The WGA strike shows how underappreciated writers are

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Amidst the heartbreak over the delayed return of our favourite T.V. shows, the 2023 Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike stands strong. 

The labour dispute, initiated on May 2 between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), isn’t the first. The reason it has been gathering so much attention has more to do with it being the largest interruption to American television since COVID-19.

It isn’t much that writers are asking for either. With the rise of ChatGPT, it doesn’t come as a shock that the majority of the dispute lies in the request for better funding and job security, a larger writers room, and limited use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the writing process.

What does all of this have to do with us? If you’re a television buff like me, you know this means long-running shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 won’t be returning as projected. 

Long-awaited projects like Melissa Benoist’s The Girls on the Bus, Marvel’s Thunderbolts and The Last of Us: S2 have also received a To Be Announced (TBA) rating. Unfortunately, until the AMPTP and WGA work up a deal, we’re going to have to say goodbye to many of our beloved T.V. shows and movies. 

This strike also looks like a large financial fallout for the Los Angeles economy. As a writer looking to go into screenwriting, this strike puts a lot into perspective. Writers have always been overlooked, with directors and actors receiving credit for successful films and T.V. shows. Without writers, there isn’t going to be a storyline to begin with. 

The last time the WGA went on strike in 2007, writers had a different outset. If you were a writer for a major series or production house, you earned a good living, receiving an order of 22-24 episodes a season. It was a full-time job. 

Now, with the advent of streaming, episode orders are much shorter. Writers are working fewer weeks and are then left to find other jobs. Despite the fact that studios have invested billions of dollars in T.V. over the last few years, writers have noted that their pay has stagnated and working conditions have deteriorated.

This dispute comes down to money. Ten years ago, there were an estimated 300 scripted shows in American entertainment. That number has since doubled, if not tripled. When you watch a show and you see the credits roll, that doesn’t just include a producer or a director. These shows are created by a whole team of writers. When writers look at their peers or actors, who are getting paid more than them, even after factoring inflation, the pay gap is still significant. 

The strike is especially relevant right now due to AI, something we wouldn’t have even considered a few months ago. When we look at apps like ChatGPT, not only does this put our profession at risk, but also takes away from the art of screenwriting. 

Whenever the WGA gets a deal, which may be in late 2023 or early 2024, it will be a three-year contract. However, media executives have argued that streaming services will only become profitable by 2026. Writers can’t wait, the moment is now. With AI taking over our jobs, who knows what the future of writing for T.V. will look like? 

Another thing that’s changed over the last decade is movie stars’ interest in doing television shows. The television industry has significantly risen, with movie stars like Elizabeth Olsen, Winona Ryder, and Meryl Streep making the transition. They capitalize on the cultural zeitgeist, raking in a sizable amount of money of about a few million dollars per episode. 

From a writer’s standpoint, it seems to say “Let’s just have our fair share.” Writers deserve more, and if everybody else is benefiting from streaming, why aren’t they?