By MARK KENNEDY and ANDREW DALTON | AP Entertainment Writers
NEW YORK — TV’s late-night hosts are set to make their comeback, bringing back the flow of topical humor that had been silenced for five months due to the recently ended Hollywood writers’ strike. The hosts of popular shows like “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” and “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” have all announced their return, with most shows airing by Monday. John Oliver’s show, “Last Week Tonight,” is scheduled to come back on Sunday.
While late-night viewing declined significantly during the strike, comedy fans can look forward to the return of fresh and topical material from their favorite hosts. According to research firm Samba TV, late-night viewership saw a decline of 40% to 50% without the presence of Colbert, Fallon, and Kimmel.
During the strike, some late-night shows, like “The Daily Show,” relied on guest hosts to keep the audience entertained. As the strike nears its end, “The Daily Show” announced its return on October 16 with an all-star lineup of guest hosts.
The strike has had a major impact on late-night TV viewership, with a decline of 40% to 50%, as Ashwin Navin, co-founder of Samba TV, noted. It remains to be seen how late-night shows will regain their previous levels of relevance.
Fallon, Meyers, Kimmel, Colbert, and Oliver formed a popular podcast called “Strike Force Five” during the hiatus. Through the podcast, they raised funds to support their out-of-work writers. They recently announced the completion of their mission on Instagram.
While late-night hosts are making their return, scripted shows are expected to take longer to resume due to ongoing strikes by actors and a lack of negotiations on the horizon.
On Tuesday night, the writers union approved a contract agreement with studios, marking a historic return to production after almost five months. The three-year agreement addresses key issues raised by writers, including compensation, length of employment, staff size, and control of artificial intelligence.
The writers’ pay and future residual earnings from shows will see a minimum increase of 3.5% to 5%, exceeding the studios’ initial offer. The agreement also includes new residual payments for streaming shows based on popularity, addressing the concern of proper compensation for writers involved in highly-watched properties.
Follow Google NewsDenial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
