'Stranger Things' and a 'Game of Thrones' Spinoff Go Dark Due to the WGA Writers Strike

As of midnight May 2 the Writers Guild of America (WGA) is striking. Negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) broke down over fair compensation for the writers, and the WGA said "we've had enough!" The strike means that effective immediately there is no writing happening in Hollywood and there won't be any more until negotiators reach terms agreeable by both sides. TV shows and movies that have completed scripts (or have already been filmed) will still be released in the upcoming months, but nothing new is entering the pipeline. As shows run out of useable material, they'll start "going dark" meaning they're off the air indefinitely. Most will be airing reruns in their regular time slots.

Keeping track of which shows still have runway and which shows are in full-on strike mode can be a little tricky, so we're compiling a list of the shows that won't be coming back until post-writers strike.

Related: Everything you need to know about the WGA Writers Strike

Shows that have gone dark due to the WGA Writers Strike 2023:

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Late night shows, which are usually written by a staff of WGA writers in the days (if not minutes) before recording run out of material fastest. Nearly all late night shows have already shut down production because of the strike. Jimmy Fallon's The Tonight Show will be airing reruns for the foreseeable future. Fallon and NBC have agreed to pay their writers for the next three weeks, but it remains to be seen if the strike will be over by then.

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

The Jimmys of late night are in lock step here as Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the ABC equivalent was also shut down the first week of May as it couldn't operate without writers.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Over on CBS, The Late Show host Stephen Colbert acknowledged the strike on air, showing his support for writers (of which he is one himself) and stating that if the show didn't return in May it would be due to the strike. The Late Late Show, which typically follows Colbert, didn't have to go dark because it had wrapped production in late April due to James Corden's exit from the show. Reportedly, it was going to be replaced by a panel-format show, but who knows what will happen now.

Late Night with Seth Meyers

Like Colbert, Seth Meyers also spoke out in support of his writing staff and the WGA before the show was shuttered. In his final episode prior to the strike, Meyers informed viewers that it might be the last they'd see him for a while. How long remains to be seen.

The Daily Show

Comedy Central's The Daily Show has been in a state of flux since Trevor Noah departed in late 2022. The show has been hosted by a rotating group of weekly talent, including special guest celebrities, other late night hosts and members of The Daily Show staff. The writers strike hit during Dulce Sloan's stint as host with the last episode featuring an interview with recent RuPaul's Drag Race winner Sasha Colby. Hopefully, Sloan will get to finish off her week when the show returns.

Related: Everything You Need to Know About RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 8

Real Time with Bill Maher

Bill Maher hosts a weekly late night show that runs every Friday on HBO. Real Time also shut down operations this week and hasn't announced what will fill the time slot.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

HBO's sister late night show and Emmy juggernaut Last Week Tonight has also announced it's going dark due to a staff of WGA writers. We'll all have to find something else to watch post-Succession for the rest of its season.

Saturday Night Live

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Saturday Night Live was winding down its 38th season with Pete Davidson set to host on May 6. Due to the WGA writers strike, however, the show didn't have any material for Davidson to perform. Unless the strike is resolved in the next three weeks, we most likely won't see SNL back until the fall.

The Talk

Some talk shows employ more WGA writers than others, depending on their needs, which means that while shows like The View will make some tweaks and proceed through the strike, CBS' daytime talker The Talk will go off air immediately.

Unstable

Netflix's Unstable is one of the scripted shows that was halted mid-production according to Deadline. The comedy, which stars Rob Lowe along with his son John Owen Lowe, had a second season in the works after the first aired this past March. However, the full order of scripts were not finished by the March 2 deadline and so the show will be unable to move forward into production.

Night Court

The reboot of the '80s hit Night Court, which arrived mid-season to NBC and was already renewed for a second season will be shutting down production. While the last few Season 1 episodes are already filmed and will air, Season 2, which was in production, will go dark given an inability to both write new episodes and do punch ups/script changes while filming (a necessity for comedies). Depending on how long the strike lasts, we could see it, along with most other network shows slated for fall, start to see their premiere dates slide.

