The 2023 Writers Guild of America strike upended Hollywood’s production plans, and with the SAG-AFTRA actors union now on strike with the WGA, American TV and film production is effectively at a standstill.
With the 2022-23 TV season coming to a close when the strike began, shows that were in-season weren’t affected. But as the final episodes of the seasons were set to air, renewed shows were set to convene their writers’ rooms for the upcoming seasons. The 2023-24 season is where we’ll really start to see the effects of the strike on TV.
Production was already well underway for certain titles when the strike began on May 2. For example, The Rings of Power Season 2 was nearly done with production when the strike prompted them to change some plans (see below). Other shows, like House of the Dragon Season 2, are also commencing with production, as the scripts for the season were already locked in and the predominantly U.K. cast are members of Equity, not SAG. This means they can and will continue to film Season 2 while SAG is on strike.
Up until the SAG strike, AMC shows were seemingly unaffected by the WGA work stoppage. But the actors strike brought titles like The Walking Dead spinoffs and Interview With the Vampire to a halt. As reported on August 31, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, and Interview With the Vampire, received special strike waivers allowing them to resume production.
Streaming services are less likely than broadcast and cable networks to be hit hard by the strike (the strike is mainly because streaming services aren’t obligated to pay writers and actors meaningful residuals). But still, streamers aren’t untouchable during this time. There are already a handful of streaming-only titles that are now in limbo until further notice.
Here, we’ve compiled the list of shows already affected by the 2023 writers strike. Keep an eye out for this list as we continue to update it as the strikes press on.
