On Tuesday, May 2, 2023, thousands of Hollywood writers represented by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike. The strike was sparked by disputes between writers and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The writers demanded fair wages with the recent increase in inflation, the mandatory staffing of writing rooms, and protections against AI, which has been considered for use in the writing rooms by some companies.
On Wednesday, September 27, 2023, the AMPTP finally came to an agreement with the WGA. The strike, however, lasted for 148 days, making it longer than the previous writers’ strike of 2007 which only lasted for 100 days. In the time that it took for the strike to end, many shows were delayed or even canceled. Nevertheless, with the writers back to their jobs, many shows are back on track to be released soon. Here are some shows that are back to being written now that the strike is over:
Stranger Things
Arguably Netflix’s biggest show, the writing of Stranger Things’ fifth and final season was fast-tracked immediately after the writers’ strike ended. The urgency to produce Stranger Things’ final season is not because of its popularity. The actors on the show, many of whom started in season one as 11 or 12-year-olds, are now in their late teens or early twenties. In the real world, almost a decade has passed between season one and the to-be season five. In the fictional world of Stranger Things, only about four years have passed, assuming there is no large time jump in season five. It is becoming difficult for the twenty-year-old actors to pass as fifteen-year-old high school students. It is in Stranger Things’ production team’s best interest to get the show written as soon as possible so the actors are as young as possible when they film. Hopefully, because of the ticking age clock, Stranger Things’ newest season is on the near horizon and may come out as early as 2025.
Wednesday
Wednesday is another extremely popular Netflix show; it even broke Stranger Things season four’s record as the most-watched Netflix TV premiere ever. Wednesday is in the process of writing its second season but does not need to be written as urgently as Stranger Things considering there are fewer time-based restraints affecting the project that the writers strike exacerbated. As both shows are coming from the same streaming service, Stranger Things will probably receive more immediate attention and resources than Wednesday; however, the writing of Wednesday’s second season seems to be moving along well anyway.
The Last of Us
Unlike Stranger Things and Wednesday, The Last of Us belongs to HBO, not Netflix. Its first season, based on the videogame of the same name, was a huge success. However, its second season was stalled by the writers’ strike. Much of the planning for the second season was done based on story beats from The Last of Us videogame in the absence of a script for the duration of the writers’ strike. Despite this delay in production, the writing for season two of The Last of Us started immediately after the writers’ strike ended. The second season can be expected to have a 2025 release date.
Abbott Elementary
Abbott Elementary is owned by ABC under Warner Bros. and currently has the highest ratings on the network. Abbott Elementary has won multiple Emmy Awards including Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 2022. Because Abbott Elementary is a sitcom and can be produced without much of the CGI, editing, and special effects needed in shows such as Stranger Things, Wednesday, and The Last of Us, it is likely that it will come out quickly. Although the writers’ strike did delay the writing of its third season, new episodes of Abbott Elementary will probably air in 2024.
