“Late Night With Seth Meyers” is breaking its own format in its first show back from the WGA strike. Instead of having any guests, next Monday’s episode will be an hour-long “Closer Look” segment.
This news comes in the wake of late night being allowed to return following the conclusion of the WGA strike. SAG-AFTRA remains on the picket lines, but on Tuesday, the deal between the WGA and the AMPTP was made public and striking writers were told they were allowed to return to work. A day later, the big five names in late night announced their return.
HBO’s “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” will be the first series of the five to return on Sunday. NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and “Late Night With Seth Meyers,” as well as ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and CBS’ “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” will follow suit on Monday. Additionally, HBO’s “Real Time With Bill Maher” will return Friday.
Though the deal between the WGA and the AMPTP has yet to be ratified, TV productions are starting to return to some degree of normalcy. Suspended deals with studios such as Disney Entertainment TV, Paramount Television Studios, Warner Bros. TV and NBCUniversal’s Universal Studio Group have started to be reinstated. Similarly, SAG-AFTRA will resume negotiations with the AMPTP on Monday, a week and a day after the writers’ guild and the organization came to a preliminary agreement.
After more than 140 days of striking, the two organizations reached an agreement on a new three-year contract. This proposed contract includes notable raises for writers, a 26% increase when it comes to residuals, minimum staffing requirements and protections on artificial intelligence. The deal has been widely praised by members of the WGA, who have called it “incredible” and “superb.”
The WGA has estimated that the total value of this deal is $233 million, a $147 million increase from the value of the deal first offered by the AMPTP.
