mid- season 2021 TV season/ spring 2021 TV season/ summer 2021 TV season show reviews

This is from my May 2023 blog post:

TV and movie comparisons/ Angel season 3 ep 1 "Heartthrob" question

 This is my Jul. 2022 blog post:

Should I continue into TV production? (Part 4)/ Why do you want to be a TV writer?

I want to ENTERTAIN people as a TV writer.

Now I want to EDUCATE and INFORM people as a blogger.

Tracy's blog: Should I continue into TV production? (Part 4)/ Why do you want to be a TV writer? (badcb.blogspot.com)

Sept. 4, 2022 My life purpose: It seems like I'm not going to be able to become a TV writer and producer. 

My life purpose is to entertain and make people happy, educate, and inform people as a writer/ blogger.

When you read these "TV and movie comparisons" about creative writing and screenwriting, I hope you are entertained by this and learn about writing.

When you read my TV show reviews, I hope you learn about creative writing and screenwriting.

Apr. 21, 2024 Mid- season 2021 TV show reviews:

The Equalizer: I watched the 1st season of the show (10 eps). 

"An enigmatic figure uses her extensive skills to help those with nowhere else to turn."

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11242246/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3_tt_8_nm_0_q_the%2520eqal

Pros:

1. There is a good opening with this Black teen girl Jill who sees a man get shot, and hides in a diner she works at.  There's some action and suspense.

2. The cast:

Queen Latifah- as Robyn McCall who was in CIA and helps people with her own agency.

Tory Kittles- as Det. Marcus Dante who works with Robyn here and there.

Adam Goldberg- as Harry who is in tech.  He was on God Friended Me.

Liza Lapira- as Melody/ Mel Bayani who is the sharp shooter.

Lorraine Toussaint- as Viola, Robyn's aunt.

Laya DeLeon Hayes- as Delilah, Robyn's teen daughter.

3. The writing: This was average.

The best episode was probably this where a college student works for a politician, and the politician is sexually harassing and assaulting women.

"The Room Where It Happens": 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14213726/?ref_=ttep_ep6

4. The action is good with some fight scenes.

5. Ethnic diversity.

Cons:

1. Queen Latifah in this action role.  I don't mean to be mean, but she's not very fit or athletic.

I also prefer to watch her in comedy role.  She did a lot of comedy movies like Last Holiday and Scary Movie 3.  

My opinion: I watched the first season during the summer time because there wasn't a lot of scripted dramas to watch.

This is average.

Clarice: I watched the 1st season of the show (13 eps.)

"A look at the personal story of FBI agent Clarice Starling, as she returns to the field about a year after the events of The Silence of the Lambs (1991)."

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2177268/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_1_nm_7_q_clarice

Pros:

1. There is a good opening as Clarice is in therapy.

Clarice: Buffalo Bill took 7 women.  I saved one.  It's been a year since.

Clarice's boss Ruth Martin to Clarice: You saved my daughter Katherine.

2. The cast:

Rebecca Breeds- as Clarice Starling.  She's good in this.

Jayne Atkinson- as Clarice's boss Ruth Martin at the FBI.  She was also the boss on the FBI show Criminal Minds.  Type cast.

Lucca De Oliveira- as Thomas Esquivel.

3. There is good writing.  They also deal with serious issues:

Episode 6 "How Does It Feel To Be So Beautiful?": Clarice, Ruth, and Ruth's daughter Catherine have dinner.  Catherine is still traumatized after being held captive by Buffalo Bill.

Episode 7 "Ugly Truth": We learn about Murray Clarke's (Nick Sandow).  He was 16 yrs old and his 13 yr old sister went missing.   A cop said he thought he saw her in one of those porn movies.  Clarke looks at porn magazines to look for sister which is the only lead.

The episode 9 "Silence is Purgatory": Buffalo Bill's news stories about killing due to transsexual desires.  This transwoman tells Clarice that stories about her and killer paints a negative picture of transgenders.

Ardelia (Devyn A. Tyler) is Black and has to face discrimination in the FBI. 

4. There is good action.

5. Ethnic diversity and LGBTQ.

Cons: none.

My opinion: The show was average.

Spring 2021 TV season:

Law and Order: Organized Crime: I have watched every episode.

"Elliot Stabler returns to the NYPD to battle organized crime after a devastating personal loss."

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12677870/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_6_tt_8_nm_0_q_law%2520ando

I watched the Law and Order: Special Victims Unit crossover episode "Return of the Prodigal Son" first.

Stabler was on SVU for 12 seasons and then he left to Rome and worked in law enforcement.

Pros:

1. The cast: 

Christopher Meloni- as Det. Elliot Stabler.

Danielle Mone Truitt- as Sergeant Ayanna Bell.  She's gay and has a wife and has a son.

