By Andrew Dalton
The writers strike is now over. So when will your favorite shows return?
If you're a fan of comedy and late-night, expect to see your favorite hosts back on the air next week. Other shows may take a bit longer — there is still an active strike by 65,000 screen actors.
Screenwriters returned to work Wednesday for the first time since they walked out on May 2, which will restart the pipeline of work on shows like “Abbott Elementary."
The actors strike will prevent many projects from returning to normal. Certain paused productions such as “Deadpool 3," “Yellowjackets” and the next film from Quentin Tarantino will still have to wait on actors to reach a deal with studios.
WHEN IS ‘JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE’ COMING BACK?
Late-night talk shows were the first to be affected when the strike began, and they'll be the first new shows back on air. NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” on CBS all said they'll return on Monday.
They will return with a guest shortage, however. The actors strike limits the promotional appearances that are the lifeblood of late-night shows.
“Saturday Night Live” might be able to return for its 49th season — but there's no word yet on when it will be back. Its writers could be at work soon on sketches, and its actors could perform because they work under a different contract not covered by the actors strike, though as union members, they may be reluctant to do so.
Shows that return while actors are still picketing could prove controversial, as happened with the planned resumptions of daytime shows including “The Drew Barrymore Show” and “The Talk.” Those plans were later abandoned.
The fastest show to make it back? That would be “Real Time with Bill Maher,” which announced it would return Friday.
The host was among those who plotted a return without writers but ended up postponing once last week’s negotiations were set.
WHAT ABOUT ‘STRANGER THINGS’ AND ‘SUPERMAN?’
Writers rooms for scripted shows that shut down at the strike’s onset, including Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” “Severance” on Apple TV+ and “Abbott Elementary” on ABC, are also likely to reactivate quickly. But with no performers to act out the scripts, long delays between page and screen will be inevitable.
Film writers will also get back to work on their slower timeline, though those working on scripts or late revisions for already scheduled movies — including “Deadpool 3” and “Superman: Legacy” — will certainly be hustling to avoid further release-date delays.
Director Quentin Tarantino's 10th film, “The Movie Critic,” is among the already written scripts whose makers are awaiting actors' return to sets.
WHEN ARE DREW BARRYMORE AND OTHER DAYTIME SHOWS COMING BACK?
Barrymore's planned return to her daytime television show became a rallying point for picketers earlier this month, prompting her to cancel her plans. “The Talk” and “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” which also employ some screenwriters, also called off plans to return.
Barrymore and the other shows have not announced their return dates.
ARE THERE ANY NEW SERIES OR MOVIES COMING OUT THIS FALL?
Absolutely. Networks had to get creative with fall programming by tapping into international shows, game shows and more sports. But there are still several new series and movies coming out this year.
Some standout newcomers include a “Walking Dead” show focused on fan favorite Daryl Dixon and a “John Wick” prequel series that are airing now. Still to premiere are a new Jesse L. Martin NBC series, “Irrational," and a “Frasier” sequel.
The PBS lineup is largely unaffected. It includes a Ken Burns documentary series, “The American Buffalo,” and a drama show about the lives of people fighting World War II. The network also has nonfiction shows that examine Elon Musk's Twitter takeover, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Houston Astros cheating scandal, as well as how animals are adapting to human-caused habitat changes.
Movie theaters will have a mix of Oscar contenders and action films. Martin Scorsese's “Killers of the Flower Moon,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert DeNiro and Lily Gladstone, will be out in October. November brings the newest Marvel film, “The Marvels,” as well as the prequel “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.”
