Resuming Television Productions: Post-Strike Industry Revival.
Following six months of strikes, the television industry is gearing up to recommence numerous halted productions. This revival comes after writers and actors successfully negotiated new agreements with major studios and streaming services.
The conclusion of the SAG-AFTRA strike on November 9 marks a significant milestone, allowing actors to return to their roles. However, the union’s members have yet to ratify the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers agreement. This development also kickstarts the preparation for various TV series. Media companies are now focusing on resuming broadcast shows before the holiday season, aiming to recover the latter part of the network season. Writers’ rooms have been operational for approximately six weeks since the Writers Guild of America strike ended on September 27.
Among the first to resume production is NBC’s comedy “Night Court,” a collaborative effort by Warner Bros. TV and Universal Television, scheduled to start filming in the week of November 13. Other series, including the CBS “FBI” franchise and NBC’s “Chicago” dramas from Dick Wolf’s Wolf Entertainment, are expected to begin production after Thanksgiving.
Netflix’s “Wednesday,” its most successful series to date, is set to start its second season’s production in late April, moving from Romania to Ireland. Details about the new season of this popular horror comedy remain sparse. Still, co-showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar have teased the potential inclusion of more characters from the Addams family.
The upcoming weeks will provide sufficient time for the network series to debut in the first quarter 2024. Most series plan to reduce their season lengths to 10-13 episodes, down from the usual 18-22 episodes for broadcast shows.
The following production start dates are tentative and may change based on various factors, including the preparation duration for each show. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
Production Start Dates:
Week of November 13:
- “Night Court” (NBC, Warner Bros. Television/Universal Television)
Week of November 27:
- “Abbott Elementary” (ABC, WBTV/20th Television)
- “Chicago Fire” (NBC, UTV)
- “Chicago Med” (NBC, UTV)
- “Chicago PD” (NBC, UTV)
- “Young Sheldon” (CBS, WBTV)
November (Dates To Be Determined):
- “Bob Hearts Abishola” (CBS, WBTV)
- “FBI” series (CBS, UTV/CBS Studios)
- “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC, ABC Signature) and others
Late November to Early December:
- “Blue Bloods” (CBS, CBS Studios)
- “CSI: Vegas” (CBS, CBS Studios)
- “The Equalizer” (CBS, UTV/CBS Studios) and others
December:
- “All American” (The CW, WBTV)
- “SEAL Team” (Paramount+, CBS Studios)
- “Will Trent” (ABC, 20th)
January:
- “911” (ABC, 20th)
- “All American: Homecoming” (The CW, WBTV)
- “The Lincoln Lawyer” (Netflix, A+E Studios)
February:
- “The White Lotus” (HBO)
First Quarter 2024:
- “Criminal Minds” (Paramount+, ABC Signature/CBS Studios)
April:
- “Wednesday” (Netflix, MGM Television)
