We want to begin tonight with one of the longest Hollywood strikes in history coming to a possible end with the Writers Guild of America and the major studios agreeing to a tentative deal. A potential agreement, announced late last night comes nearly five months since production came to a standstill. What followed was months of bitter talks, picket lines, and round-the-clock negotiations over demands including residuals and the use of artificial intelligence. Now, the terms are not yet known, but in an email to members, the WGA said the deal had meaningful gains and protections for writers. Members of the union still need to ratify the new contract, so writers won’t be returning to work immediately. Attention now turns to the ongoing strikes of members of the Screen Actors Guild, with many of the same issues on the line.

After a hundred and forty-six days of picket lines, writers are expected to ratify this deal within the coming weeks. But with actors on strike, there’s still no Hollywood ending. Picket signs are coming down, but don’t expect the curtain to rise anytime soon for your favorite shows. While the writers have reached a deal, it still must be ratified by the guild’s eleven thousand members and more than one hundred sixty thousand actors are still without a contract. The WGA calls its three-year deal “exceptional”. It includes concessions on royalty payments for streaming and protecting writers from being replaced by AI, two of the main sticking points of strike that has cost the industry more than five billion dollars. The first shows forced off the air, late-night talk shows, will likely be the first programs to return, perhaps as early as next week. The writers’ and actors’ walkouts have shown strong solidarity, notably in the many job actions seen in this summer of strikes. It was only last week that studio heads were brought in to try to end the strike that lasted nearly five months. Now, with the ongoing actors strike, your favorite shows may not return until next year, and even then, there still could be more trouble ahead. Labor actions for other industries jobs are looming.