The Writers Guild of America (WGA) was established in 1933 and has helped guide all forms of media through new obstacles and questions that have arisen. As of recent, roughly 9,000 writers went on strike because of a system that is not designed to support them. These writers represent 98% of their community and have made a clear stance on matters.
Issues such as payment negotiation, royalties regarding streaming services, and most notably A.I. have come up in the writer’s complaints according to the New York Times. In the past, writers have been known to be very strong-willed, with their longest strike lasting 153 days in 1988. This past strike was the first in 16 years. It is not something to be taken lightly, and while viewers might not be noticing the drop in new content, they will soon.
There will be a drop in new TV shows as well as a drop in new episodes from viewers’ favorite shows. The writers contribute in many ways to a show or movie production. Therefore, disregarding writers and replacing them with A.I. cannot be done. A writer’s job is not simply the craft of writing. Being a writer is about putting a piece of themselves within each episode and every season of entertainment. Writers use their own experiences and put them into stories, which add emotions that go way beyond the screen. The emotions that writers build into their scripts are what make a viewer connect with the characters and the TV shows themselves.
Writers such as Amy Sherman-Palladino, Shonda Rhimes, Julie Plec, and many more talented writers have produced amazing shows that have been loved and praised since their release. Shows from the 2000s and the past decade are vastly set apart from today’s TV offerings. Shows such as Breaking Bad, Gilmore Girls, Grey’s Anatomy, and many more have a special “je ne sais quoi,” as the French say, something special that just can’t be named. The shows are favorites of the younger and older generations of today, even with newer TV to combat it.
Although TV shows such as Grey’s Anatomy still continue, average viewers can see the change in quality from the original seasons. This is exactly why writers cannot be replaced. In fact, writing is a job that should continue to be nurtured and idolized because writing is a talent and a passion that not everyone can pursue. Writing takes not only an imaginative mind but also an ability to connect the story. Today, shows are seen in constant rotation, and now it’s normalized for a series to be canceled after only one season.
Many of the shows today that are idolized are based on forms of literature. The Summer I Turned Pretty, Brigerton, Lincoln Lawyer, You, and many others are all series based on novels. As of yet, the writers have ended the strike with the WGA community. While they have resolved their issues, shows are only just starting production again, so viewers will have to return to the past to find a new show. With that in mind, some shows that have yet to be highlighted in the media include Ugly Betty, Roswell, Smallville, Charmed, Prison Break, and others.
Within the year, the show White Lotus has seen a massive spike in popularity, and with many viewers waiting to find something just as hilarious and random, a great option is the show Ugly Betty. The show concentrates on a passionate writer, Betty Suarez, who continues to look to work her way up from the Editor-in-Chief’s assistant. The show has good humor and opens a door to the crazy reality of a magazine.
Shows such as The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl, and Legends of Tomorrow are all a part of the Arrowverse and are very popular. For viewers of the fandom, as well as the Marvel Universe, a great show to watch is Smallville. The show details the story of Clark Kent’s life before Superman and shows how he copes with his newfound abilities.
With so many shows, new and old to explore, the writers of America have envisioned moments in time that will continue to thrive throughout the next decade. The moments created on screen and transferred off will have a lasting influence on fashion, culture, and society throughout history that one would never expect. As seen in the past, a movie can change the course of a year, a famous quote can be remembered until the end of time, and inspiration will fuel people all around the world.
Writing is an art, and as a writer, a blank page is a canvas waiting to be painted. Words have double meanings just as paints and shapes paint a different portrait. To be a writer is to be brave because every piece of writing includes aspects of a person, and just because we can, doesn’t mean we should. Art, as well as writing, is made from the person who weaves’ the story. What makes a story literature is the thoughts that it evokes in the audience. Without the people behind the writing, there’s no connection, leaving the audience feeling stagnant. No matter how far people Fast Forward or Rewind Through Time the best pieces of literature are always thoughts that leave their audience with deep questions and emotions.
