Hollywood is going through an overhaul. It was announced that HBO star Bill Maher resumes his show amid a painful and long writers strike. Maher is not the only show that will resume. Talk show host Drew Barrymore announced that her show will resume as well.
The Strike
Back in May, the union that represents movie and television writers began a strike action over an ongoing labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. This alliance is basically the people that run the television and movie studios that broadcast and produce the shows and movies we all watch. But since the explosion of streaming channels like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+ and Paramount + things have changed.
The Writers Guild of America, known as the WGA, the union that represents the writers, is fighting for better compensation for residual streaming content. Unlike regular TV broadcast channels, our streaming devices and channels can hold on to content. This makes our favorite shows accessible weeks and months later. The WGA feels that writers should be compensated accordingly.
Bill Maher Resumes Show
Maher says he’s bringing the show back for one reason: his staff is struggling to make ends meet.
According to Vanity Fair Maher says:
“It has been five months, and it is time to bring people back to work. The writers have important issues that I sympathize with, and hope they are addressed to their satisfaction, but they are not the only people with issues, problems, and concerns.”
Maher has been reportedly paying his staff out of his own pocket, but that is not enough according to Maher. He was hoping the strike would be resolved by Labor Day. Talk show host Drew Barrymore has decided to resume her show soon. Barrymore was less clear in her Instagram post on why she’s coming back. Both Maher and Barrymore say they will adhere to WGA guidelines.
While resuming these shows will help hundreds of behind the scenes workers, will it hurt the writers?
Drew Barrymore head writer Cristina Kinon says Drew coming back is a disappointing decision:
“It is frustrating, because it will prolong the strike, and we just want it to end,” Kinon said about Barrymore’s decision.
