Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Thursday, May 4th, 2023
Apparently Tyler Perry doesn't much care for the WGA.
Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Thursday, May 4th, 2023.
A COUPLE OF PROGRAMMING NOTES
* There won't be a newsletter tomorrow. I'll be offline for the day spending time at the 100-mile yard sale. After a long Minnesota winter and battling some health issues, I need some fresh air and a day or two away from the computer. I may send out a shortened newsletter midday Sunday if events warrant it. And I'll be back Monday with a value-sized newsletter.
* Also, if you visit AllYourScreens.com over the next couple of weeks, you might notice some changes and updates. The entire site is getting a refreh and I'm rolling out changes incrementally. Tops on the list is the site search function, which is intermittently effective at best. Thanks in advance for your patience.
APPARENTLY TYLER PERRY DOESN'T MUCH CARE FOR THE WGA
It's possible to look at the success of Tyler Perry and his ability to build a successful black-owned studio and be very impressed with the results and with his work ethic. But like most people in show business, Perry harbors some grudges. And one of those grudges seems to involve the WGA
Tyler Perry is infamous within the industry for writing a lot of the episodes of television produced by his studio. The shows are mostly non-WGA and he has wrangled in the past with the union over pay and working conditions for the WGA writers that worked for him.
To give you a sense of where's Perry's head is at when it comes to the WGA, let me share this excerpt from a 2020 interview, in which he explains a bit about his impressions of the quality of writing and work ethic that comes from WGA writers:
I have to ask about your recent tweets. You shared a picture of a table piled high with scripts for eight different shows. All of them had your name on them as the writer. You’ve also bragged about not having a writers room. I was stunned — and frankly, as a writer, I was offended. I need backstory. I mean, I know about your work ethic. But to feel good about not having writers felt off.
So, when I first started my career, I got a deal with TBS. When it was time to staff, I went to DGA, SAG, and IATSE [unions representing directors, actors, and stagehands] and I told them, “TBS isn’t paying me the money upfront — I’m financing these shows myself. I’m not Sony, I’m not Disney; I need to work out a deal for pay rates.” They worked out great deals for me. At the time, I had a bunch of writers who were nonunion, and I was unhappy with every single script they wrote. They were not speaking to the voice. They just didn’t get it.
I thought all shows had to have unionized writers.
No. So I came to them. There was a Black woman lawyer I was negotiating with to get WGA [Writers Guild of America] writers on my show. I told her, “I can’t afford to pay those rates that every other studio pays. I need to structure differently.” It looked like the deal was going to go through so I fired the four writers and prepared to hire new writers through the WGA.
And all hell broke loose.
I’m getting calls that I fired writers for trying to unionize. What? I came to the WGA on my own to try to work with them! I fired the writers because they weren’t giving me what I wanted. Period. It was a mess. The press says I fired writers who were trying to unionize. Not true, and it pissed me off.
But that was a decade ago. How do you still not have a writers room?
I’m not done.
Continue!
Later on, my mom got sick. So I put a writers room in place for one of my shows. Now we’re a WGA show and I’m paying WGA rates. Scripts they’re turning in? Ratings are going down. So now I have to go in and give notes on how to rewrite them.
And you have to pay them again.
And if I still don’t like it, I have to pay them again for another rewrite.
But that’s how it works.
At one point, I thought they were submitting scripts that would need rewrites in order to get paid multiple times. And these are Black people.
Okay. But unions are doing what they’re supposed to do.
Fine, so can I get the scripts I want?
I’m sure the writers you want are out there.
I had a moment where I asked for a rewrite and the writer filed a grievance with the union. They felt like I was asking for too many changes and would never accept the script. I was furious.
Is this about the finances or the content?
All of it. Look, one year, we overpaid the WGA by a million dollars. They said, “Go get it from your writers. We’re not paying it.” It’s like, nah.
So no more writers room.
After dealing with all that bullshit? No. I ain’t doing it.
So I think it's fair to say we won't see Tyler Perry walking a WGA picket line anytime soon.
