picket lines in solidarity as well.
Members of the writers guild negotiating committee have said they are ready to go back to the table and negotiate with the studios.
Alex began writing for student newspapers and has managed to turn that into a career. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he wrote about small businesses for Biz2Credit and Business.org. Before that, he spent time in communications for higher education institutions, created marketing materials for nonprofits, and worked for entertainment companies in Los Angeles. Today, he reports on emerging consumer trends and his work can be seen on The Penny Hoarder, Business.org, Reviews.org, Move.org, WhistleOut.com, SafeWise.com, HighSpeedInternet.com, and SatelliteInternet.com. When he's not writing, Alex watches too much TV, plays guitar, reads and writes fiction, and goes on nature walks.
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