Now that the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have reached a tentative agreement after a lengthy, months-long strike, it would seem that the late night talk shows have a green light to return. Not quite yet.
While popular hosts like Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver are itching to get their people back to work, there are still a few more hurdles before their shows can return to the air. Namely, that the deal has to be finalized, and there’s still the matter of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.
Via Deadline:
Sources told Deadline that the shows will likely return a few days after the strike is officially over, once the WGA Board and Council votes to lift the restraining order. This would give the writers the chance to return and the crew to get the production process going again.
They do not need to wait until the SAG-AFTRA strike is over as they are not struck shows, although don’t expect a phalanx of actors to turn up as guests as they are still on strike and won’t be promoting struck work.
However, once the WGA and AMPTP agreement has been locked in, Deadline reports that Kimmel, Colbert, Meyers, and Jimmy Fallon will most likely return on the same night.
The four network hosts (along with Oliver whose Last Week Tonight airs on Sundays) have been working closely together on the Strike Force Five podcast and will reportedly coordinate their returns as a show of solidarity.
(Via Deadline)
