The 2023 Writers Guild of America strike lasted a whopping 148 days, becoming the second-longest strike in the labor union's history. From May 2 to Sept. 27, 2023, Hollywood writers were on strike after disputes with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) involving demands for higher pay and fair residuals, mandatory writer staffing, and protection from the threat of AI technologies. The strike impacted a slew of hit TV shows, including Abbott Elementary, Stranger Things, Saturday Night Live, The Handmaid's Tale, Severance, Hacks, and The Orville.

The Season 3 finale of the latter show premiered on Aug. 4, 2022, about nine months before the historic WGA strikes. From creator Seth MacFarlane (who donated a total of $6 million to the Entertainment Community Fund during the strikes), The Orville acts as a funny but heartfelt Star Trek spoof of sorts set 400 years in the future and follows the trials and tribulations of a starship crew, made up of both humans and aliens,...