Warren Leight: Last News

EXCLUSIVE: The Writers Guild of America has opened investigations on both coasts into complaints by members of delayed and smaller than usual residual checks.

This is Day 116 of the SAG-AFTRA strike.

The ongoing talks between the WGA and the AMPTP continued to look promising through the weekend, but the writers couldn’t help but have fun with the studios’ claim that they made their “best and final offer.”

Labor Day traditionally signals the end of summer and puts the TV industry into fall mode, focusing on the launch of the new broadcast season. While broadcast is no longer the only — or even the main — game in town, Labor Day has remained that threshold after summer vacations when the TV business kicks into high gear.

The scene outside Silvercup Studios on Thursday was the same as it has been for weeks.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Members of the Directors Guild of America have until Friday to vote on their new contract, and those contacted this week by Variety were overwhelmingly voting yes. In interviews, members noted the contract includes significant gains in residuals, creative rights, safety provisions and working hours. But several also indicated that they have no interest in compounding Hollywood’s labor strife. Most directors and below-the-line DGA members have been out of work since the Writers Guild of America strike began on May 2. “I’ve been around long enough that is a pretty good deal, and I’d like to get back to work,” said Matt Rebenkoff, who has worked as a first assistant director on “Don’t Look Up,” and “Jumanji: The Next Level.”

Ryan Murphy is responding allegations.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter As WGA pickets continue to mobilize at the remaining TV shows in both New York and Los Angeles, at least one Ryan Murphy-produced show was the focus of striking writers’ efforts on Wednesday: “American Horror Story: Delicate.” The show is currently shooting on 52nd street in Manhattan, according to several WGA East member Twitter feeds — including one person who posted video of star Kim Kardashian entering the production. “It doesn’t appear that @KimKardashian is a friend of the labor movement. She just now crossed our picket line to work on Ryan Murphy’s @AHSFX Hamptons, shooting here on 52nd in NYC,” wrote “The Blacklist” exec producer and WGA strike captain T Cooper on his Twitter account.

As one of Reality TV’s royal family crossed the line, striking film and television writers joined forces on Wednesday in New York City with another group of culture workers involved in a pay dispute: musicians. 

Striking writers in New York made a bid on Monday to disrupt work on American Horror Story by picketing outside a production facility in Queens where the popular FX series known for its macabre plot lines and star-studded casts is filming season 12.

The last time WGA picket lines formed in 2007, writers didn’t have an efficient way to communicate with fellow strikers about group meet-ups, illegal productions, and all those clever placards. The only place they could turn to for regular information was this very space, in which the late Nikki Finke would post regular missives about strike action, the broken-off negotiations and the financial impact of the 100-day work stoppage.

Showtime’s The Chi is the latest series whose production has been disrupted by the ongoing writers strike. According to sources, the hit drama, which is based in Chicago, filmed Friday morning before moving to another location, which had a picket line already in place.

A targeted picketing campaign by the WGA East has made a significant impact on the New York set of Daredevil: Born Again; Deadline has learned from a source on the show that production has been suspended for the rest of the week.

The presence of picketers has temporarily shuttered another production, this time in Philadelphia.

Daredevil: Born Again, Marvel’s upcoming revival on Disney+, is the latest New York-based TV series whose production has been disrupted by the WGA strike.

Another TV shoot has been disrupted by striking writers, Michelle and Robert King’s supernatural drama for Paramount+ Evil, which has been filming its fourth season at Brooklyn Stages in Brooklyn.

At Amazon Ads NewFront presentation Monday, James Marsden took the stage to talk about his new Freevee comedy series Jury Duty, Tracee Ellis Ross was there to discuss her collaboration with Amazon Live on her beauty care line, and writer-producer Shea Serrano spoke about his upcoming Freevee series Primo.

[Warning: Major spoilers ahead]The actress — who generated fandom shockwaves when she announced her mysterious departure from the NBC franchise — is also slated to appear in the penultimate episode of the spin-off “Law & Order: Organized Crime,” TVLine reported.Giddish will reportedly be accompanied by a surprise, uh, guest when she returns to Dick Wolf’s enduring police procedural.Yes, Detective Rollins will arrive on the crime scene — pregnant, sources confirmed exclusively to the outlet.The fan favorite first revealed her unexplained exit via an emotional social media message in August 2022.“I wanted to address the chatter I’ve seen online and let everyone know that this will, indeed, be my last season on ‘Law & Order: SVU.’ Playing Rollins has been one of the greatest joys and privileges of my life,” Giddish, 42, wrote on Instagram at the time.“Playing Rollins has been one of the greatest joys and privileges of my life. I’ve been so fortunate to be a part of the ‘Law & Order’ family for the last 12 years.”Her shocking exit was reportedly not her decision — with some industry sources revealing that she was forced out.Showrunner David Graziano — who replaced Warren Leight after Season 23 and has faced claims of on-set bullying and sexual harassment — responded to the news after outraged fans started tagging him in social media rants.

Richard Belzer was a cornerstone of Law & Order: SVU when the L&O spinoff launched in 1999; he was a main cast member, playing a characters fans already knew and loved, cynical detective John Munch who had originated on Homicide: Life on the Street. Following the news of Belzer’s death at age 78, his SVU co-costars and producers took to social media to remember him.

Penelope Koechl will be this year’s recipient of the WGA East’s Richard B. Jablow Award for Devoted Service to the Guild. The honorary award will be presented at the 75th annual Writers Guild Awards ceremony at New York’s Edison Ballroom on March 5. 

Kelli Giddish has said goodbye and thanks to fans of Rollins ahead of her final episode Thursday on Law & Order: SVU.