Late-night talk shows to return first as WGA strike draws to a close

Talk shows fall under SAG-AFTRA’s network code deal and it’s not a part of the talent guild’s current strike

We recently reported that the Union leaders and Hollywood studios reached a tentative agreement on September 24 to end a historic screenwriters’ strike after nearly five months. The first step towards normalcy would be the return of late-night talk shows that are expected to air within the next two to three weeks.

According to an article in Variety, a few late-night show producers have already emailed staff members to return to work at the earliest. Interestingly, talk shows fall under SAG-AFTRA’s network code deal and it’s not a part of the talent guild’s current strike. Therefore, the hosts can return to work after the WGA membership approves the new deal.

It’s also expected that the five rival late-night TV hosts — Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and John Oliver — who teamed up with Spotify for ‘Strike Force Five,’ a limited-series podcast discussing the WGA writers strike, might coordinate to return at the same time.