Here’s when shows could return to TV

Well, it’s complicated. First, the agreement needs to pass two key votes — one involving the boards of the screenwriters union, followed by a vote by the 11,500 members themselves.

Then there’s the fact that 65,000 film and television actors remain on strike. That work stoppage will prevent many projects from returning to normal. Certain paused productions such as “Deadpool 3,” “Yellowjackets” and the next film from Quentin Tarantino will still have to wait on actors to reach a deal with studios.

Once the contract is approved, work will resume more quickly for some writers than others. Late-night talk shows were the first to be affected when the strike began, and they may be among the first to return to air now. NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” on CBS could come back within days.

“Saturday Night Live” might be able to return for its 49th season, though some actors may not be able to appear. The actors strike limits promotional appearances that are the lifeblood of late-night shows.

Shows that return while actors are still picketing could prove controversial, as happened with the planned resumptions of daytime shows including “The Drew Barrymore Show” and “The Talk.” Those plans were later abandoned.

One show that’s likely to make a speedy return? “Real Time with Bill Maher.” The host plotted a return without writers but ended up postponing once last week’s negotiations were set.

Writers rooms for scripted shows that shut down at the strike’s onset, including Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” “Severance” on Apple TV+ and “Abbott Elementary” on ABC are also likely to reactivate quickly. But with no performers to act out the scripts, long delays between page and screen will be inevitable.

Film writers will also get back to work on their slower timeline, though those working on scripts or late revisions for already scheduled movies — including “Deadpool 3” and “Superman: Legacy” — will certainly be hustling to avoid further release-date delays.

Director Quentin Tarantino’s 10th film, “The Movie Critic,” is among the scripts that are written whose makers are awaiting actors’ return to sets.

Barrymore’s planned return to her daytime television show became a rallying point for picketers earlier this month, prompting her to cancel her plans. “The Talk” and “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” which also employ some screenwriters, also called off plans to return.

Barrymore and the other shows have not announced their plans for returning. However, the Writers Guild of America has made it clear: Guild members cannot start working again on projects until the tentative contract is ratified.

That vote has not yet been scheduled.