The Writers Guild of America’s strike of 2023 has put an end to the production of Saturday Night Live for the time being.
The show was in its 48th season and had planned to have Pete Davidson, a former cast member, host the next episode with Lil Uzi Vert appearing as the guest.
However, the show’s writers have joined the strike that started on Tuesday, along with thousands of other screenwriters in the US who are demanding better pay and benefits from the studios.
Due to the ongoing WGA strike, NBC has confirmed (according to THR) that Saturday Night Live will stop producing new live episodes and will air reruns instead, starting from May 6. This means that Davidson will not host the show this Saturday as planned.
The final episode of season 48 of Saturday Night Live was scheduled for May 20, but it is unclear if the show will resume by then.
The guild’s strike officially started on Tuesday, but it was not a sudden decision. For weeks, there has been a growing discontent among TV and film writers who want better working conditions.
The WGA held a vote in mid-April to see if its members would support a strike if the talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers failed. The results were overwhelmingly positive, with 97.85% of the members saying yes to the strike.
Since the WGA and the AMPTP could not reach a new deal by May 1, the writers went on strike right after midnight on Tuesday.
So, why did the writers take such a drastic step?
Writers and studios have been at odds over how writers should be paid and treated in a media industry that is rapidly shifting toward streaming platforms.
Members of the WGA demand more remuneration, a better equity structure, and protection for writers in the streaming era, especially against AI scriptwriting. AMPTP, on the other hand, is of the opinion that WGA is asking for too much and is unwilling to change its old ways.
The entertainment industry faced a similar strike in 2007-08 when writers demanded fair compensation for new media and residuals.
It lasted for three months and caused a massive loss of viewers and revenue for the networks. The Writers Guild achieved some historic gains with the help of other industry workers. Now, they are again on strike over streaming and artificial intelligence issues.
Although the long-term impact of the strike on Hollywood and shows like Saturday Night Live is uncertain, it will undoubtedly disrupt the production and distribution of content in the near future.
Hopefully, the two parties will come to a compromise soon, and the situation will be resolved.
About Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live (often abbreviated to SNL) is an American late-night live television sketch comedy, political satire, and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves as the program’s showrunner.
Throughout four decades on air, Saturday Night Live has received a vast number of awards, including 93 Primetime Emmy Awards, six Writers Guild of America Awards, and three Peabody Awards.
In 2000 it was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. It was ranked tenth in TV Guide’s “50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time” list, and in 2007 it was listed as one of Time’s “100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME.”
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