SNL, Tony Awards, & More Could Be Cancelled Due to Strike

It’s officially day two of the Writers Guild of America Strike, and the entertainment world is already feeling the effects.

On May 1, the Writers Guild of America failed to reach an agreement with production companies regarding a new contract, particularly streaming companies like Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Disney, and more. Writers feel exploited by companies who have repeatedly treated their writers as independent contractors rather than full-time employees, putting their job security, health insurance, payment, and more at risk.

The strike went into effect on May 2, and picketing began outside the offices of major studios like Disney and Netflix. The last time the Writers Guild of America went on strike was in November of 2007, and it lasted 100 days. The impact on the industry was bleak, causing an estimated $2 billion net loss in the Los Angeles economy and $342 million in lost wages for Hollywood crew members. Many live shows, including late-night television, either aired reruns or awkwardly tried to continue without writers. A memorable moment from Conan O’Brien during the first strike went viral this week.

This is true. Here’s Conan spinning his wedding ring during the 2007 writers’ strike just to fill airtime. It was like this for months.

NBC was lucky that Conan is the GOAT, but it’s impossible to explain to Gen Z how bad the content will get if there’s another one. https://t.co/tNkduyiNac pic.twitter.com/5Eo1WqQG0l

— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) May 2, 2023

So how will shows be impacted by the strike this year? Things are very different in 2023 than they were in 2007, but we can expect to see just as drastic effects. The late-night shows have already announced an indefinite hiatus, as they’ll run reruns in place of new episodes. Saturday Night Live will do the same, having canceled the hosting debut of Pete Davidson. SNL’s season finale was expected to air on May 20, so the entire remainder of the season could be canceled if a deal isn’t reached soon.

The third season of the hit ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary could also be shortened by the strike, as the show writes as it airs. “I’m a member of WGA and support WGA, and them getting — we, us — getting what we need,” the show’s creator and star Quinta Brunson said on the Met Gala red carpet Monday night. “No one wants a strike, but I hope that we’re able to rectify this.”

Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon will continue production, though, as the scripts were written before filming began. However, this eliminates the possibility of any script rewrites, which could hinder production if they become necessary. There’s also a spotlight on the Tony Awards, which are slated to be held on June 11, as the nominations dropped yesterday morning. But if the WGA is still on strike, producers could be forced to modify or cancel the show.

“In case you didn’t know this, writers write all the jokes at the Tony Awards, and all the monologues, and all the opening numbers,” said Jonathan Lewis aka Sweaty Oracle — a well-known theater TikToker. During the 2007-2008 WGA strike, awards ceremonies including the Golden Globes were impacted. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association attempted to work with WGA to get a waiver for the ceremony to go on, but writers threatened to picket, and celebrities threatened to skip the event. The traditional awards ceremony ended up being canceled.

This is all dependent on if a deal is reached between the companies and the WGA, so we can only wait and see what will happen next!