Actors, Writers Will Have Fewer Shows To Work On Upon Their Return

The Screen Actors Guild is voting on a deal this week, actors and writers will be returning to the job after months of cancellations and delays.

AP/Chris Pizzello
SAG-AFTRA's chief negotiator, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, left, rallies striking actors outside Paramount Pictures studio, November 3, 2023, at Los Angeles. AP/Chris Pizzello

With the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists strike ending early Thursday, both actors and writers will be returning to work in an industry that has been ravaged by delays and cancellations.

There will, though, be less work for both the actors and writers to return to, with dozens of productions being canceled or delayed over the past few months.

Some titles canceled include ABC’s “The Wonder Years,” Paramount’s “Inside Amy Schumer,” Hulu’s “How I Met Your Father,” and the CW’s “Gotham Knights.”

In addition to cancellations, most shows that feature the services of either writers or actors have suffered delays due to the conflict between the unions and the production companies.

On HBO alone, shows such as “The Last Of Us,” “Hacks,” “The White Lotus,” and “Pretty Little Liars: Summer School” have all seen delays.

While some of the delays and cancellations are tied directly to the pause on productions, a recent report from Luminate and Variety VIP suggests that cancellations are becoming increasingly common in the streaming world as companies look to turn a profit.

The report says that while “it is now easier than ever for axed shows to find new homes on another platform or be resurrected by a surge in audience demand 
 the recent pressure to cut costs has led to companies finding new creative ways to save money.”

The report goes on to say that these cost-cutting measures have “thus far included pulling original shows from their streaming catalogs, revoking second-season orders, sometimes even mid-production, and canceling finished freshman series before they air.

“Meanwhile, the original disruptor, Netflix, has seen its public image shift from that of a renegade TV resurrector to an ax-wielding slasher, ready to cancel viewers’ favorite shows at the drop of a hat,” the report says.

The report, which tracked cancellation rates across cable and streaming services between 2020 and August 2023, found that overall streaming services canceled shows at a higher rate, 12.2 percent, compared to traditional Linear TV’s 10.8 percent.

Of the streaming services, Max had the highest rate of cancellations, at 26.9 percent, followed by Disney+ at 21.1 percent, Paramount+ at 16.9 percent, and Hulu at 15.2 percent.

At the other end of the spectrum, Apple TV+ had the lowest cancellation rate of the streaming services, at 4.9 percent, followed by Prime Video at 9 percent and Peacock at 10 percent.

Although the full details of the SAG-AFTRA deal are expected to be made public on Friday, following a national ratification vote, union representatives say it includes protections against artificial intelligence and a significant pay increase.


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