(Los Angeles) Most American late-night shows will return to the air by next week, after a five-month forced hiatus due to the writers’ strike that ended Tuesday night in Hollywood.
Bill Maher was the first to announce his return Wednesday morning, proclaiming that his HBO show Real Time with Bill Maher would be back on the air Friday.
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers, on NBC, Jimmy Kimmel Live, on ABC, and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, on CBS, will resume broadcasting on Monday.
For his part, John Oliver, from the show Last Week Tonight, will present a new episode on Sunday.
Fallon, Meyers, Kimmel, Colbert and Oliver started a podcast during the strike, called “Strike Force Five,” with proceeds going to their writers who were out of work during the strike.
On social media, the group announced Wednesday morning that it was “mission accomplished.”
Tuesday evening, the screenwriters’ union executive approved the agreement in principle that was reached with the studios, thus allowing the industry to quietly resume its activities. The writers still have to vote to ratify the contract, but the lifting of the strike allows them to work during that process.
However, scripted shows will take longer to return to the airwaves, since the actors’ strike continues and no negotiation session is on the horizon.
The three-year deal with studios, producers and streaming services provides significant gains on some of the writers’ key demands, including pay, job security, crew sizes and standards around artificial intelligence.
Under the new contract, writers will also be able to receive additional amounts based on the popularity of the series on streaming platforms, such as Netflix.
The studios initially opposed this principle, but many writers on the picket lines complained of not being paid properly for helping to create highly lucrative series.
Regarding the use of artificial intelligence, the screenwriters obtained the guidelines they asked for.
Under the new deal, AI-generated storylines will not be considered “literary material” – a term used in contracts to define screenplays and other forms of stories produced by a screenwriter.
AI-generated stories will also not be considered “source” material, which defines novels, video games or other works that screenwriters can adapt into screenplays.
Screenwriters have the right under the agreement to use artificial intelligence in their work if the company they work for agrees to it and other conditions are met. However, studios cannot force screenwriters to use artificial intelligence.
