Writers strike illustrates future concerns about the professional art world
Tuesday, May 2, marks the beginning of The Writers Guild of America’s (WGA) most recent strike against large entertainment corporations like Disney, Netflix, Amazon, Apple, and Paramount. With the previous union-corporation contract having expired on May 1, the two parties were unable to reach an agreement that would result in ensured-employment for writers across the country.
Many will likely remember the last major writers' strike in 2007 and 2008 in which 12,000 writers walked out on their jobs resulting not only in shorter television seasons, and longer production waits, but also a generally lower quality of entertainment. To name a few shows affected, almost all late-night shows were delayed or interrupted, hit shows like Breaking Bad, Criminal Minds, Gossip Girl, iCarly, and The Office had shortened seasons, and a total of thirteen shows were confirmed to have been canceled altogether. To balance the equation, networks upped the production of non-scripted shows like Big Brother, The Amazing Race, and The Price is Right which were inevitably lower quality but filled the void left by the artistically significant stories that were hindered.
So, what does that mean for 2023? It goes without saying that the entertainment industry has shifted significantly since 2008 with network television falling by the wayside in favor of streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+, and while this lack of reliance on the same schedule network TV provided would seem like a benefit to big corporations, streaming is at the heart of this strike. The WGA stated, “Driven in large part by the shift to streaming, writers are finding their work devalued in every part of the business. While company profits have remained high and spending on content has grown, writers are falling behind.” The guild went so far as to accuse the companies of using artificial intelligence (AI) as a replacement for human writers, though there is no confirmation as of yet to this claim.
Confirmation or not, AI does and will continue to pose a threat to artists looking to make money from their work. Even if this doesn’t necessarily mean that AI will be writing full scripts from beginning to end, the WGA argues that companies are using AI to set the groundwork for writers to “fix,” meaning that companies have no need to hire full-time writers and can instead freelance them which is the cause of this strike in the first place.
Though the strike has just begun, a number of shows will likely be affected. To name a few, audiences can expect either a drop in quality or delays for Stranger Things 5, HBO’s Harry Potter, The Walking Dead: Dead City, all Star Wars Disney+ shows, and the new season of Bridgerton.
With the 2008 strike lasting just over four months, it is difficult yet to say what the long-term effects of this newest one will be, but it is safe to say that the WGA is committed to finding fair working conditions for their writers, no matter the cost to big corporations.