Ainsley Seiger- as Det. Jet Slootmakers.  She is the tech expert. 

Rick Gonzalez- as Det. Bobby Reyes.  He was on Arrow.

Brent Antonello- as Det. Jamie Whalen.

Dylan McDermott- was the main villain Richard Wheatley in the first 2 seasons.

Tamera Taylor- as Angela Wheatley, ex- wife to Richard.  She was a good guy and then a bad guy.  She played both.

2. The writing is great.  They usually have 3- 5 episode story arcs about one big case.

3. The action is good with the fight scenes, car chases, and shootouts.

4. Ethnic diversity and LGBTQ.

Cons: none.

My opinion: This is one of the best shows that came out in 2021.

Debris: I missed the first half of this show.  I was checking to see any news about TV shows being cancelled or renewed and then I found this.  This was only on NBC and not on any Canadian network shows.   I saw the episodes 6-13.

"Two agents from two different continents and two different mindsets, must work together to investigate when wreckage from a destroyed alien spacecraft has mysterious effects on humankind."

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11640020/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_7_nm_1_q_debris

Pros:

1. The cast:

Jonathan Tucker -as CIA agent Bryan Benevitti.  I'm a fan of his.  I am mainly watching this show for him.

Rianne Steele- as MI6 agent Finola Jones.

2. The writing is good.  Finola is looking for her dad who is supposedly dead.  They do find him.

The debris has interesting effects.  There is mystery.

In episode 6 "Supernova", there are these seniors who die.  Then it turns out they're making people young.

Kurt was a senior and then he became young.

Kurt: I've been helping people who deserve a chance at a second life.  People who've been left all alone.  The more people it makes young, the farther away we can be.

Bryan: We saw dead bodies, it doesn't work.

Kurt: I will leave, and your friends will die.  That's on you.

Kurt and his wife Katherine will die together.

2 young men will grow old again.

3. The action is good.

4. Ethnic diversity.

Cons: none.

Comparisons:

The X- Files: 2 agents like a man and a woman who investigate about aliens and ET.

Also both shows filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia.

My opinion: This is average.  I like this show.

If this hot actor Jonathan Tucker wasn't in this, would you watch this?

Yeah, but I wouldn't like this as much.

Rebel: I watched the pilot:

"Follows a legal advocate with a blue collar background, who helps those in need without a law degree."

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11237708/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_10_tt_7_nm_1_q_rebel

Pros:

1. There is a good opening as Annie Flynn Ray Bello or "Rebel" goes to this big party.  She gets on the stage and tells everybody: "These heart valves are making people sicker."

The protestors and reporters come.  She gets arrested.

Katey Sagal- as Rebel.  She's from Married.... with Children.

Tamala Jones- as Lana.  She's from Castle.

James Lesure- as Benji Ray.  He's from Las Vegas.  He got on The Rookie: Feds.

Kevin Zegers- as Dr. Nathaniel Flynn.  He got on The Rookie: Feds.

2. The writing is average.  Rebel and her friends are about helping people who can't really solve their problems.

3. Ethnic diversity.

Cons: none.

My opinion: The pilot was average and then I never watched it again.

This is from my Mar. 2021 blog post:

"#MeToo movement becomes #WeToo in in victim-blaming Japan"/ "Outrage as women in Japan told not wear glasses in the workplace"

Aug. 17, 2020 Saying: I found this on Facebook:

"You never look good when you are trying to make someone else look bad."- Unknown

Cham: Sometimes people need to be exposed for who they are hahah or maybe I should stop being petty

Tracy Au: There's a difference between trying to make someone look bad, and exposing them for who they are. It's like those #MeToo accusers and victims, they are plainly telling everybody about the perpetrators. They're not trying to make them look bad.

https://badcb.blogspot.com/2020/08/job-articles-wetoo-gender-gap-done.html

Summer 2021 TV season:

Fantasy Island: I watched the whole show of 2 seasons.

"People who walk in with a desire, but end up reborn to themselves through the magical realism of Fantasy Island."

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13784584/ref_=nv_sr_srsg_5_tt_8_nm_0_q_fantasy%2520island

Pros: 

1. Roselyn Sanchez- as Elena Roarke.  She was on Grand Hotel.

2. Kiara Barnes- as Ruby.  She is an old woman in her 80s.  She comes on the pilot and is is reverted to her 20s.  

Spolier alert on the pilot: Later she stays on the island and will live and work with Elena.

John Gabriel Rodriquez- as Javi, the pilot and Elena's love interest.

Daniel Lugo- as Segundo.  He is the groundskeeper of the hotel.

Alexa Mansour- as Helene.  She comes on season 2.

3. Ethnic diversity and LGBTQ.

4. The show was shot in Puerto Rico with blue water and white sand.  The place was beautiful.

5. The writing is average.  Each episode has different guests that come in with a different fantasy and experience.

This show is fun.

