“Live from New York, it’s Saturday-” Well, not exactly. On May 2nd, television and film writers who are a part of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike. Demanding higher pay, better residuals, better working conditions, and AI insurances, the strike has now gone on for over 100 days. The writers are striking against The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) which includes several major studios such as Netflix, Paramount, and Walt Disney Studios. Although it was expected that the studios would withstand the strike for quite some time, as the saying goes people, or in this case studios, can change.

That change is happening partly because on July 13th, SAG-AFTRA, an American labor union representing media professionals, such as actors, went on strike against AMPTP as well. Striking for similar reasons as the writers, the added pressure on the studios has pushed them to reconsider the strikers’ demands. Already production on several TV shows such as “Abbott Elementary”, “Cobra Kai”, “Saturday Night Live”, and “Stranger Things” has been shut down. Several new movie’s release dates have been pushed back as well. This has led to a major loss of jobs across the US and has also affected California’s economy greatly. According to the LA times, people have estimated that, “the economic damage of the dual strikes on California was at least $3 billion so far…” With these added pressures, the AMPTP has resumed negotiations with WGA.

Although this doesn’t directly affect Colorado, if the strikes go on longer the effect on the economy will only grow. Not only that, but Coloradans, like other US Citizens, will have to wait even longer for their favorite TV shows to return. So fingers crossed the negotiations go well, or you can kiss your favorite shows goodbye.