It’s over! After 148 days, the 2023 Writers strike will go down as the second longest in WGA union history, only a labor stoppage in 1988 was longer.

The strike will officially come to end on Wednesday at 12:01am PT.  This was due to a vote from the guild’s leadership that now has authorized its over 11,500 members to return to work.

That means: pitching and selling scripts, taking meetings, responding to notes, writers’ rooms opening up again, and more, can now restart.

Photo: JPI

The WGA committee shared that the vote, “Allows writers to return to work during the ratification process, but does not affect the membership’s right to make a final determination on contract approval.” However, WGA East and West voted unanimously to lift the “restraining order” on Tuesday.

As the negotiators shared, the end of the strike doesn’t mean that the tentative agreement that the union reached with producers on Sunday night is a surefire thing: Union members still need to vote to ratify the contract. Union leadership announced on Tuesday that will take place between October 2nd and October 9th.

Photo: JPI

However, SAG-AFTRA still remains on strike. So, even with the writers returning to work, many productions can’t move forward without their principal actors and performers.

So soap fans, how do you feel about this news for your favorite shows? Glad that the head writers and their writing teams will be back at work as soon as this week from Days of our Lives, General Hospital, and The Bold and the Beautiful? Y&R’s Josh Griffith, who previously had gone Fi-Core during the 2008 strike, remained at the top rated show during the last several months.

Looks like we are close, very close, to the writing teams at your favorite soap operas returning to their jobs with news on Sunday that finally the WGA and AMPTP have reached a tentative deal. What remains is the fine print, and having the WGA vote to ratify their contracts.

This is welcome news to the television, streaming and motion picture industry that after five months of a strike has put the 2023-2024 TV season in deep water.

In a statement, the Writers Guild shared, “We have reached a tentative agreement on a new 2023 MBA (Minimum Basic Agreement), which is to say an agreement in principle on all deal points, subject to drafting final contract language. We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional — with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership.”

As the deal goes through its final stages, the writers are still technically on strike, but picketing outside studios and shows has now been suspended.

Photo: ABC

Among the writers’ demands that they fought for are: higher residuals from streaming shows, minimum staff sizes to prevent the use of “mini rooms” and protections from the use of AI.  The hope within the entertainment industry is that the new deal for the WGA will move along a new contract for SAG-AFTRA (actors) with the AMPTP.  As of Monday, SAG-AFTRA is still on strike.

Photo: JPI

As for your favorite soap operas, during the strikes, the shows were written by non-union writers or “fi-core” writers who gave up their union benefits in order to continue working.

The next steps in process will see the WGA negotiating committee vote on “whether to recommend the agreement and send it on to the WGAW Board and WGAE Council for approval,” tentatively scheduled for Tuesday.  Another vote by the board and council could lift the strike “restraining order”and allow scribes to “return to work during the ratification vote”.

So, are you happy to know that the writing teams from your favorite soaps are about to return to work and helm the scripts and the vision of the shows? Comment below.

Following the backlash received by Drew Barrymore on her decision to return to production of her talk show amid the writers and actors strike, major behind the scenes changes have been implemented for three daytime television talk shows.

First, Barrymore changed course and announced on Sunday via Instagram, “I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over.  I have no words to express my deepest apologies to anyone I have hurt and, of course, to our incredible team who works on the show and has made it what it is today. We really tried to find our way forward. And I truly hope for a resolution for the entire industry very soon.”

Next. CBS announced that The Talk, originally scheduled to resume today on Monday, September 18th, will put another pause in production in place. The official statement read: “The Talk is pausing its season premiere scheduled for September 18, CBS said in a statement. We will continue to evaluate plans for a new launch date.” WGA picketers targeted The Talk outside their CBS Radford studios since it announced its imminent return.

The Talk, co-hosted by Akbar Gbajabiamila, Amanda Kloots, Natalie Morales, Jerry O’Connell and Sheryl Underwood, went dark in May due to the writers strike.

Third, The Jennifer Hudson Show has followed the lead of ‘Drew’ and The Talk.  According to Deadline, a source close to the production confirmed that after much discussion, and at Hudson’s urging, the show is pausing production and its season two premiere, which was slated for Monday, September 18.

For the remaining daytime talkers, here is the status as of now:  Monday, Sherri Shepherd’s talk show Sherri will return.  It is not considered a ‘struck show’ covered by the Writers Guild of America.

Meanwhile, The Kelly Clarkson Show which moved from Los Angeles to New York City this summer has yet to announce a season premiere date yet. Finally, The View, which normally has two WGA writers on staff, has been airing during the strikes but withouts its writers.

So, what do you think about the decision of Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Hudson and The Talk to suspend production after they intended to move forward during the writers strike? Comment below.