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GC ImagesAfter a long battle, the SAG-AFTRA strike is over. The actors’ union reached a tentative agreement with Hollywood studios on Nov. 8 that would end the nearly four-month strike that halted the work of thousands of entertainment workers and delayed numerous TV and film projects. So, when is the earliest TV shows can return to our screens?
Once the board signs off on the tentative deal, the 160,000-member actors guild will have to vote to ratify the new agreement (specific details of the deal are expected to be released Friday). SAG-AFTRA ended the strike at 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 9, signaling that production could start back up again relatively quickly. In fact, Deadline reports that “casts and crews started receiving notifications for tentative start dates in late November and early December.”
Broadcast networks will lead in the way as they have mid-season premiere dates lined up; their fall schedules were completely overhauled because of the writers’ and actors’ strikes, which occurred simultaneously for a lengthy amount of time.
The networks reportedly started to intensify efforts to begin production when the WGA strike was resolved back in September. This allowed them to “salvage seasons of at least 13 episodes,” according to Deadline.
When is the earliest TV shows can return?
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Adrian S Burrows Sr/NBC via Getty ImagesWhen is the earliest TV shows can return? A returning series needs about three to six weeks of prep and pre-production before filming can begin. (The writers’ rooms for many series re-opened after the WGA strike ended in September.) With that being said, filming for some series could begin at the end of November or the start of December (while also keeping in mind the Thanksgiving holiday.)
Another alternative is that filming can begin in early January following the holiday break. This would allow certain shows to generate 10 episodes before concluding the season in May.
Dick Wolf’s Wolf Entertainment series (Law & Order, FBI and One Chicago) reportedly claimed the date Nov. 27, which is just after Thanksgiving weekend. If this timeline holds, series like Chicago Fire and Law & Order: SVU could crank out 13 episodes in time for the mid-season.
“My guess, #SVU fans, is that SVU manages to salvage a 13 episode season,” wrote Warren Leight, former longtime showrunner of SVU, on X (formerly Twitter). “So glad the entire SVU cast and crew can get back to work. Congratulations @SagAftra for walking these many months. #Solidarity.”
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ABC via Getty ImagesMeanwhile, ABC and Warner Bros. reportedly had a dispute over the number of episodes to produce for Abbott Elementary. ABC favored 13, while the studio advocated for 17, Deadline reports. After the SAG-AFTRA deal was announced, a fan asked the show’s creator and star Quinta Brunson, “so abbott s3 gonna start filming soon or what.” Brunson responded with a video of influencer Tokyo Toni saying, “Well yes.”
ABC’s hit Grey’s Anatomy is reportedly planning to produce a 10-episode season for Season 20. This would mark the second shortest season of Grey’s since Season 1, which had only nine episodes because the last four episodes were carried over to Season 2.
Now that the strike is finished, networks and studios will be able to finalize episode lengths as they try to uphold their mid-season premieres.