For more than two months, viewers have been without new episodes of late night shows like “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” due to the writers’ strike.
With the cast now voting to strike as well, viewers will likely see the effects of the dual strikes on a larger scale over the next couple of months.
Unless there is an immediate resolution of labor disputes, the fall TV lineup will almost certainly be affected. Instead of new episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy” or “Abbott Elementary,” ABC’s September lineup will be filled with a slew of reality series, game shows, and reboots. And that means a lot of episodes of “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune,” “Dancing With the Stars,” and “Judge Steve Harvey.”
Similarly, the Fox broadcasting network announced its fall lineup on Wednesday, which 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.
Although many productions have closed since the writers went on strike on May 2, filming of some films and TV series that have completed scripts has continued. One prominent talent agent who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly said the writers’ strike has effectively shut down 80 percent of the script industry — and the actors’ strike will shut it down completely.
For premium cable networks and streaming services, the longer the dispute drags on, the bigger the impact next year will be. Casey Bloys, President of HBO, Variety said on Wednesday that “at least until the end of 2023, we’re fine. And then in 2024, you start getting richer.”
If strikes continue into the fall, blockbusters scheduled for release next summer, like Deadpool 3, could also be delayed.