Related: Everything We Know About Night Court Season 2

Cobra Kai

Jon Hurwitz, a producer, writer, and director on Netflix hit Cobra Kai took to Twitter on May 2 to announce that the writers room behind the sixth season of the show would be shutting down. They were in the middle of work on the new season when the strike began, which means the show will not be able to continue production until a deal is met.

Power Book III: Raising Kanan

Deadline has reported that Power Book III: Raising Kanan, the Starz spinoff/prequel to Power has gone dark because of the writer's strike. The third season of the show was stalled.

Yellowjackets

Only one day into work on Season 3 of Yellowjackets, the strike shuttered the writers room for the Showtime hit. Season 2, which is currently airing and was already shot, will continue to arrive weekly, but the wait between Seasons 2 and 3 will be longer thanks to the strike.

Abbott Elementary

Many network shows set to debut new seasons in the fall had either just launched, or were about to launch, their new writers rooms this May. Perhaps the buzziest show on network TV at the moment is Abbott Elementary which also closed production. Depending on how long the strike lasts, we could see a delayed start and/or a shorter season when the shows return.

Big Mouth

Netflix's hit animated series is also stalled. Streamers, unlike networks, work on a rolling basis so their shows are all over the place when it comes to production timelines. According to Variety, the show was six weeks into their writer's room when the strike stalled their work.

Hacks

While many shows that were mid-production at the start of the writers strike have continued filming, without a writer on set, it will be difficult to rework things on the fly. For a show like Hacks, which is about comedy writers, not having writers proved impossible. According to Deadline, production which had started in late 2022 has shut down because of the strike.

The Venery of Samantha Bird

According to Deadline, production on a new Starz show The Venery of Samantha Bird, has shut down production with two of its eight episodes left to film. The show stars Katherine Langford and was shooting in Montreal when it closed up shop.

MTV Movie & TV Awards Red Carpet

While the MTV Movie & TV Awards will still air and buckets of golden popcorn will be doled out, Variety reported that not only did Drew Barrymore drop out as the host of the event in solidarity with writers, but there will also be no red carpet. Even though a red carpet doesn't involve writers, with such a tense situation in Hollywood, actors (many of whom are still deciding whether they should attend the awards show as a nominee or presenter at all) were unlikely to be eager to face a barrage of questions. With the Tonys and Emmys also coming up, it will be interesting to see how these live events fare should the writers strike continue.

Blade

Turns out that writers are more powerful than even vampiric superheroes powered by Marvel. The Blade reboot starring two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali has been stalled due to the strike. The Hollywood Reporter learned that production on the film, which was set to start this summer, has been paused until after the strike. Apparently the film's script was still not in its final form when the strike began, and with no writers working, that meant no production.

Stranger Things

In one of the biggest blows yet to studios, Stranger Things showrunners and writers The Duffer Brothers announced over Twitter that the final season of their beloved sci-fi show would not move into production due to the writers strike. The popular series is not only Netflix's crown jewel, but their most watched series of 2022. With the kids aging rapidly, Netflix would certainly like to get the final season shot sooner rather than later.

Evil

The details are still a bit murky on just what has happened over on the set of Evil, but according to Variety, the Paramount+ show wrapped it's fourth season "earlier than anticipated." While strike picketing halted one day of shooting, a cast member taking a personal leave of absence also seems to be contributing to the production shutting down early. It remains to be seen if the show had indeed finished the majority of their necessary shooting or if there are episodes that will not be filmed at this time.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight

While House of the Dragon is still in production for Season 2 based on already completed scripts, Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin announced via his blog that another spinoff, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight is on hiatus. The show, based on ancillary works by Martin, was in the middle of its writer's room stage, and so will be unable to move forward until the strike is resolved.

Bunk'd

The writers strike doesn't just impact TV for adults. Kid's shows after all also employ writers. The Disney Channel's longest-running live-action comedy Bunk'd will also not be able to shoot its next season, Deadline reports. The show, which is currently airing its sixth season, has only shot 12 of its 20 episodes in Season 7. With production shut down, it remains to be seen if the already shot episodes will be aired or if the whole season will be held until the strike is over.

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