GH’s temporary writing team steps in!
…By now most of the General Hospital audience is aware of the film industry’s current state of affairs. Since May, the WGA has been on strike. Contract negotiations between the WGA and the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producer) are at a standstill. As a result, the GH writing team strikes along with the entire WGA.
Basically, writers aren’t writing without an updated agreement with the AMPTP. It’s as simple as that. Additionally, the arts stick together as the actors support their writing team.
What does this mean for General Hospital, the writers, the actors, and even the fans? Well, the actors film scenes like rapid fire, knocking out multiple scenes/episodes. Early call times and late night dismissals are typical of a soap opera actor. Because of this, there’s an estimated 6 weeks or so of episodes filmed ahead of time. Previous GH spoilers and news reports confirmed that the strike began on May 2nd. During this time, the episodes were still written by GH’s official team. However, they’ve now run out of episodes, and the strike has not been settled.
Due to the ongoing negotiations, General Hospital news and spoilers reveal the GH writing team’s last aired episode. Last week, GH writer, Shannon Peace took to Instagram to make an announcement. Peace revealed that Thursday’s episode was the writing teams last until things are resolved.
GH’s Temporary Writing Team Steps In
According to General Hospital spoilers, there’s about to be some changes in Port Charles. GH writer Shannon Peace made a statement regarding the on-going negotiations and shed some light on the situation. She explained, “My episode that aired Thursday, July 20 was my final until the strike is over. Starting Tuesday, the writing team of GH will be watching alongside fans to see what happens… for the sake of the fans, I hope the show is in capable writing hands. But I have to also acknowledge the pain of knowing that characters we’ve developed, relationships we built and stories we planned are being handled by others. Still, my hope is that if you love GH, you’ll continue to watch. You can morally support the writers AND keep the show the air!”
In addition, Peace penned thoughtful insight and harsh reality regarding the situation. She added, “Daytime writers face a unique conflict during strikes. We hate to see our characters and storylines handed over to ‘writers’ who cross the picket line. But we are also keenly aware that stopping production could spell the demise of the soap operas. Hoping that the AMPTP does the right thing soon, not just for writers, but for the integrity of the storytelling.”
Episodes written by replacement writers begin on Tuesday, July 25th. Peace admits that these storylines may or may not follow the long story course that is provided by the Head Writers. Right now, the direction this is going is anyone’s guess.
We pray for these organizations to reach an understanding. So much is at stake as careers are in jeopardy. Moreover, these shows are so important to the fans. Please check back with General Hospital Blog for updates and developments regarding the WGA strike.
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