Both Bridgerton and Fallout are among the hottest shows within the streaming realm right now, and they’ve also dropped episodes within the past year. But that’s just about where the similarities end. The Regency era romance and the post-apocalyptic sci-fi series couldn’t be more different content-wise. However, they do have one key element in common, and you’ll never guess what it is.
Over a year later, we are finally seeing results of the Writers Guild Strike of 2023, more specifically the agreement to pay writers more compensation for streaming success. The new WGA contract allows for writers to receive bonuses on top of existing residuals. It was reported via IndieWire that writers for both Bridgerton and Fallout are among the first to see that extra money, and I didn’t see this coming.
What’s The Deal With This New WGA Contract?
This was an important provision for the writer’s union to push for in their negotiations. With the streaming revolution taking over TV in the past decade, content is being watched at a greater volume. However, many argued that the pay rate was not correlating. Even a show like Suits, which aired on network TV years ago, saw resurgences on streaming platforms. With that, there was a significant influx of viewers but, still, the same small residual checks remained.
It was enough for the writers to go on strike in 2023, and it would seem they’re finally they are seeing the fruits of their picket line labor. The new WGA contract stipulates that if a streaming show or movie attains 20% U.S. based viewership on its streaming platform in the first 90 days, then all the writers are entitled to bonuses of 50%, in addition to any existing residuals. For TV series, those bonuses can range between $9,000 and $16,500 per episode and, whoa, that’s a lot of moolah!
Which Shows Have Received Bonuses So Far?
It’s about time writers get their bag. However, I was quite surprised by the shows to first reach this threshold. Bridgerton and Fallout were among the lucky five to have received bonuses, with the others being Griselda (Netflix), Ted (Peacock) and Avatar: The Last Airbender (Netflix).
Bridgerton Season 3 was highly anticipated by fans of the high-society British drama It’s still one of the best shows on Netflix, even if I personally thought it wasn’t as good as Season 2. I must confess, I didn’t get past the first act of Season 3 of the Shondaland original, and I thought splitting it into two parts was a mistake. It seems the show succeeded in finding plenty of viewers, in spite of how it was released. Still, as the writers seek another big payday, I’d suggest they include more of Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley’s Anthony and Kate in the upcoming Season 4.
Fallout receiving bonuses is big news, as the number of video game adaptations increases. It’s still more of a game-based productions fluctuate in quality with audiences, so it’s great to see one thriving. The fact that the Ella Purnell led action-drama was so quickly consumed at a large volume might mean more mainstream exposure for other upcoming game adaptations. Despite being snubbed for acting-based Emmy nominations, this is a sure sign of success for the Prime-produced series, which has been renewed for a Season 2.
The remaining three shows were also much buzzed about, but I wouldn’t have predicted that Ted, Griselda or the live action The Last Airbender would be among the first shows to warrant bonuses. I would have expected the likes of Shōgun, Hacks, House of the Dragon, and Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story to appear on that list. Of course, one of the biggest areas of streaming, reality TV, goes unaccounted in this case, as they are unscripted.
Nevertheless, you can’t help but love to see TV shows thriving in such a way. And this is also a testament to the impact of those protests that swept across the entertainment industry in 2023.
