What the Hollywood Actors and Writers Strikes Mean for TV and Movies

For more than two months, viewers have been without new episodes of late-night shows like “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” because of the writers strike.

With the actors now voting to strike too, viewers are likely to notice the effects of the dual walkouts more broadly within the next couple of months.

Unless there is an immediate resolution to the labor disputes, the fall television lineup is almost certain to be affected. Instead of new episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy” or “Abbott Elementary,” the ABC fall lineup in September will be populated by a combination of reality series, game shows and reruns. That means lots of episodes of “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune,” “Dancing With the Stars” and “Judge Steve Harvey.”

Likewise, the Fox broadcast network announced its fall lineup on Wednesday, and it is packed with unscripted series like “Celebrity Name That Tune,” “The Masked Singer,” “Kitchen Nightmares” and “Snake Oil,” a new game show hosted by David Spade.

Though many productions have shut down since the writers went on strike on May 2, some filming continued for films and TV series that had completed scripts. One prominent talent agent who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly said that the writers’ strike had effectively shut down 80 percent of the scripted industry — and the actors’ strike will ground it entirely.

For premium cable networks and streaming services, the longer the disputes drag on, the bigger the effect there will be next year. Casey Bloys, the chairman of HBO, told Variety on Wednesday that “at least through the end of 2023, we’re OK. And then into 2024, it starts to get dicier.”

If the strikes drag into the fall, blockbuster films scheduled to be released next summer, like “Deadpool 3,” could also be delayed.

John Koblin covers the television industry. He is the co-author of “It’s Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO.” More about John Koblin

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