The prevailing maxim of the so-called Golden Age of Television is that TV is a writer's medium. Everybody says so: Longtime film stars explain their jump to the smaller screen by hailing the richness of the storytelling and expanded opportunity to inhabit a character and their stories. Viewers pore over scenes and dialogue with a level of attentiveness once reserved for great literature. Streamers and channels are constantly on the hunt for the next great prestige project.
All this elevated praise comes back to the writing, but from the perspective of Writers Guild of America members, those high compliments aren't translating to economic returns that TV scribes can live on. This is why as of 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, May 2, the WGA is officially on strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
