On the heels of Drew Barrymore, three other top daytime shows announced premiere dates amid the ongoing strikes.
“Sherri,” “The Talk” and “The Jennifer Hudson Show” will resume productions of their respective chat fests. And like Barrymore shared on Sunday, all of the shows will roll out new programming on Sept. 18. Other talkers such as Daytime Emmy Award winners “The View,” “Tamron Hall” and “Live with Kelly and Mark” are already airing new episodes.
Contract negotiations between major studios and streaming platforms and members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) remain at an impasse, leading production on most film and TV projects to shut down. Better pay, streaming data transparency and protections against technology advancements (artificial intelligence) are at the center of the two labor unions’ concerns.
The WGA has been on strike since May 2, while SAG-AFTRA has been on strike since July 14. During these labor actions, WGA writers cannot write or promote struck work, including talk shows like “The Talk,” while SAG-AFTRA members cannot promote any struck work if they appear on such shows.
Unlike “The Talk” and “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” Sherri Shepherd’s eponymous talk show didn’t go dark in May when the WGA began to strike. The nationally syndicated talker, which broadcasts live from New York City’s Chelsea Studios, announced in June that it would return on Sept. 18 for its second season.
A production source confirmed to the Daily News on Tuesday that “Sherri” did not employ WGA writers last season and will not this season.
According to EW, Hudson’s production plans to begin its season without writers, but will welcome WGA writers back once a new contract is ironed out.
“Sherri” announced Tuesday that host Wayne Brady, who recently came out as pansexual, will sit down for a daytime exclusive on the premiere episode. Shepherd will also introduce a “Funny Over 50″ nationwide search for funny women over the age 50.
