By Morgan Collins

You may have noticed that various shows and movies that you anxiously want to see haven’t been released and are taking longer than expected. This is due to the massive  writers and actors strike taking place in the United States. This strike began on July 14th, 2023, and is continuing to run today. This strike is the first time that the actors have initiated a labor dispute since the actor strike of 1980. Additionally, this strike is the first time that both actors and writers have gone on strike simultaneously since the 1960s. Due to this continued strike, hundreds of shows and movies have been postponed or canceled entirely. Shows like “Cobra Kai,” “Stranger Things,” and “The Summer I Turned Pretty” have paused their shooting during the strike and have indefinite deadlines for when the show will air. Additionally, movies such as “Deadpool 3,” “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse,” and another “Ghostbusters movie” have been canceled or postponed. 

The strike is due to the rapid change in the field due to the effects of streaming and new technology such as AI (artificial intelligence). In the past few years, the industry undertook a strong change along with the rest of the nation regarding how media was consumed. Most Americans have shifted from watching television on a channel to buying a subscription and streaming a show or movie. Due to the uncertainty that comes with the mass changing of the industry, studio executives insisted that writers receive no residuals (or compensation) for work being published through a streaming service. Actors have a similar fear concerning the advances of AI in the industry. They worry that AI replicas of themselves will be made to progress the paused films, meaning they too will not receive compensation for the bulk of their labor. 

Today, there has not been much discussion or agreement between the writers and actors, their unions, and the media executives. It is predicted that this strike will remain for at least six more months as the logistics of the new industry are mapped out. As for us, the viewers, we can expect our delayed shows or movies to be released during the later months of 2024. For now, the only thing we can do is watch the original seasons of our favorite shows while we patiently wait.