Daytime talk shows returning amid Hollywood strikes
"The View" is already back in production. "The Talk" and "The Jennifer Hudson Show" are set to return to studios as the strikes rage on.
Daytime talk shows are finally back … well, sort of. Amid the ongoing strikes in Hollywood, three popular conversation hours to enjoy with your morning cup of coffee are returning — and with them comes information on how they fall in or out of line with the current standstill in the entertainment industry.
Fall is around the corner, typically signaling the start of long-sleeve weather, kids’ return to school and yes, a brand-new television season. But as the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes rage on, the network TV landscape has dramatically shifted for the 2023-2024 season, with an emphasis on unscripted fare, game shows and reruns, while streamers continue to roll out a particularly massive back catalog of scripted content.
While many late-night shows employ WGA staff and are currently on hiatus, some daytime shows don’t use the union’s writers, and others have decided to move forward without their writers. Additionally, under a separate contract referred to as “the network code,” SAG-AFTRA members are allowed to continue their hosting duties, as The Hollywood Reporter details in a new report.
Below are some of the shows returning to your screens this month.
‘The View’
One weekday talkfest you can still count on for hot topics, politics, news and interviews is ABC’s beloved panel series, “The View.” Unlike some other shows, “The View” was in production as the WGA strike went into effect. Immediately, moderator Whoopi Goldberg addressed the matter with the audience, saying the show was moving forward without its writers, expressing support for everyone to get “a fair deal” and explaining that instead of reading off the teleprompter, the hosts would use their own written cue cards.
“The View” kicked off its 27th season last week, but EGOT winner Goldberg had COVID-19, and only returned this Monday. The “Ghost” actress once again addressed the overjoyed audience at the top of the show, telling them, “I missed you too!”
The panel for the 2023-24 season includes Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Ana Navarro and Alyssa Farah Griffin.
“The View” airs weekdays, 11 a.m.-noon ET on ABC.
‘The Jennifer Hudson Show’
The newest talk hour returning this season is “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” the syndicated daytime show that premiered last year with the Academy Award winner interviewing various celebrities in music and Hollywood circles.
As Entertainment Weekly reported, the series is coming back without its WGA staffers, but there are plans in place to “bring WGA writers back once a new contract is established.” Like Goldberg on “The View,” Hudson, while in SAG-AFTRA, is still permitted to host her show due to the network code.
“The Jennifer Hudson Show” is set to return on Monday, Sept. 18.
“The Drew Barrymore Show,” which also has a famous entertainer as the face, also announced its return this week, although the series and its star were met with immediate backlash from Hollywood. The “Charlie’s Angels” actress released a statement claiming ownership of the decision to continue her series without writers, saying, “I own this choice. We are in compliance with not discussing or promoting film and television that is struck of any kind. We launched live in a global pandemic. Our show was built for sensitive times and has only functioned through what the real world is going through in real time.”
The Writers Guild East swiftly released a statement, per Variety, saying Barrymore’s show was indeed covered by the WGA and is a struck show moving forward without writers. “The Guild has, and will continue to picket struck shows that are in production during the strike,” it reads. “Any writing on ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ is a violation of WGA strike rules.
‘The Talk’
Like “The View,” “The Talk” is yet another panel show returning this fall without its writers. The current panel, which includes Sheryl Underwood, Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, Amanda Kloots, Jerry O’Connell and Natalie Morales, will return with a Monday, Sept. 18 premiere, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Unlike “The View,” “The Talk” went dark when the WGA went on strike this year and has since been on hiatus. While information regarding how the show will move forward without writers has not been spelled out, the show also works under the network code, allowing the panelists in SAG-AFTRA to continue their hosting duties.
“The Talk” airs Monday through Friday, 11 a.m.-noon PT on CBS.
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