WHEN TV WRITERS were trying to stay afloat through last year's strikes-and not everyone ultimately could-they kept their eyes on 2024, with visions of plentiful writers rooms and new series pickups dancing in their heads. Instead, they have returned to an industry gripped by low-level paralysis. "It's brutal out there," says Alyssa Clark, a writer on Servant and The 100.
"Most of my acquaintances are taking other jobs to survive." Is this their reward for surviving widespread layoffs, a crippling pandemic, and dual strikes? Can this really be the new normal? "I just don't sleep," says Gideon Yago, who's written for The Newsroom and The Mosquito Coast. "These last couple of months have been the hardest.
I haven't had a single conversation with anyone in the industry that hasn't expressed fear and frustration. That's really, really bad when you're in the enchantment and entertainment business." Insiders have differing opinions about what to call the gray cloud hanging over Hollywood right now. Some believe it's a temporary slowdown sparked by worry that the essential blue-collar workers in the union IATSE will strike this summer.
Some think it's a much-needed course correction after a streaming war in which studios actually seemed to compete to lose money. Some think-and this is the scariest option-it's a permanent contraction. "Before we went into the strikes, we were already facing a moment where, because of corporate consolidation, mergers and acquisitions, and a lot of uncertainty, a lot of buyers were unclear on what their fiscal and creative mandates were," says Lee Hollin, EVP of television and head of current programming at Lionsgate.
Denne historien er fra June 2024-utgaven av Vanity Fair US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra June 2024-utgaven av Vanity Fair US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
SETTING THE STAGE
Before they conquered Hollywood, George Segal, Peter Falk, Roy Scheider, and Wayne Rogers were some of the finest-though perhaps not the finest-stage actors in New York. WAYNE LAWSON, who knew them when, revisits a golden era that revolutionized American theater
HOPE AND CHANGE?
As the threat of another Trump presidency looms, AMERICA TURNS ITS EYES TO THE OBAMAS, who remain two of the most important politicians in the world-whether they like it or not
The Natural
Comedy, singing, scandal, attempted murder: Meghann Fahy, the breakout star of The White Lotus and now The Perfect Couple, can do it all
FULL-COURT PRESS
Microsoft made him one of the richest men alive. Now STEVE BALLMER is chasing one of the few prizes money (alone) can't buy: an NBA championship for his team, the Los Angeles Clippers, whose staggeringly expensive state-of-the-art arena opens this summer
THE TWISTED LOVE STORY OF JOSE AND LADDY BETTY
A 95-year-old diamond heiress and her much younger genderfluid spouse became social media stars. Was theirs a feelgood romance for the agesor something far darker?
CONSIDER
NO ONE KNOWS CANDIDATE ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.'S PROBLEMATIC HISTORY BETTER THAN HIS FAMILY. JOE HAGAN TALKS TO THAT RELUCTANT INNER CIRCLE ABOUT KENNEDY'S PAST AND THE STAKES FOR AMERICA'S FUTURE
Paris When It Sizzled
IN 1973, FIVE AMERICAN DESIGNERS AND 36 MODELS DESCENDED ON THE CITY OF LIGHT FOR WHAT WOULD BECOME AN ERA-DEFINING FASHION SHOW-AND WITH THEM WAS PHOTOGRAPHER BILL CUNNINGHAM. HERE, AN EXCLUSIVE LOOK AT HIS TREASURE TROVE OF LARGELY UNSEEN PHOTOS, PUBLISHED TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME
JENNA ORTEGA'S YEAR OF WONDER
THE BREAKOUT STAR OF WEDNESDAY SETTLES INTO FAME AND WITH A BEETLEJUICE SEQUEL ON THE HORIZON GETS READY FOR MORE OF IT
Playing It STRAIGHT
Dynamic young stars have broken out in queer roles. Should their own sexuality matter?
Another COUNTRY
Searching for James Baldwin in the South of France