READER FEEDBACK ABOUT THE WRITERS STRIKE
I received a lot of thoughts from readers about the strike and will be including a selection of them in the daily newsletter as well as in my stand-alone pieces. If you have some feedback, you can email me at rick@allyourscreens.com. All comments will be anonymous unless you tell me otherwise:
I fully support the WGA and its demands. However, I think it is important to note that more WGA writers than ever are employed right now. Many of the first-time writers, often also young writers, who are upset about not being able to move up in position from staff writer, which I can understand is frustrating, or not getting time on set, would never have ever even gotten the initial staff writing job in the past ecosystem.
Similarly, many of the people who are upset about the pre-greenlit situation at streamers would have been unemployed--since most pilots do not go to series and most pilots are written by a very small number of writers. Also, many of the shows that streamers like Netflix greenlit would have never been greenlit in the past ecosystem. It would be interesting to get information on how many of the pre-greenlit series actually go on to series.
I am not saying the WGA demands are unreasonable just that they need to be understood in a greater context. I don't think the WGA is being forthright with its members in explaining that inevitably there is going to be a constriction in the business. Less writers will be employed after this. There will be less writers with better pay. I am sure a place like Netflix has a cap on overall writer pay for the year, and if they are going to give in to abolishing mini-rooms and raising minimums, etc... there will inevitably be less shows and less overall writers. Many of those first-time writers are Not going to go on with this career. But honestly, this is how it has long been. We all know people who were staffed once and that was it for them. The best go forward (most of the time) and the rest do not. There are exceptions of course-- like all businesses there are other factors involved like likeability, and the business has not been devoid of bias, discrimination and prejudice.
The oversaturation of shows has decreased the value of the writer and that is why writers are being paid less and being treated as less valuable. With abundance comes a decrease in desirability. So while writers lament the current situation, many of them should be celebrating that they were even able to work and be part of TV making in the first place as many of them would have never had a chance or been unemployed had the streamers not gone haywire in production volume.
I am in favor of the WGA demands because I think it will mean less bad shows. Less writers will be sharing money with shows and writers who should have never been there to begin with and would not have been in the past.
I am concerned that feature writers are being forgotten in the strike coverage. We have some issues that are as vital as the ones facing TV writers, but I don't see those concerns being addressed in the press.
I hope the writers stay on strike for a long time. Most of the stuff I see on TV is just woke crap that's trying to push an agenda. I remember back when cop shows featured cops who were good people, like Dragnet. And now every police show is filled with woke prosecutors and police who can do no right.
ODDS AND SODS
* AMPTP Responds To WGA Negotiating Proposals
* Our Linda Martindale recapped last night's episode of Riverdale.
* The unscripted series What Am I Eating? With Zooey Deschanel premieres Tuesday, May 23rd on Max.
* Season two of Kendra Sells Hollywood premieres May 26th on Max.
* Shemar Moore is returning to Young & The Restless for a special appearance on Monday, May 8th, in celebration of the show's 50th Anniversary.
* HGTV's Battle On The Beach returns for a new season on Sunday, June 4th.
TWEET OF THE DAY
WHAT'S NEW FOR WEDNESDAY:
* Animal Control Season Finale (Fox)
* Bupkis Series Premiere (Peacock)
* Call Me Kat Season Finale (Fox)
* Fix My Flip Season Premiere (HGTV)
* Flipping 101 With Tarek El Moussa Season Premiere (HGTV)
* Jackpot (Topic)
* Larva Family (Netflix)
* Look Into My Eyes (Sundance TV, AMC+)
* Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Sanctuary Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures Series Premiere (Disney+)
* The Other Two Season Three Premiere (HBO Max)
* Unicorns: Warriors Eternal Series Premiere (Adult Swim)
Click Here to see the list of all of the upcoming premiere dates for the next few months.
SEE YOU THURSDAY!
If you have any feedback, send it along to Rick@AllYourScreens.com and follow me on Twitter @aysrick.