Writers Strike 2023: every show affected by the WGA strike, from Lord of the Rings to Yellowjackets

The Writers Guild of America (or the WGA) are currently on strike. The strike – which 97.85% of guild members voted in favour of last month – is in response to how production companies “have leveraged the streaming transition to underpay writers, creating more precarious, lower-paid models for writers’ work”.

As a result, production on different television series across the US have been disrupted significantly. Most have ceased production entirely, in recognition of the need to have writers on set throughout filming and post-production; a smaller number are opting to continue production without the involvement of their writing team.

Here’s everything you need to know about the television shows affected by the 2023 Writers Strike. 

Drama

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight (HBO)

All work on the Game of Thrones prequel (based on the Dunk and Egg novellas) will be paused for the duration of the strike, according to George RR Martin.

Cobra Kai Season 6 (Netflix)

The sixth and final season of Netflix’s Karate Kid sequel Cobra Kai has shut down its writers room. Jon Hurwitz, writer and co-creator of the series, tweeted in support of the “necessary” strike and said that production will resume “as soon as a fair deal is in place”. 

House of the Dragon Season 2 (HBO)

Production on House of the Dragon is set to continue. Filming for the new season began in the UK in April, and the plan is to carry on without the writers or showrunners present on set for revisions during filming (though showrunner Ryan Condal is still working on the series in a non-writing capacity, offering no notes, edits, or new writing).

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 (Amazon Prime Video)

Filming on The Rings of Power is set to continue also, with one production block left to complete. Writers and showrunners will be unable to attend filming, or contribute to any creative decisions made during the remainder of production.

Riverdale Season 7 (The CW)

Though none of the cast and crew of Riverdale have made an official statement, the series – currently approaching its finale – has always been produced on a particularly tight turnaround between scripting, filming, and broadcast. It’s highly likely that the final episodes will be impacted by a production shutdown. 

Yellowjackets Season 3 (Showtime)

After a day’s work in their Season 3 writersroom, production of Yellowjackets has ceased. Co-creator and showrunner Ashley Lyle tweeted in support of the strike, saying the team are “very excited to get back to it as soon as the WGA gets a fair deal”. 

Billions Season 6 (Showtime)

Production on Billions Season 6, which is currently filming, was shut down when cast and crew refused to cross the picket line in solidarity with striking writers. 

Andor (Disney+)

Filming on the second season of Andor is already underway, and is set to continue through the strike. Showrunner Tony Gilroy has disputed previous reports that he was continuing work on the Star Wars series in a non-writing capacity, issuing a statement to The Hollywood Reporter clarifying that he had ceased all writing and non-writing producing work.

Stranger Things S5 (Netflix)

The Duffer brothers have issued a statement in support of the strike, stating that production on Stranger Things' fifth and final season will resume when the strike concludes.

Severance S2 (Apple TV+)

Production on Severance S2 has been shut down in New York due to strike picketing. Crew members refused to cross the writers' picket line.

Evil S4 (Paramount+)

Much like Severance, production was shut down when crew members refused to cross writers' picket lines.

Comedy

Abbott Elementary Season 3 (ABC)

Discussion of Abbott Elementary has been at the forefront of the strike, in part because it’s one of the few network shows still popularly discussed online, but also because its writers have been particularly vocal about their fight for a living wage. Writer Brittani Nichols, who is currently a strike captain organising with the WGA, described the current state of professional writing as akin to a "gig economy". They also revealed that a likely impact of the strike will be fewer episodes in Abbott Elementary S3. 

Night Court Season 2 (NBC)

Production on the Night Court revival with Melissa Rauch and John Larroquette has ceased. 

Unstable Season 2 (Netflix)

Unstable, which stars father and son Rob and John Owen Lowe, has shut down production on Season 2. Star Rob Lowe appeared at a WGA picket earlier this week, explaining that he supported the strike because “as writers, we’re only as good as the writing we get”. 

Hacks Season 3 (HBO Max)

Production on Hacks Season 3 has ceased, and will remain on pause for the duration of the strike. Filming had already taken a hiatus while star Jean Smart recovered from surgery.

Late night TV

Every late-night talk show – including The Late Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Tonight Show, and Late Night – has ceased production. Saturday Night Live has also ended its current season early. Hosts Seth Myers, Jimmy Fallon, and Stephen Colbert have each spoken out in support of the strike. 

Films

Marvel's Blade

A new reboot of Blade, set to star Mahershala Ali, has been shut down due to the Writers Strike. It's the latest in a long line of delays for the film, which has been pushed back due to both Covid and the departure of original director Bassam Tariq. In theory, Blade is due for release in 2024 - directed by Yann Demange from a script by Michael Starrbury and Nic Pizzolatto - but at this stage that seems unlikely.

Why do writers need to be on set during production?

It’s necessary to have writers on set during production because the writing process doesn’t stop when the screenplay is printed and delivered. All throughout filming, editing, and reshoots, dialogue is revised or reworked, new creative directions are considered and implemented, and the series is shaped by writers. 

That’s particularly true of series made for traditional network channels, like Riverdale or Night Court, where writing and filming takes place on a shorter schedule, but it’s still the case for streaming shows too. On the first series of House of the Dragon, for example, actors Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy worked with on-set writers to refine certain lines and character moments – something that won’t be able to happen on Season 2, as production continues through the strike without writers or showrunners on set.

What about animated shows?

For the most part, writers working on animated shows – like, for example, the new Phineas and Ferb series – won’t be on strike. That’s because their work is typically performed under contract with The Animation Guild, who have expressed solidarity with WGA members and instructed their members not to take on struck work, but are not themselves on strike. (Sympathy strikes are not a protected activity in US law.)