Back to Work: When TV Shows Are Returning to Production Post-Strikes

With more than six months of labor action in the rearview mirror, the industry is preparing to restart dozens of productions that were halted as writers and actors sought new and better contracts from studios and streamers.

The end of the SAG-AFTRA strike on November 9 gave actors the freedom to return to work (although union members must still ratify the deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers), and also ushered in the beginning of the preparatory work for a TV series presenter. Media companies are prioritizing running their broadcasts before the holidays, hoping to salvage the back end of the network season. Writers rooms have been open for about six weeks, following the end of the Writers Guild of America strike on September 27.

NBC comedy Night Court, produced by Warner Bros. TV and Universal Television, will be one of the first shows to return to work; Filming is scheduled to resume the week of November 13. A number of other shows, including those from CBS FBI franchise and NBC’s Chicago dramas (all of which come from mega-producer Dick Wolf’s Wolf Entertainment), look to roll cameras the week after Thanksgiving.

Starting in the coming weeks, there should be plenty of time for network series to premiere in the first quarter of 2024. Most shows will shorten their seasons to a range of 10 to 13 episodes, instead of the more typical 18 to 22 for a broadcast . .

The dates listed below are subject to change depending on (among other things) how long the preparation time for a particular show may take. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

Week of November 13th

Night Court (NBC, Warner Bros. Television/Universal Television)

Week of November 27

Abbott Elementary (ABC, WBTV/20th Television)
Chicago Fire (NBC, UTV)
Chicago Med (NBC, UTV)
Chicago PD (NBC, UTV)
Young Sheldon (CBS, WBTV)

November to be determined

Bob Hearts Abishola (CBS, WBTV)
FBI (CBS, UTV/CBS Studios)
FBI: International (CBS, UTV/CBS Studios)
FBI: Most Wanted (CBS, UTV/CBS Studios)
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC, ABC Signature)
The Irrational (NBC, UTV)
Law and Order (NBC, UTV)
Law and Order: SVU (NBC, UTV)
Quantum Leap (NBC, UTV)
The Rookie (ABC, Entertainment One/ABC Signature)
Tracker (CBS, 20th)

Late November-early December

Blue Bloods (CBS, CBS Studios)
CSI: Vegas (CBS, CBS Studios)
The Equalizer (CBS, UTV/CBS Studios)
Fire Country (CBS, CBS Studios)
Ghosts (CBS, CBS Studios/Lionsgate/BBC)
NCIS (CBS, CBS Studios)
NCIS: Hawai’i (CBS, CBS Studios)
The Neighborhood (CBS, CBS Studios)
So Help Me Todd (CBS, CBS Studios)

December

All American (The CW, WBTV)
Will Trent (ABC, 20th)

January

911 (ABC, 20th)
All American: Homecoming (The CW, WBTV)