If there’s one thing a successful protest needs, it’s punchy picket signs that’ll get people chuckling and resharing.
And who better to rise to the occasion than Hollywood TV and movie writers whose job it is to make every word count?
With witty protest signs in hand, the Writers Guild of America sprung into action on Tuesday (2 May) to strike against production studios that denied negotiations for higher wages and better working conditions.
Here’s a roundup of the best signs so far.
HBO’s hit family drama Succession appeared to be a common theme among several picketers.
“Logan Roy didn’t die on his own. A writer killed him off! (Spoiler alert),” read one, with a second similarly adding: “Without writers Logan Roy would be alive.”
Another read: “They have ludicrously capacious salaries. What’s even in there? $773m? Greg, it’s monstrous. It’s gargantuan.”
“Succession without writers is just The Apprentice and look how that worked out,” joked a fourth, alluding to Donald Trump’s US version of the reality series.
“Pay your writers or we’ll spoil Succession,” someone threatened.
A number made reference to the artificial intelligence debate – workers have become weary of the controversial technology taking over the writers’ room.
“Chat GPT doesn’t have childhood trauma,” read one tagline. “AI wrote the this sign,” added a second.
Someone wrote: “We know how much you love reboots, so we’re rebooting the 2007 writers’ strike.”
“Evil corruptions are a movie trope for a reason,” argued another.
“I like your offer as much as you like an angry female lead,” a second said.
It remains unclear how long the strike could continue, although some expect it to last months. In this case, the long-term implications could be major for many scripted projects. Find a list of TV shows affected here.
To learn more about why Hollywood writers are striking, read here and find out all the celebrities who have joined the picket lines here.
