Here’s how a potential Screen Actors' Guild strike will impact viewers at home.
The first dual SAG and WGA strike since 1960 is on the horizon.
“Who wants to start a strike the Friday night of July 4 weekend?”
Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin join members of the WGA on the picket line.Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Jonathan Handel, entertainment lawyer and labor law expert, quips to EW.
“There’s no one around to strike against.
They’re all with family or at home or on vacation or something.”
Fran Drescher, left, president of SAG-AFTRA, and Meredith Stiehm, president of Writers Guild of America West, during a rally by striking writers on May 8, 2023.Chris Pizzello/AP Photo
Still, Handel believes a SAG strike is imminent, even with negotiations continuing past the deadline.
But if the actors' union does go on strike what will that mean for audiences?
Will the next entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe still hit theaters?
How will this impact fall movie season?
What about fall television?
We’ve got some answers.
Read on for more below.
How big an impact will a SAG strike have on TV?
To be quite honest, not much.
“We’ve already had the immediate impact,” says Handel.
But if those exist, there are likely only a few.
“Most shows are either completed or they’re not shot at all,” says Handel.
“We’ve already seen the shows postponed going back to television,” Handel adds.
“We’ve seen severalcanceled.
Okay, but could happen to soap operas, talk shows, and reality television?
So, your daytime soaps and favorite unscripted television series are in the clear for now.
Where does streaming fit in?
are the direct result of the rise of streaming.
In short, a longer strike could benefit some platforms like Netflix in a roundabout way.
What will happen to movies during a SAG strike?
ones that have zero connection to a major studio or streaming platform.
That means no distribution deal, no pick-up deal, and no financing from traditional avenues within the industry.
“We’ve already started to see movies being shuffled around,” explains Handel.
With the preexisting writers' strike, we’re already in a slowdown period.”
What does this actually mean for actors and writers?
SAG and WGA have not been concurrently on strike since 1960.
That fight was largely over residuals from movies that played on television.
The 1960 strike secured those residuals for actors, writers, directors, and even some crew members.
The strike also won the WGA and SAG new health insurance and pension plans.
“That cemented the concept of residuals into the system,” says Handel.
It’s a very difficult negotiation to have.
Cause you’re always negotiating at the age of uncertainty."
How long would a SAG strike last?
It’s impossible to say.
The longest SAG strike in history was in 2000 and it lasted six months.
It was specifically for commercial actors over residuals for television and radio ads.