This show can be deep.

The guest's lives are transformed like

they can overcome obstacles, 

learn something about themselves, 

and decide to live their lives in a different way.

I do like these episodes:

Season 2 Ep 4 "Mystery in Miami":

"Three best friends set out to track down the missing fourth member of their squad...in 1980s Miami. Roarke confides in Segundo about letting people in. Ruby's cabin fever is an itch that needs to be scratched."

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19818440/?ref_=ttep_ep4

Season 2 Ep 1 "Tara and Jessica's High School Reunion/ Cat Lady":

"Longtime best friends, Tara and Jessica, want to rule their 30th high school reunion; Andi wants to know if her cat BoBo loves her as much as she loves him; Roarke juggles a secret romance; Ruby and Gina spend more time together."

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15846844/?ref_=ttep_ep1

My review:

Tara and Jessica's High School Reunion: Tara and Jessica have been best friends with each other since high school.  They have their own interior design company together.

They aren't married or have kids.

They seem to be supporting each other, but holding each other back.  They were spending too much time together.  They both needed to branch out on their own.

Cat Lady: Andi brings her cat BoBo and then he is turned into a human.  He tells her she hasn't dated since 2016.  Her life revolves around her cat.  She needs to go out and socialize more.

Why is this triggering for me?

Tara and Jessica: This reminds me a bit of me and my friend who I accidentally offended back in Feb. 2013.

From 2010- 2012, I was trying to become a TV writer and producer and get an office career.  I had the hobbies of watching TV, reading the news (mainly business news), and writing about it on my blog.  I attend job interviews.

I was relying too much on her for my social and emotional needs.

Cat Lady: I was more like filling my life with my hobbies, and I should be socializing more.

These 2 storylines of Tara and Jessica, and Cat Lady was me before 2015: The Year of the Office Job and Dating (and Decluttering).  

In 2015, I started attending all these speed dating events and Meetups.

Cons: none.

My opinion: This show was average.

This is my Jan. 2023 blog post.  This is where I prove myself and show my work in the professional way:

Tracy's blog: The Evolution (Part 1)/ Prove Yourself and Show Your Work (Part 1)

https://badcb.blogspot.com/2023/01/tracys-blog-evolution-part-1-prove.html

I am writing a email/ blog post which is like Part 2 and where I prove myself and show my work in the personal way.  This is my inner work:

I accidentally offended my friend because I made a light joke about one of her interests.  I apologized to her a few times.  

Here are 2 blog posts where I prove that I try to be funny and end up annoying my big sister on purpose:

This is from Aug. 2013: 

joke flops/ funny and annoying/ funny wedding video

https://badcb.blogspot.com/2013/08/joke-flops-funny-and-annoying-funny.html

This is from Aug. 2022:

funny and annoying (part 2)/ school and job advice/ Forest App/ The Freecycle Network

https://badcb.blogspot.com/2022/08/funny-and-annoying-part-2-school-and.html

I wrote about my Coles Notes version of my dating:

"How an affair can break- or remake- a marriage"/ "Woman Thanks Restaurant Critic for Exposing Husband's Affair"/ relationships during the pandemic

https://badcb.blogspot.com/2019/11/marriage-affair-done.html

These are the other 2 blog posts:

"Striking screenwriters will resume negotiations with studios on Friday"/ "Hollywood screenwriters reach deal to end five-month strike"

https://badcb.blogspot.com/2024/09/striking-screenwriters-will-resume.html

"WGA Takes On AI & Lays Out Position As AMPTP Talks Continue"/ "WGA Strike Explained: The Issues, The Stakes, Movies & TV Shows Affected — And How Long It Might Last"

https://badcb.blogspot.com/2024/09/wga-takes-on-ai-lays-out-position-as.html

My week:

Aug. 30, 2024 "Biohacker, 35, says he lives ‘like a vampire’ to look like a teenager forever": Today I found this article by Emma Guinness on Yahoo:

A 35-year-old biohacker who “looks like a teenager” has admitted that one of his secrets to staying young is “living like a vampire”.

Brandon Miles May, who has found internet fame on TikTok, told The Independent that he avoids the sun as much as possible because it is the leading cause of skin damage.

As well as wearing a hat and sunglasses on the rare occasions he does go outside, he also uses what he describes as a “sunbrella” to protect his skin.

https://ca.yahoo.com/style/biohacker-35-says-lives-vampire-130201429.html

My opinion: I wear sunscreen and sit in the shade in my backyard.

I can relate to Brandon because I look young for my age.  This year I met 3 people and one said I "looked fresh out of high school" and 2 people said I looked 20.  I'm in my late 30s. 

