Late-night talk shows are making a comeback following a five-month hiatus due to the Hollywood writers’ strike. CBS’s The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon were among the first shows to go off the air when the strike began on May 2. Now, they are set to return on Monday night.
Comedian John Oliver made his triumphant return on Sunday night with his Last Week Tonight show on HBO, voicing strong support for the strike. Oliver, after delivering a humorous recap of the past five months, turned serious, acknowledging that the strike had been an immensely challenging period for the entertainment industry.
According to AP, he emphasized that the strike had valid reasons, as industry workers had been struggling in recent years. The strike, led by the writers’ guild, achieved its goals but required significant sacrifices from many individuals.
Oliver expressed frustration that it took the studios 148 days to agree to a deal that could have been offered on the first day. He hopes that the writers’ contract will set an example for other entertainment industry guilds and even workers in other sectors to negotiate better deals.
Late-night hosts like Colbert, Kimmel, and Fallon will make their returns later on Monday. They are expected to address the strike in their monologues.
The strike forced late-night hosts to find alternative ways to engage their audiences. They collaborated on a podcast called Strike Force Five during the strike period.
The Writers Return
Last week, the writers were allowed to return to work after the Writers Guild of America reached a three-year contract agreement with major studios, streaming services, and production companies. The writers themselves will vote on the contract in a week of balloting that begins on Monday.
Simultaneously, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) will initiate negotiations with the same group, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, for the first time since they joined writers in a dual strike on July 14. Actors walked off the job over similar issues as writers, and they have emphasized that their demands remain unchanged from the strike’s outset.
While late-night shows will face restrictions on their guest lists, exceptions are possible. For instance, actors can appear to promote their projects if the movies or shows are not associated with studios subject to the strikes.
The entertainment industry is at a critical juncture as both writers and actors work toward achieving better conditions and terms in their contracts.
