Summary
- The impact of the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes on various shows is complex and depends on individual contracts and agreements.
- Critical Role and Dimension 20 are still in production and support the strikes because their contracts with SAG differ from the ones being struck.
- Critical Role and Dimension 20 are public in their support for the strikes, participating in picket lines and donating to support striking union members.
When the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes began, audiences started questioning whether their favorite entertainment media would be impacted. The answers are complex and vary on a case-by-case basis due to the nuances of established contracts and potential interim agreements. Tabletop-roleplaying game fans were especially unsure if the strikes would significantly impact actual-play shows like Critical Role and Dimension 20, since their cast rosters and crews heavily feature members of both unions. At the moment, both shows are still in production and are visibly and vocally supportive of the strikes. While this support may seem contradictory with continued production to some fans, it comes down to a few distinctions between the regulations for different types of media and the companies that produce them.
Struck Work Is All About Contracts
As the primary unions for entertainment writers and actors in the United States, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA work with a broad and diverse swath of companies on an equally expansive range of projects. The unions negotiate the terms and conditions of the contracts regarding these productions to ensure that their members' treatment, working conditions, and compensation meet the workers' needs and abide by all applicable labor laws. The current strikes are in response to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) rejecting the unions' proposals on contracted protections for their members. Their main concerns are regarding fair wages and residual payments in the mainstream shift from broadcast television to streaming services, transparency from streaming services regarding their viewership levels to negotiate those residuals, and safeguarding workers from the potential use of artificial intelligence programs to supplement or replace both writers and actors.
Since the production companies governing Critical Role and Dimension 20 aren't a part of or associated with the AMPTP, their contracts would have been negotiated separately and differently from struck work. Sam Reich, executive producer on Dimension 20 and CEO of the show's production company Dropout, spoke about Dropout's specific contract with SAG in a Twitter thread on August 8, 2023, updating followers on the company's response to the strike. Per Reich, Dropout's productions are governed by SAG's New Media Agreement for Non-Dramatic Programming, which isn't among the struck contracts at this time.
Dimension 20 And Critical Role Both Publicly Support The Strikes
Initially, the production process for Dimension 20 and other Dropout content was paused in response to the strikes. Sam Reich announced via Twitter on July 15, 2023, that Dropout was putting content production on hold until their legal team and leadership could clarify their standing with local union representatives. At the time, he assured fans that their shows would continue to air through the end of the calendar year as expected since they were already completed. In the update thread on August 8, he announced that production was back underway after communicating with and receiving clarification from union representatives.
Critical Role was less public with their process concerning whether their content would be struck. On July 13, 2023, they released a statement to Comicbook.com saying, "We fully support the strike and stand in solidarity with our fellow actors. Currently, our release schedule is not impacted by the strike, but we will continue to evaluate and take the necessary steps should it be impacted in the future." This implies that they determined their contract was not included in the struck categories, but they're willing to adapt should that fact change. The cast members were more vocal on their individual social media pages, voicing early and continued support for the strikes. A noticed lack of updates or content regarding The Legend of Vox Machina and the upcoming animated series based on the Mighty Nein from Campaign Two may be due to those projects falling under struck contracts.
Strike Support Isn't Limited To Content Production
Though they continue creating and airing content, Critical Role and Dimension 20 have chosen to support the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in other ways, especially given that many of the cast and crew are union members themselves. Cast members from both shows have joined several picket lines and posted their experiences on social media to raise and maintain awareness of the strikes. Many creators with large platforms are also doing what they can to assist strikers' morale and financial stability. Though Dropout's Game Changer submitted for an Emmy Award this year, they donated the $10,000 cost of a For Your Consideration campaign to the Entertainment Community Fund, which provides financial support to striking WGA and SAG-AFTRA members. Sam Reich matched this contribution with a personal donation of $10,000.
A Dungeons & Dragons-themed picketing day was held in late August, organized by WGA members Daphne Miles, Lindsey Allen, and Lauren Muir. Critical Role, Dropout, and Dungeons and Daddies each sponsored a local food truck to provide meals and beverages for workers on the picket lines, and cast members from the shows were present at the day's events. Strikers participated in themed activities that concluded outside Universal with a massive group combat session run by Dimension 20 Dungeon Master Brennan Lee Mulligan. The immense adventuring party faced down Jon Strahd, CEO of Ravenloft Studios, and the final boss, AMPTiamat, through collective action interpreting union activity via Dungeons & Dragons terminology.
Advancements in technology and the internet have led to a significant rise in independently made content, such as Dimension 20 and Critical Role. This puts continued pressure on the AMPTP to capitulate to the unions' demands, since audiences left bored without AMPTP-backed television shows and movies will turn to other work to entertain themselves. When independent creators and production studios agree to union-negotiated contracts that their corporate counterparts refuse, they get to reap the benefits of their practices by continuing to work and bring their projects to audiences nationwide. Tabletop-roleplaying game enthusiasts benefit similarly, in that they get to continue enjoying their favorite actual-play shows without interruption.