Tues. Sept. 3, 2024 "Japanese man has slept only 30 minutes a day for 12 years to boost work efficiency; we ask expert if this is feasible": Today I found this article by Lifestyle Desk in the Indian Express.  This was trending on Google:

Imagine sleeping just 30 minutes a day for over a decade and still functioning at a high level. This is the remarkable claim of Daisuke Hori, a 40-year-old entrepreneur from Hyogo, Japan, who has maintained such an extreme sleep schedule for the past 12 years. 

According to Hori, this minimal sleep routine is not only a personal challenge but a way to “double” his life, as reported by South China Morning Post. 

Despite the consensus that adults need 6-8 hours of sleep for optimal health, Hori asserts that his unique approach has significantly boosted his work efficiency and overall focus.

The man’s routine includes unconventional methods. He told the outlet, “As long as you do sports or drink coffee an hour before eating, you can stave off drowsiness.”

Hori’s claims have intrigued many, leading to a reality show by Japan’s Yomiuri TV that followed him closely for three days to observe his lifestyle. The show mentioned an instance where he slept for just 26 minutes, woke up filled with energy, had breakfast, went to work, and even hit the gym.

As he continues to teach others about short sleeping through his Japan Short Sleepers Training Association, his practices challenge traditional sleep science and invite questions about the feasibility of this practice.

https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/health/japanese-man-sleeps-for-30-minutes-a-day-sleep-deprivation-productivity-9547877/

Sun. Sept. 1, 2024 Stress Management Support Group in Edmonton: I got this in my email.  This is free and on Zoom, so it's easy to attend.

Cornerstone’s Navigating Your Way Through Stress support group is a uniquely-tailored workshop series designed to support skill-building to help you more effectively manage stress and regain a sense of self-empowerment. 

This group focuses on building awareness regarding how stress manifests in our bodies and ways to better cope in managing 

emotional distress, 

boundaries, 

self-compassion, 

and mindfulness. 

Participants will gain support, have many opportunities to 

practise a variety of stress management coping skills,

and will have the opportunity to recognize 

and change behavioural responses 

to achieve personal goals.

This group is for all genders, aged 18+.

Group 1 Details (Individuals, aged 18+)

Dates

October 3, 2024

October 10, 2024

October 17, 2024

October 24, 2024

*We ask that participants attend each workshop date to complete the content. 

Time

The first session will be from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

All remaining sessions will be from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Cost: Free

Location: This group will be held virtually through Zoom. You will receive a link before the first session.

https://cornerstonecounselling.com/workshops/navigating-stress-support-group/

Sept. 5, 2024 Protect the CPP for Albertans and all Canadians: I got this letter from Heather Mcpherson, NDP in the mail.  She said to email this and write 2 sentences. I did because I want the CPP:

chrystia.freeland@fin.gc.ca

Please act now to protect the CPP for Albertans and all Canadians.

Please re-table and pass Bill C-387 as a government bill before it's too late.

Sept. 6, 2024 Conversation Cafe: I went to this Meetup.  I haven't been to one in over a month. I was there for 30 min.  

I was late, because my bus had changed their bus schedule on Sept. 1.  I was waiting for 40 min. and listening to my iPod.  It was sunny outside. 

I then called the bus phone number on the bus stop (to go home), and the bus was going be there in 40 min. 

Bonnie Doon mall: I went shopping to bide my time to go home.

I recycled this headphones that didn't work.

NOA Gallery and Gift shop: There was a gallery and they opened a gift shop.  They sell paintings, jewelry, and cards.

Artesenal:  They expanded and have 2 locations.  They also sell paintings, jewelry, and cards.

"WGA Takes On AI & Lays Out Position As AMPTP Talks Continue"/ "WGA Strike Explained: The Issues, The Stakes, Movies & TV Shows Affected — And How Long It Might Last"

Mar. 22, 2023 "WGA Takes On AI & Lays Out Position As AMPTP Talks Continue": Today I found this article by Peter White on Deadline:

The Writers Guild of America is taking on the robots.

The guild on Wednesday clarified its position on the use of artificial intelligence in the writing process as it’s in the third day of contract negotiations with the AMPTP.

The WGA highlighted AI, which has been on the rise as a result of services such as ChatGPT, in its Pattern of Demands, saying it plans to “Regulate use of material produced using artificial intelligence or similar technologies.”

The union has now gone further following reports that it would allow writers to use AI to write scripts.

“The WGA’s proposal to regulate use of material produced using artificial intelligence or similar technologies ensures the Companies can’t use AI to undermine writers’ working standards, including compensation, residuals, separated rights and credits,” it noted.

The guild added that AI can’t be used as source material to “create MBA-covered writing or rewrite MBA-covered work, and AI-generated text cannot be considered in determining writing credits.”

