Late-night TV shows were the first to come to a halt, and other serials are expected to have shortened seasons as a result. Just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, there were 532 scripted TV shows that were broadcast or streamed the year before—an all-time high. But the primacy of streaming is also the reason why TV writers are now threatening to go on strike. TV producers hold massive financial power in an industry whose cultural influence sweeps across the world. It’s that simple.”The last time TV writers went on strike, it lasted a whopping 100 days and cost the economy of Los Angeles more than $2 billion.