The 2023 WGA writers strike has finally come to an end, nearly 150 days after it began. While the fall TV schedule is a lot emptier than usual as a result of the strike, some of network television’s biggest shows are on the verge of opening up their writers rooms again. That’s good news for ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and Abbott Elementary, among others, but a different ABC series has been cancelled after a long wait for news.
Home Economics Cancelled
Home Economics aired its Season 3 finale back in January with no news of whether or not it would have a future. The comedy avoided ABC’s spring cancellation bloodbath, which included Big Sky and Hilary Swank’s Alaska Daily, and wasn’t announced as ending along with The Wonder Years in mid-September. Like The Rookie: Feds and The Good Lawyer, Home Economics‘ fate wasn’t decided by the beginning of the WGA strike or when the SAG-AFTRA actors began striking over the summer.
Sadly, the sitcom has gotten the axe just after WGA and AMPTP struck a deal to end the writers strike, despite the wrinkle that once seemed promising for a Season 4. Now, Deadline reports that while Home Economics has been cancelled, The Good Lawyer and The Rookie: Feds have not had their fates decided just yet. You can revisit the three seasons of the Topher Grace comedy streaming with a Hulu subscription, but no Season 4 is happening.
That said, there is good news coming out of ABC regarding its scripted shows!
Grey’s Anatomy, Abbott Elementary And More Will Begin Writing
The end of the strike means that writers rooms are finally able to reopen across the major broadcast networks. Deadline reports that a number of ABC shows are expected to begin writing during the week of Monday, October October 2, including Grey’s Anatomy, Abbott Elementary, and 9-1-1, the last of which was cancelled by Fox and rescued by ABC back in May. The writers rooms opening of course don’t mean that production will start ASAP, as the SAG-AFTRA strike continues.
Still, if we assume that the actors strike ends sooner rather than later, then earlier reports suggested that dramas could be filming within 8-10 weeks and comedies within 6-8 weeks. It’s not impossible that shows could return before the end of the year, but seems safe to say that some of the biggest may not be back until midseason.
While that’s not a huge blow for shows like Law & Order: Organized Crime that were already scheduled for midseason, it would be a huge delay for the shows that usually get 20+ episode orders. It’s apparently still possible for shows to receive adjusted orders for up to 13 episodes at most, but there are still a lot of variables. Fans can at least celebrate the news that some shows, including Grey’s and Abbott, will have the writers back at work soon, and hope that a deal is struck with SAG-AFTRA in the not-too-distant future.