It highlighted similarities between studios asking writers to refer to a Wikipedia page or other research material, but stated that such work has “no role in guild-covered work, nor in the chain of title in the intellectual property.”

Finally, it added that “plagiarism is a feature of the AI process” with a result that services can’t distinguish between copyright-protected and public domain content.

There’s no indication the studios are pushing hard for the use of AI themselves, but it’s certainly become one of the more interesting conversations during talks between the writers and the studios, which kicked off Monday.

As Marc Guggenheim, co-creator of Arrow, said, on the From the Trenches Substack, that the talks are about protecting writers against such a technology in the future.

“As a guild, we writers have a terrible history of trying to fix the barn door after the horse is five farms away. 

And while AI may not be a threat to writers today or even tomorrow, we should take contractual steps – more on that in a moment – to protect future writers for the day when AI is good enough to truly come for their jobs,” he wrote.

https://deadline.com/2023/03/wga-takes-on-ai-clarifies-position-as-amptp-talks-continue-1235307450/#comments

May 1, 2023 "WGA Strike Explained: The Issues, The Stakes, Movies & TV Shows Affected — And How Long It Might Last": Today I found this article by Tom Tapp on Deadline:

Hollywood has been a union town for close to 100 years. In that time, there have been a little over a dozen major labor strikes, the last being the 2007-08 Writers Guild of America work stoppage, which lasted 14 weeks and had a profound impact on the industry.

The current looming strike by the WGA could start as soon as midnight PT Tuesday, when the current WGA contract with the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers expires.

Below is a primer covering the issues, the parties involved and what’s at stake for the entire industry during a work stoppage.

In Brief

Deadline: 11:59 p.m., May 1

At Issue: Compensation for writers in a changing media landscape

Jobs At Stake: 822,000 direct employees; 2.4M total supported in 2021

Industry Wages: $81B direct; $186B total supported

The Market: $261B in sales

WGA Membership: ~20,000

AMPTP Membership: 350-plus TV and film production companies

The Two Sides

On one side are the 

Hollywood studios, 

networks, 

streamers 

and hundreds of other motion picture and TV producers which make and/or distribute most content. 

They are represented in the talks by the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

On the other is the Writer’s Guild of America, which represents writers in Hollywood who are members, which most working scribes are. 

Supporting the WGA are many of the other powerful guilds and unions, including the Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG-AFTRA), the Director’s Guild of America (DGA)

What’s at Issue?

“The survival of writing as a profession is at stake in this negotiation,” the WGA said at the outset, noting that many members who previously made a good living are finding it much harder to do so these days.

“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 WGA said in a statement. 

“The companies have used the transition to streaming to cut writer pay and separate writing from production, worsening working conditions for series writers at all levels. “

There is also the potentially-transformative impact of AI, and how it could be used to generate scripts.

The AMPTP, for its part, is taking a conservative financial approach representing the interests of its members with an eye to their bottom lines and stock prices. 

AMPTP President Carol Lombardini is widely seen as a tough but fair negotiator. She wants the best for her side, and that’s 

a deal that sees production continue to flow and flourish 

and helps studios and streamers keep their costs under control.

What’s at Stake?

Hollywood is just emerging from the impacts of Covid and the related production slowdowns. More recently, studios, networks, streamers and producers have laid off thousands of workers. 

For an industry that a year ago was collectively questioning its own future, a strike-related work stoppage after layoffs and Covid-related shutdowns could prove a staggering three-punch combination.

What Do Writers Want?

Specifically, with the current strike, the WGA seeks gains in compensation and residuals, and curbs on mini-rooms, where groups of writers work in advance of the production of a television series to break stories and write scripts. 

The guild has argued that the producers are well able to compensate writers more fairly.

“The entertainment segments of the industry’s major companies — 

Netflix, 

Paramount Global, 

Warner Bros. 

Discovery, 

Fox, 

Disney, 

and Comcast NBCUniversal — 

posted an average $29 billion in annual operating income between 2017 and 2021,” 

it said in a recent report. “Legacy media companies’ profits in 2022 were lower, but the companies expect improvement in the near term as they build towards increased profitability in streaming.”

The guild also wants to establish some sort of policy on AI and authorship, especially if a writer’s ideas are used as the basis for AI-generated work.

“The WGA’s proposal to regulate use of material produced using artificial intelligence or similar technologies ensures the Companies can’t use AI to undermine 

writers’ working standards,

 including compensation, 

residuals, 

separated rights 

and credits,” 

it noted.

For a detailed list of the WGA’s specific goals see its Pattern of Demands, listed here.

What Do Studios, Networks & Streamers Want?

Quite simply, they want to make sure that they can keep making a profit.

One line of argument from producers says that streaming is still an emerging business and studios and networks don’t exactly know what profit margins will look like (or even how they will be achieved). 

But Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos recently estimated his company’s expected content spend for 2024 at $17 billion and reported Q1 free cash flow that zoomed to $2.1 billion compared with $800 million in the year-ago quarter. That’s a pretty healthy “emerging” business.

Officially, the AMPTP has been more vague about its goals, beyond the desire to see production continue. One recent statement from the group read,

 “We are all partners in charting the future of our business together and fully committed to reaching a mutually beneficial deal with each of our bargaining partners. 

The goal is to keep production active so that all of us can continue working and continue to deliver to consumers the best entertainment product available in the world.” 

What TV Shows Would Be Affected?

Late-night shows likely would be first hit, given their nightly schedules and topical nature. During the 2007-08 strike, all the late-night talkers began airing reruns on Day 1.

Net to be impacted would be Daytime TV — especially soap operas, which generally have an ongoing production schedule.

Saturday Night Live also would be affected with respect to its last three shows of the season if a strike goes ahead. This would impact the Pete Davidson-hosted show on May 6 as well as the season finale, where traditionally cast members who are leaving get to say their big goodbye.

At some point, even hit episodic shows could be impacted. Per a recent WGA report, “a work stoppage in May could delay the network television season, 

which continues to account for one third of all episodes produced, including 45% of the episodes produced by legacy media companies Disney, Paramount Global, and Comcast NBCUniversal. 

Writers on fall network series typically begin work in May and June in preparation for series premieres in September and October. 

Writing for numerous streaming series is also ongoing or is anticipated to begin in the coming months. 

Any delay in the start of work has the potential to postpone fall season premieres and could ultimately reduce the amount of new programming produced for the 2023-2024 network season.”

When that blow fell in the 2007-2008 strike, networks leaned into a then relatively-nascent genre of programming: unscripted. What resulted was an explosion of reality TV and new formats, many of which are still with us today.

Impact On Movies

In a worst-case scenario, the theatrical release calendar would see several date changes for pics, some as soon as Q4 this year. While the 2024 theatrical release calendar remains roughly intact in its first six months with completed movies coming down the pipeline, beyond that gets squishy; It’s in this scenario that studios might need to pull from Q4 2023 into 2024.

A delay in production could potentially cause another post-production logjam, which was one of the knock-on effects of postponements during the pandemic. 

That left the late August-October 2022 box office and winter this year a dry bed for product. In fact, we’re still waiting on movies delayed by the pandemic to hit theaters. 

Warner Bros/DC’s The Flash, which got its first screening at CinemaCon on Tuesday night, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, set for December 20, were two such titles.

Studio and distribution marketing chiefs remain in wait-and-see mode regarding blockbusters, but smaller movies that are publicity-dependent are prime to pivot should SAG-AFTRA strike.

One upcoming feature production that is safeguarding itself from a lengthy WGA strike is James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy, which is planning an early 2024 start for a July 11, 2025 theatrical release. Gunn showed off a cover of the screenplay on social media and announced the start of pre-production earlier this week, with “costumes, production design, and more now up and running.”

How Long Could It Last?

The longest WGA strike on record was 1988, lasting 153 days, 

followed by the 1960 strike at 146 days, 

and then the 2007-08 strike at 100 days. 

There seems to be more support for a strike this time around.

Back in 2017 – the last time a strike authorization was taken – it was approved by 96.3% of the 6,310 writers who cast ballots, with a record 67.5% turnout of eligible WGA members. 

In 2007, the authorization vote was approved by 90% of voters. 

The strike authorization this time around was approved by nearly 98% of the eligible voting members.

It’s Not Just The WGA

A number of unions have contracts with the AMPTP expiring in the next few weeks. Generally, the guild that negotiates first sets the tone for the subsequent negotiations. The DGA has gone first at the bargaining table in each of the past three bargaining cycles. The last time the WGA went first — back in 2007 — resulted in a 100-day writers strike.

The powerful DGA begins negotiations for its 19,000 members on May 10. Its contract expires June 30.

SAG-AFTRA begins negotiations with the AMPTP on June 7. Its contract with the AMPTP expires on June 30. Should SAG-AFTRA strike, it would prevent actors from doing publicity on their feature or TV projects, which would have very powerful knock-on effects.

In addition, unions and guilds have come out publicly in support of the WGA, including SAG-AFTRA, the Directors Guild, IATSE, Hollywood’s Teamsters Local 399 and the American Federation of Musicians and the UK Writer’s Guild.

“These multibillion-dollar corporations – including Amazon, Netflix, Disney, and Apple – invest in highly paid executives and lavish productions,” Teamsters Local 399 brass said in a statement. 

“They can afford to share the wealth with the writers who create the content we all watch. We are monitoring negotiations closely. This is a shared fight and Teamsters do not cross picket lines.”

