Now that virtually all TV shows have been shut down due to the coronavirus scare, what happens to those people whose paychecks just dried up but whose rent, mortgages and child care obligations need to be met? Rob McElhenney — the writer, producer and actor who moved from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia to the Lionsgate Television series Mythic Quest broadcast on Apple + only to see its second season halt production for two weeks — has challenged the studios behind all shows to keep paying people during shut-downs he fears could last a lot longer than half a month.
This will be an obvious next chapter of coverage of this global pandemic, as it relates to Hollywood. To make it easier than trying to follow the string of messages he wrote on his Twitter feed, I’ve bundled them together. His hope is that other showrunners will weigh in and work toward easing the financial burden this is bound to have on workers on shows who are living paycheck to paycheck. Here goes:
“Here is what the most powerful people in our industry can do to help those in our community who need it most: Convince the studios to continue paying people during the shut-downs. This is a very complicated issue. First off……
The studios who have not committed to continuing payroll are NOT evil. There are many factors that have to be reconciled and it’s easy to be on one side of things and make judgments. The truth is that continued payment for an indefinite period is untenable, but…
Recognizing that this won’t be over in two weeks, a month, three months — we’re all going to have to, at some point decide what a responsible return to work will look like. This is what we came up with. Hope it helps…
Mythic Quest is going down for two weeks. Hopefully that slows the curve of this thing and buys the healthcare system some time. Then, barring major developments we will create a protocol of medical clearance for each and every person to return. Including…
Medics doing exams on everyone before return and then remaining on set for continued vigilance. The sets will be properly sterilized in accordance with CDC guidelines and we’ll all be keeping up with basic common sense measures…
Make no mistake, this is not ideal. A complete quarantine of a few months would be best. But that’s not going to happen without a total restructuring of life as we know it. So, taking ALL of that into account, 2 weeks seems right. This would be a major hit to the studios and the producers. But so many of us have profited and benefited from this system in astronomical ways. It is times like this when we all have to make sacrifices. Especially for those who helped us to profit and benefit. The upsides here aren’t just for those getting their checks. Thousands are living week to week which means that they will be forced to seek employment. Which means they’ll be out in the world, putting others at risk. And who can blame them? They need to provide for themselves and their families.
I am close with many people in positions of authority that can actually make this happen, but it’s a reality that they’re in a competitive market. If they make the decision to take the hit, they have to answer to their bosses who have bosses who answer to shareholders. Not easy.
“This only really works if EVERYBODY makes the commitment to help. Just shutting down without a plan is not an option. I am so fortunate that I am in a position to help. I wouldn’t be here without the support of an entire community. No one in my position is. So to my fellow Hollywood types — I’m sure you’ve been consumed by this already and have probably enacted some kind of plan to protect your teams. But if not, it’s time. If you’d like to discuss in further detail, slide on into my DMs.”