What the End of the Actor’s Strike Means for Returning TV Shows
By Movieguide® Contributor
With the end of the SAG strike, actors can get back to work, but it may take longer than expected for projects to be completed.
Actors can fill their busy schedules with only so many projects. With an over three-month hiatus from work, they now have backed-up schedules to untangle. Beyond filming new shows and movies, many also have obligations to promote their finished projects, taking up even more time.
There is also a standard prep time that comes with any project, such as sets to build and crews to assemble to film and produce the show or movie. Even projects interrupted by the strike will need some restart time after three months without work.
The approach of the holiday season throws another variable into the mix as most productions close down for most of December, so some studios might not want to begin working only to stop for the holidays two or three weeks later.
Typically, a TV show is viewer-ready three months after it is filmed. Thus, productions that start again this month can have new shows out by the end of January, while shows that begin filming in January will not reach viewers until the end of March at the earliest.
USA Today reported, “Shows like ABBOTT ELEMENTARY, NCIS and CHICAGO FIRE will have shortened seasons of 10 to 13 episodes; their finales may extend into June from the traditional end of the season in mid-May.”
Studios are also averse to releasing the first episode of a season until multiple episodes have been completed to ensure that any momentum gained can be sustained without breaks through the end of the season. This places more pressure on production to have multiple episodes ready weeks before they air.
Ultimately, the end of the strike in November will allow for new shows to air in early 2024 but not without immense pressure on all of those involved. Even still, many spring seasons won’t be longer than a dozen episodes, save for a few shows.
Movieguide® previously reported:
The SAG-AFTRA strike began over 118 days ago, and the actors’ union and the AMPTP finally reached a deal Wednesday evening.
According to Deadline, “Coming just less than a month after Writers Guild members overwhelmingly ratified their own agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, SAG-AFTRA’s deal is the culmination of the latest round of renewed negotiations that began October 24. Indicating the seriousness and stakes of the negotiations, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos, Disney’s Bob Iger, NBCUniversal’s Donna Langley and Warner Bros Discovery’s David Zaslav frequently directly participated in the talks.”
The union sent an email saying, “We have arrived at a contract that will enable SAG-AFTRA members from every category to build sustainable careers. Many thousands of performers now and into the future will benefit from this work.”
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