Possibility of writers strike looms large

We’re in an era of peak TV, but the fire-hose flow of shows — from late-night comedy to scripted dramas — could come to a screeching halt very soon.

Members of the Writers Guild of America, which represents the scribes behind television and movies, overwhelmingly voted Monday to authorize their union to call a strike. This come as negotiations between the union and studios barrel toward a Sunday deadline, when the old contract expires.

Writers have major grievances with how Hollywood pays them, as well as with their pension and health benefits. If an agreement cannot be worked out between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (which is representing the studios), writers will strike for the first time in a decade.

Here’s what you need to know.

That all depends on how long a strike would last, of course, but scripted shows could have to end their seasons early, and viewers might see a big dent in the summer TV season.

But the most immediate effect would be felt by latenight comedy, where daily or weekly episodes are churned out of New York or Los Angeles, with legions of writers penning jokes, monologues and elaborate sketches.

That could be a big deal in 2017, where political comedy has ruled. For instance, “Saturday Night Live” is experiencing some of its highest ratings in years, and there are still three episodes left before SNL breaks for the summer — May 6, 13 and 20 — that could never get made.

Putting late night aside, it’s possible a whole bunch of viewers won’t notice too much of a difference because of the ability to binge-watch on streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu.

Monday’s vote authorizes the guild to call a strike. But the guild and studios still have a few days to hash things out. After Sunday, the old contract expires and the union has promised a work stoppage.

“Should this occur, writing for television, feature films and digital series will cease,” the guild said in a letter to media buyers this month.

Central issues involve shoring up the WGA’s health plan, securing family leave and protecting the guild’s current pension plan. The WGA argues that writers’ average yearly income has decreased while studios’ operating profits have doubled from a decade ago.

The other main point at play involves how writers are compensated.

The flood of new shows on air and digital platforms, which provide endless space for content, is changing how shows are made. But writers are still paid per episode, an older formula. There are way more scripted shows now than in the past, but the norm has shifted from 22-episode seasons to about 10 to 13, and shows now take longer to produce.

While taking more time to produce an episode can make for better TV, writers argue they are losing out on pay — especially with exclusivity deals that make it hard for them to get work on other shows to make up the difference, and more series overall that are less likely to go into syndication.

The last strike lasted 100 days, from November 2007 to February 2008. Many scripted shows, such as “30 Rock” and “Heroes,” cut their seasons short. Some talk shows continued on, and late-night hosts improvised (Conan O’Brien killed time by spinning his wedding ring on his desk). The strike also produced a bunch of bad movies.