SAG-AFTRA was more circumspect, sending the following notice to its members: “If you are contracted to work on a project that continues production while the WGA is on strike, you are legally obligated to continue working by your personal services agreement and the ‘no strike’ clause in our collective bargaining agreements.” Actors can also “continue to audition for work” if they choose to.  

The actors’ union also advised its members that “if you as an individual decide not to report to work as required, you may be subject to breach of contract claims or be subject to termination by the Producer.”

IATSE and the Teamsters also have “no strike” clauses in their contracts, but their leaders have told members that their contacts afford the “the legal right” to honor the WGA’s picket lines, if it comes to that.

Economic Impact

Concern about looming labor unrest and uncertainty surrounding pending corporate restructuring have contributed to a 35.8% plunge in on-location TV production in Los Angeles in the first quarter of 2023 compared with the same period last year.

According to the Motion Picture Association — whose members include Netflix, Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal, Disney and Warner Bros. 

— 2.4 million people work in jobs supported by the industry,

which pays over $186 billion in wages annually. 

And it’s not just in L.A.

The entertainment industry pays out $21 billion per year to more than 260,000 businesses in cities and small towns across the country, per the MPA. 

It accounts for $14.4 billion in exports and $7 billion in trade surplus for the U.S.

What Happened Last Time?

The big win for the Writers Guild was some jurisdiction over new media, which was precedent-setting. Streamers would have to hire WGA writers on shows over certain budgets.

Other than that, writers received a new percentage payment on the distributor’s gross for digital distribution. But it came at a cost.

The AMPTP estimated that WGA writers and IATSE union members lost $342.8 million in wages in the 2007-2008 work stoppage. 

The New York Times reported that the overall hit to the Los Angeles economy was $2.1 billion, including an $830 million bite out of statewide retail sales as entertainment workers trimmed spending.

The “Big Four” networks — CBS, ABC, NBC, and FOX — suffered, too. NBC had the most severe ad shortfall with its prime time ratings declining sharply. None of its new shows achieved breakout success. 

Moreover, during 2007, 

NBC saw its prime time 18-to-49-year-old viewership drop by 11%. 

CBS dropped the same demographic by 10%, 

and ABC lost 5%, 

according to Crain’s New York Business.

A white paper released by Nielsen Media Research indicated that TV viewers spent more time with alternative forms of entertainment outside of broadcast television, a trend that may accelerate this time around given the massively-increased prevalence of social media, chat and short-video consumption since then.

One SNL source told Deadline that during the 2007-08 strike there was a real question whether the venerable NBC show would ever come back. “It was especially heartbreaking because the show was in really great place then. But at the same time, it was absolutely right. There’s no way to do SNL during a writers strike.”

https://deadline.com/feature/hollywood-writers-strike-wga-explained-1235341146/

More: The WGA Takes On AI, Laying Out Its Position

"Striking screenwriters will resume negotiations with studios on Friday"/ "Hollywood screenwriters reach deal to end five-month strike"

Aug. 10, 2023 "Striking screenwriters will resume negotiations with studios on Friday": Today I found this article on BNN Bloomberg:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The guild that represents striking film and television screenwriters says negotiations with major studios and streaming services will resume Friday.

The Writers Guild of America sent a message to its members Thursday saying they expect the studios will respond to their proposals. The two sides met last week to discuss possibly restarting negotiations, but no negotiation dates were immediately set.

“Our committee returns to the bargaining table ready to make a fair deal, knowing the unified WGA membership stands behind us and buoyed by the ongoing support of our union allies,” The Writers Guild told its members.

The screenwriters have now been on strike for 101 days, surpassing a 2007-2008 work stoppage that ground many Hollywood productions to a halt. 

This time the writers have been joined on picket lines by Hollywood actors, who are also striking to seek better compensation and protections on the use of artificial intelligence in the industry. 

It is the first time since 1960 that the two unions have been on strike at the same time.

Both guilds are seeking to address issues brought about by the dominance of streaming services, 

which have changed all aspects of production from how projects are written to when they're released.

For the writers, the services' use of small staffs, known as “mini rooms," for shorter time periods has made a living income hard to achieve, the guild has said. 

It cites the number of writers working at minimum scale — which has jumped from about a third to about a half in the past decade — as proof.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which negotiates on behalf of the studios and streaming services, has said the writers’ demands would require that they be kept on staff and paid when there is no work for them.

The strike has delayed numerous film and television productions, forced late-night talk shows into reruns and delayed the Emmy Awards, which will now air in January.

There is no indication yet that actors and the studios will return to the negotiating table anytime soon.

Their union, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, said Thursday it was ready to represent reality show performers in response to “Real Housewives of New York” star Bethenny Frankel's push for performers to receive residuals and have better working conditions on sets.

