Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty
The WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes—thanks to the AMPTP refusing to sign fair contracts for writers and actors—have put much of this year’s live television slate up in the air. Will I actually get to see Scheana Shay of Vanderpump Rules walk the Emmys red carpet in September, presumably wearing the color gold? Who knows!
Specifically, late-night talk and variety shows (with the exception of Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live) have taken the biggest hit. Network staples like Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert ceased production immediately after the Writers Guild of America announced their walkout in May. And prior to the SAG strike, film critic Bilge Olbiri pointed out on Twitter that the lack of late-night television was impeding movie stars’ ability to promote their summer films, leaving a gaping hole in the landscape.
Admittedly, I haven’t kept up with late-night TV since I was in high school, when Fallon’s star-studded games of beer pong seemed novel and amusing. However, over the past month, I’ve found myself incorporating late-night shows of the British variety into my nightly routine, particularly The Graham Norton Show. Before I go to bed, I’ll cue up an episode or a clip on YouTube and watch a cluster of A-list actors, musicians, and usually some British comedians I’m unfamiliar with squeeze onto a red suede couch and try to one-up each other with funny stories. I’ll laugh until my eyes eventually shut and wake up the next morning feeling great.