The big return of Dancing with the Stars is in jeopardy as ABC is reportedly considering delaying the premiere due to pressure from the WGA and SAG.
It’s set to premiere Sept. 26 at 5/6c online and live on Disney+, but new reports say executives are considering alternative interim programming and planning a new rollout.
DWTS’ celebrity cast, particularly actors and SAG-AFTRA members Matt Walsh, Alyson Hannigan and Mira Sorvino, also came under pressure from striking members, with signs outside the rehearsal studio berating them for participating.
© Art StreiberAlfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough would host without a script
Veep actor Matt has now backed out of his appearance on the show, admitting he was “excited to join the show and did so under the impression it wasn’t a WGA show and was under a different contract”.
“This morning when my union, the WGA, informed me that it was considered a canceled job, I walked out of my rehearsal. I have been and always will be with my union members the WGA, SAG and DGA. In addition to our union artists, I am sensitive to the many people who “The strike has had an impact, and I hope for a quick and fair resolution, and that one day I’ll be able to work again with all the wonderful people I met on ‘DWTS’ who tolerated my dancing,” he said.
© Andrew Eccles Dancing with star pro Koko Iwasaki with her celebrity partner Matt Walsh
Shows like DWTS are covered by the SAG-AFTRA National Code of Fair Practices for Network Television Broadcasting, which allows them to air during the strike. It is separate from the collective agreement on film and television business that is currently under negotiation between SAG and the Alliance of Film and Television Producers (AMPTP), which has been ongoing for some time.
However, it was the WGA connection that put the show in the hot seat; the series employs a guild writer for the show, who assists with hosts Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribiera. The plan was for the pair to run the show entirely without a script, and ABC would rehire the writer when the strike ended.
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9-1-1 Lone Star’s Gina Torres praises fans for ‘amazing’ support for the strike- On the SAG picket lines with Succession’s Alan Rucka, Suits’ Gina Torres and more
9-1-1 Lone Star’s Gina Torres praises fans for ‘amazing’ support for the strike
On the SAG picket lines with Succession’s Alan Rucka, Suits’ Gina Torres and moreCelebrity dancers for this year include Alyson Hannigan from How I Met Your MotherAriana Madix from Vanderpump Rules and Tom “Scandoval” fame, comedian Lele Pons, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills husband of star Kyle Richards Mauricio Umansky, sister of Britney Spears Jamie Lynn Spears, The Brady Bunch alum Barry Williams, reality star Harry Jowsey and more.
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Why are actors on strike?
SAG-AFTRA member voted to strike on July 13, 2023.
In 2022, it was reported that the average hourly wage for a California actor was $27.73 per hour. But many working actors don’t work Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 86% of the 160,000 members don’t earn more than $25,950 in covered earnings (money that contributes to Social Security) a year, and therefore don’t qualify for health care insurance.
Actors also receive financial compensation when their TV shows are published, reruns, released on DVD or enjoyed on streaming services. The calculation is complex and can change depending on the initial contract, the length of time the actor has been a member of the guild and the type of production. As an example, Friends The cast—Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry—get 2% of syndication revenue for their hit WB series, which means they each earn about $20 million a year. But since streaming services like Netflix still refuse to share ratings, it becomes unclear how often content is played and lowers the calculation of an actor’s residuals.
Members of SAG and the Writers Guild of America are also fighting AMPTP to protect their work from artificial intelligence and fear the technology will replace humans.
The decision to postpone the screening comes as the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) continues to refuse to negotiate in good faith with the Writer’s Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild.
In addition to the impact on shows like Dancing with the Stars, the traditional model of network dramas that return to screens every September has also been affected.
Because of the strikes, many assumed that we would instead be looking at spring 2024 premiere dates and a shortened season of 13 lines for the most popular TV series. However, with strikes now entering their fifth month for the WGA and third for SAG, it’s becoming clear that there may not even be room for a shorter season and that many networks will push back the release of new seasons until September 2024.
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Source: HIS Education