The union urged reality performers to reach out “so that we may work together toward the protection of the reality performers ending the exploitative practices that have developed in this area and to engage in a new path to Union coverage.”

During the last writers strike, reality television was one way networks filled their schedules.

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/striking-screenwriters-will-resume-negotiations-with-studios-on-friday-1.1957527

Sept. 24, 2023 "Hollywood screenwriters reach deal to end five-month strike": Today I found this article by Lucas Shaw on BNN Bloomberg:

Striking Hollywood screenwriters reached a tentative new labour agreement with studios including Walt Disney Co. and Netflix Inc., settling one of two walkouts that have shut down film and TV production.

The Writers Guild of America, which represents more than 11,500 Hollywood scribes, said Sunday it reached the deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, the studios’ bargaining group. The agreement, if approved by the guild members, will end a strike that began on May 2.

The provisional three-year deal remains subject to the completion of contract language and recommendations from the union’s council and board, which could come as soon as Tuesday.

Members would vote after that, although the union leadership may give them permission to return to work before the final tally. 

“We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional – with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership,” the guild said in a statement.

The writers went on strike for the first time since 2007 to fight for higher pay from streaming services, which have reshaped how TV is made and how talent gets paid. The Screen Actors Guild joined them in July over similar concerns.

Details of the agreement won’t be announced for a few days, however people familiar with the matter said earlier that writers gained concessions on key points, including higher wages.

The studios have agreed to staff a certain number of writers on their TV shows, a figure that will increase with the number of episodes in a season, one of the people said.

The two sides have also created a structure in which writers will receive bonuses for popular shows on streaming services.

And it appears they have also reached an agreement on the use of artificial intelligence, which writers feared could destroy jobs.

The deal will pave the way for soap operas, game shows and late-night talk shows to resume, but production work on most dramatic programs will remain stopped until the actors’ walkout ends.

The momentum from the agreement should help resolve the actors’ strike quickly, according to Alex DeGroote, a media analyst in London. Even so, it will take time before big-budget shows and movies resume production, he said.

“The world’s movie theatres can celebrate,” AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. Chief Executive Officer Adam Aron said on X. “Extremely good news that progress is being made.”

Production of hundreds of films and TV shows stopped as a result of the strikes, impacting not just writers and actors but directors, crew members and industries like catering and real estate. 

With less money coming in, 

talent agencies fired workers 

and studios suspended deals with major producers to cut costs. 

Awards shows have been delayed and film festivals held without stars. 

The walkout has delayed the return of new shows for the fall TV season, 

and many films scheduled to debut this year were pushed into 2024.

Shares of studios were mixed on Monday. Netflix was up 0.7 per cent at 9:54 a.m. and Disney gained 0.5 per cent. Warner Bros Discovery Inc. fell 0.8 per cent and Paramount Global was little changed.

The studios and writers didn’t come close to a deal before the onset of the strike, and the studios and writers then didn’t negotiate for months, during which thousands of guild members protested outside the studios’ offices from New York to Los Angeles. 

While the economics of streaming remained the primary focus of the guilds, 

the threat of artificial intelligence also emerged as a growing concern.

The heads of the biggest media companies got more engaged with the dispute in late July and early August, after the actors joined the strike. 

The studios offered a new proposal in August that addressed many, but not all, of the writers’ concerns. The two sides negotiated for a couple of weeks before breaking off yet again.

The September negotiations came as a surprise. The two sides hadn’t been speaking — at least not officially — and many studio executives were debating whether it was time to engage with the actors instead.

But pressure on both sides to cut a deal had increased.

Studios feared the impact of months more without the ability to produce new programming, 

and many writers began to push their union’s leadership to cut a deal so everyone could get back to work.

People who work in entertainment, be they writers or grips, were starting to leave Los Angeles due to the lack of progress. 

Prominent writers asked to meet with the leadership of the guild to discuss the state of the negotiations, and several talk shows said they would return, only to cancel plans under pressure from the unions.

When the latest talks began, four of the most powerful executives in entertainment — Netflix Chief Executive Officer Ted Sarandos, Disney CEO Bob Iger, Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav and NBCUniversal Chief Content Officer Donna Langley — joined their labour negotiators.

The studios and writers negotiated for several days. After months of public acrimony and finger-pointing, the two sides kept their public communications to a minimum as they hammered out a deal to get the industry back to work.

While the writers’ rooms may soon reopen, a return to production will have to await a deal with striking actors, who have been picketing from coast to coast, shutting down productions that tried to restart.

This was the first time in more than 60 years that both writers and actors went on strike at the same time. 

The Directors Guild of America reached a new agreement with the studios in June.

--With assistance from Isabella Ward.

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/hollywood-screenwriters-reach-deal-to-end-five-month-strike-1.1975725