The ongoing writers strike may seem, at first glance, like a much bigger deal to the writers affected than to the average TV watcher. The longer it goes on, however, the greater the chances that one of your favorite shows could be among those disrupted. That’s how a strike works, after all, meant to show that “business as usual” is impossible without the contributions of the striking workers. Some of television’s biggest shows have already been affected. Since the Writers Guild of America’s strike was officially authorized on May 2, with Severance, Stranger Things, and the latest Game of Thrones spinoff among the shows being halted or otherwise directly impacted.
Issues motivating the strike are complex, but hinge in part on the industry’s move into streaming, and writers’ ensuing demands for contracts that reflect the new television paradigm. As GQ has covered, streaming doesn’t provide the same continuing residuals that have represented a writer’s “gold ring” for decades. The last writers strike took place in 2007, a time before streaming became the dominant method of distribution, and the WGA is also working to get protections related to the nascent use of AI in television writing.
“The studios have devalued our contributions,” Abbott Elementary writer Brittani Nichols told Democracy Now on May 2. “They have shifted the industry to prioritize streaming, without making sure that our pay reflects those changes.”
Below is a list of the major TV shows whose production is being affected by the writers strike. This list will be updated as more delays take effect.
Yellowjackets
The second season of Showtime’s twisty survivalist thriller only just hit the halfway mark, but a third was already ordered. Series co-creator Ashley Lyle tweeted, however, that work on Yellowjackets season 3 only made it through one day before it was halted by the strike.
Billions
A dramatic May 4 picket successfully halted production on the long-running finance drama Billions. The Showtime hit, which was filming a new season set to showcase the dramatic return of original co-lead Damian Lewis, has been a focus for New York-based strikers and the WGA East, with assistance from other unions like IATSE and the teamsters.
Stranger Things
The conclusion of Stranger Things is one of the most eagerly anticipated seasons in recent TV history, but fans will have to hold out even longer to see how things shape up in Hawkins. Writing for the final season commenced back in August 2022, and prior to the strike, production was slated to start soon.
“Writing does not stop when filming begins. While we’re excited to start production with our amazing cast and crew, it is not possible during this strike,” showrunners the Duffer Brothers tweeted. “We hope a fair deal is reached soon so we can all get back to work.”
Severance
Making the second season of Apple TV+’s critical darling Severance was already proving rather difficult, with writers room issues causing production problems. Now, Deadline has reported,the series’ New York shoot has been halted by the WGA Strike. There is, perhaps, no more fitting show to be affected by the strike than Severance, which explores the lives of employees at a shady biotech company who have had their personal and professional consciousnesses surgically separated. The series’ creator Dan Erickson said in an April 2022 interview that he was pleased to see the show’s themes around employee exploitation resonating with people, and that he was a supporter of unions in his industry.
“I’m by no means a labor expert, but I think it’s undeniable that we’re at a tipping point. How much can companies ask of people? What can workers do to find agency? I love that we’re living in a time of rethinking the structure of labor,” Erickson said. “Within the film and television industry, I’ve seen firsthand why unions are so necessary, because there were times where I felt extremely uncomfortable with what we were asking people to do—the sheer amount of hours that people were put through.”
Loot
Another hot Apple TV+ commodity shut down by the strike is Loot, the billionaire-divorcée comedy showcase for Maya Rudolph. WGA picketers showed up at the Los Angeles shoot on May 5. It’s been said that it is unknown when “or even if” (per The Hollywood Reporter) Loot’s production will resume—a fate that other B or C-tier series might also succumb to as the strike persists.
Hacks
The acclaimed comedy Hacks is seeing its third season affected by the writers strike, with filming presently delayed. Co-creator Jen Statsky tweeted, “We are devastated to not be with our incredible crew and cast right now, but there was no other option here. Writing happens at every stage of the process – production and post included.” Production had previously been paused due to star Jean Smart having a heart procedure.
The Hedge Knight
The Hedge Knight is the second Game of Thrones spinoff ordered by HBO, focusing on a series of beloved novellas by George R.R. Martin, with Martin serving as a writer and executive producer alongside House of the Dragon’s Ira Parker. In a characteristically charming post on his personal blog, Martin voiced his support for the strike, highlighted his own experience picketing back in the late ‘80s, and said he thinks this strike could last longer than the ones that took place in 1988 and 2007-2008–the latter of which lasted 100 days.
“No one wanted this — no writer with an ounce of sense, anyway — but the producers and the studios and the networks and the streamers gave us no choice,” Martin wrote.
In his post, Martin noted that the strike will not affect production on Season 2 of House of the Dragon, because those scripts were finished and the show has been shooting for almost a month. There is some skepticism about this, since many strikers have stressed that writing continues to happen on shows during production (Martin threw in a wry wink to fans who feared this would affect his work on the next Game of Thrones novel, but its lengthy gestation period has nothing to do with any strikes.)
Abbott Elementary
Show creator, writer and star Quinta Brunson has been vocal online that she is participating in the WGA strike, so naturally writing on the third season of ABC’s smash sitcom—which just wrapped its second season last month and probably would’ve convened for season 3 in a few weeks—will not be taking place.