After nearly five months of striking, union leaders and Hollywood studios have reached a tentative agreement to end the historic screenwriters strike in Los Angeles. The Writers Guild of America announced the deal on Sunday, following five days of renewed talks between negotiators from the guild and an alliance of studios, streaming services, and production companies. However, this deal does not include a resolution for striking actors, and talks have not yet resumed between studios and the actors' union.

The terms of the three-year contract agreement have not been immediately disclosed, and it must still be approved by the guild's board and members before the strike officially comes to an end. The tentative deal is reminiscent of the agreement reached in 2008, which was approved by more than 90% of the members.

The conclusion of the writers strike means that nightly network shows like NBC's "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" could potentially return to the air within days. However, the strike has left crew members unemployed for the time being.

Negotiations between the writers and studios resumed on Wednesday after a month-long hiatus. Chief executives, including Bob Iger of Disney, Ted Sarandos of Netflix, David Zaslav of Warner Bros. Discovery, and Donna Langley of NBCUniversal, reportedly participated directly in the negotiations. The strike began on May 2 when approximately 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America walked off the job, citing issues such as pay, writing staff sizes, and the use of artificial intelligence in script creation.

The strike immediately impacted late-night talk shows and "Saturday Night Live," sending them into hiatus. Additionally, dozens of scripted shows and other productions were put on hold, including highly anticipated series like Netflix's "Stranger Things," HBO's "The Last of Us," and ABC's "Abbot Elementary," as well as films like “Deadpool 3” and "Superman: Legacy." The Emmy Awards were also rescheduled from September to January.

Recently, writers had been targeting talk shows that were circumventing strike rules to return to air, such as "The Drew Barrymore Show," "Real Time With Bill Maher," and "The Talk." However, these shows reversed their decisions in response to picketing and pressure from the writers.

The strikes by both writers and actors have marked a significant moment in Hollywood, as creative labor clashed with executives in an industry transformed by technology. Screenwriters have historically gone on strike more than any other group in the industry, but they had enjoyed a relatively long period of labor peace until negotiations for a new contract fell apart earlier this year. This strike is their first since 2007 and the longest since 1988.

On July 14, more than two months into the strike, the writers received support from 65,000 striking film and television actors, joining forces for the first time since 1960. In that previous strike, the writers strike began before the actors and ended after them. However, this time, the studios opted to address the writers' demands first. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, representing employers in negotiations, initially proposed renewing negotiations in August. However, the talks were unproductive and went silent for another month.

After reaching a tentative agreement with the writers, the AMPTP will likely turn its attention to resuming talks with the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), which represents around 65,000 actors. The simultaneous strikes by the two unions have greatly impacted California's economy since the film and television industry accounts for over 700,000 jobs and nearly $70 billion in wages each year, according to the California Film Commission.

Shared issues between the writers and actors include increasing residual payments from streaming services and concerns about the use of artificial intelligence. The writers argue that the streaming model has endangered the livelihood of middle-class writers, leading to intermittent and inconsistent work. They also cite staffing cuts and the shrinking of writers' rooms. The WGA demanded higher residual payments and more transparency in streaming viewership data.

The strike, which began on May 2, is the second-longest in WGA history, lasting 145 days. The WGA has emphasized the need for sustainable employment for television writers, who face challenges due to shorter seasons and the gig-like nature of their work. The AMPTP, in response, contended that most television writers receive guaranteed weeks or episodes, producing credits, and substantial benefits, including pension contributions and healthcare.

While the strike's end is a positive development for the industry, further negotiations and resolutions are still needed to address the concerns of striking actors.