How Soap Operas Are Affected By The WGA Strike Ending

The Writers Guild of America strike has ended after 148 days. The WGA West and council of the WGA East voted to lift the strike order at 12:01 a.m. PT today, Wednesday, September 27. A tentative agreement on a new contract means writers can return to work. Soap opera fans will be happy to know that the new agreement includes details that may affect their daytime dramas.

How the WGA Strike Resolution Affects Soap Operas

How were the soaps affected during the strike? While some felt the pace on General Hospital had picked up under the interim writers, others feel that there hasn’t been much noticeably different on the daytime soaps. In fact, Days of our Lives, which tapes several months ahead, has yet to stream any material written during the strike.

The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful both had fi-core writers who were already with their shows, and they continued to write them during the strike. Fi-core WGA members are members who’ve declared “financial core” status with the WGA. They can continue to work during strikes but aren’t eligible to run for office at the WGA, nor are they eligible to win WGA Awards.

Happy Days Are Here Again

The news of the strike ending was, naturally, met with joy by daytime writers. “What a difference solidarity makes,” posted Michel Val Jean, a B&B writer, on X (formerly known as Twitter). “A big thank you to our awesome Negotiating Committee. You guys rock. #WGAStrong.”

Actress Jessica Collins expressed her feelings about the resolution in an Instagram post.

“So happy for my #WGA brothers and sisters. And a special shout out to all the writers (especially my handsome fella!) still showing up on the picket lines to support a fair contract for @sagaftra. I’m hopeful we can all get back to work soon! #togetherwearestronger #solidarity #sagaftrastrong #wgastrong.”

How Soap Operas Are Affected

The new three-year contract between the WGA and producers includes an issue specifically addressing soaps and possible moves they may make to streaming platforms in the future. Former Y&R writer Sarah Bibel, who was active on picket lines during the strike, posted on X, “There’s what can only be called a ‘Days of Our Lives clause’ in the new WGA deal #WGAstrong #DAYS.”

The scribe is referring to a statement in the new contract that reads, “For high budget daytime serials that move to SVOD [which stands for Subscription Video On Demand], Company must give notice and negotiate with Guild for all terms and conditions, including initial compensation and residuals.” This likely means that if any other soaps were to go to streaming platforms such as Hulu or Paramount Plus, the shows would negotiate appropriate compensation for its writers.