David Simon, Creator Of The Wire, On AI, Television and the WGA Strike
Consider This from NPR
NPR
4.2 • 6.2K Ratings
🗓️ 22 May 2023
⏱️ 12 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with veteran TV writer David Simon about the strike and the changing business practices in the entertainment industry.
And writer and cultural critic Emily St. James explains how the 2007 WGA strike may have saved the life of an iconic character in Breaking Bad.
In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.
Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | It's been nearly three weeks since Hollywood writers went on strike, sending late-night |
| 0:12.0 | comedy shows and soap operas into reruns, while others, cryptid shows, with longer |
| 0:16.6 | turnarounds are braced to feel the effects of the walkouts. |
| 0:19.6 | Now, if you were looking at the strike from the perspective of a TV fan, waiting on new |
| 0:24.0 | episodes, and if you were also a fan about 15 years ago, this moment might feel familiar. |
| 0:29.9 | So, what was unusual about the 2007-2008 strike was it happened right in the middle of the |
| 0:35.9 | production season for TV shows. |
| 0:38.1 | Emily St. James is a TV writer and culture critic. |
| 0:41.6 | Today, she is a member of the writer's Guild of America. |
| 0:44.9 | During the 2007 strike, she covered the TV beat for a California paper. |
| 0:49.3 | Lost was airing at the time. |
| 0:51.2 | Each one of us was brought here for a reason. |
| 0:54.5 | And her brother, Sir, Sir. |
| 0:57.5 | The island. |
| 0:58.5 | The rose was airing at the time. |
| 1:00.4 | The girl. |
| 1:01.4 | You have to save her. |
| 1:02.4 | Friday night lights was airing at the time. |
| 1:04.4 | The hot, the hot, skyloos! |
| 1:08.1 | So many memories. |
| 1:09.3 | Well, each of those shows had their seasons cut short, or they went on hiatus. |
| 1:14.0 | Plotlines were interrupted or abandoned, and on breaking bad, at least one character's |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from NPR, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of NPR and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.