This is where we will end our coverage of the tentative deal struck between the Writers Guild of America and the Motion Picture and Television Producers union

If you'd like to keep across this story:

• Check out our main story here
• Take a look at which shows will return here
• Read about why writers are concerned about AI here
• Find out which studio is advertising AI jobs here

Today's live coverage was brought to you by editors Nathan Williams, Jamie Whitehead, Alexandra Fouché, Brandon Livesay and Marianna Brady, with writers Ben Morris, Jacqueline Howard, Ali Abbas Ahmadi and Nadia Ragozhina.

• A tentative deal has been struck between a major US screenwriters union and studio bosses that could end strike action
• Writers have been on strike since 2 May, almost 150 days
• The details of the deal haven't been made public yet, but we hear they address writers' demands over protections from AI and better residual pay from streaming companies
• Productions such as Stranger Things and The Handmaid's Tale have been on pause due to the strikes
• Some shows, like The Last of Us, have said work writing future seasons will resume once the deal is formalised
• Actors are holding similar strike action, which began in July and is remains under way

Image source, Netflix

The Last of Us, Billions, Stranger Things, The Handmaid's Tale, Hacks, Severance, Yellowjackets and Abbott Elementary, as well as Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show, are among the major US TV productions that had been on pause while writers and actors were striking.

If a deal is signed between writers and studios, could we see these big names return to our screens?

For those that rely on actors who remain on strike, that's a no. While scripting is likely to resume for some of these, without actors to bring the page to life, the shows will remain on pause.

But other productions that don't rely on an ensemble of actors, like talk shows, will be able to resume sooner. Jimmy Kimmel, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Hudson and Stephen Colbert were among those whose talk shows halted production as writers were striking.

Hollywood trade publication Variety reported, external that staff on late-night talk shows like Kimmel and Colbert's could return to work as soon as Tuesday, adding broadcasts could resume as soon as October.

Dave Sullivan is a set and prop designer who has previously worked on large franchises like Star Wars and Harry Potter.

He says as far as the industry is concerned, the recent Hollywood strikes have been "absolutely catastrophic".

"We support and brothers and sisters in the industry but we have to draw the line somewhere. It's completely ground to a halt and the unions aren't doing enough," he tells BBC News.

"We seem to be forgotten about. It is quite distressing really."

"The cost of living crisis and pandemic was bad enough. Thankfully the pandemic was over to a certain extent and we were getting back on track again."

"When you go from earning a relatively good salary to nothing overnight you can imagine the impact it will have on a family. People are losing their houses."

Image source, Courtesy of HBO

One of the producers for the HBO series The Last of Us has confirmed production will resume once the Writers Guild of America have signed the deal.

Craig Mazin, a writer and producer on the series posted on Threads, external that when the strike ends, writing for season two "will spring into action!"

Image source, Getty Images

A number of famous Hollywood stars and celebrities have supported the Writers Guild of America strike over the past few months.

Comedian Drew Carey is reportedly picking up the tabs for breakfasts and lunches of WGA strikers, a bill that has reached around $600,000, external (£490,000).

Prominent English author Neil Gaiman - known for co-writing Good Omens - joined the picket line in May and gave a speech to those on strike in May.

Late night TV show hosts Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, John Oliver and Stephen Colbert reportedly , externalpaid for a food truck to provide lunch to striking writers early on in the protests.

Several other stars were spotted at the picket lines, including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Ruffalo as well as Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Image source, Getty Images

Steven McIntosh
Entertainment reporter

Image source, Getty Images

You may have heard the term "residuals" crop up recently in relation to the strikes.

These are the royalties which are paid to actors, writers and other members of a production team any time their show is repeated on television, or bought in physical format such as DVD.

Historically, these payments were highly lucrative - think how often episodes of Friends have been repeated on television over the last two decades.

However, the explosion of streaming services, coupled with the decline in physical media, has changed the game.

The whole concept of repeats doesn't apply to streamers, as content is available all the time.

As a result, many of the people behind your favourite shows say they have suffered a significant financial shortfall.

Writers and actors do receive a certain amount of money from streaming services which is intended to compensate for the absence of residual payments. It's not always entirely clear how these amounts are calculated.

This has led to one of the key issues of the recent strikes. Many have complained the residuals they receive from streamers are just a fraction of the earnings they would have got from a broadcast TV show. Some stars even shared their payments on social media, to show how low they were.

The end of the writers' strike has no immediate impact on the ongoing strike of 160,000 members of the screen performers' union SAG-AFTRA.

The organisation's members walked out in July over their own similar dispute over pay issues and the use of AI in the industry.

For now, no talks are scheduled between SAG-AFTRA and the studios, which have baulked at some of the actors' demands such as setting aside 2% of streaming revenue to be shared by a show's cast.

In a statement released after news of the tentative deal with the Writer's Guild, SAG-AFTRA applauded their counterparts for "incredible strength, resiliency and solidarity", but made it clear the organisation's strike would continue.

Image source, Reuters

One key component of the strike has been the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

Writers want limits on how the technology is used, fearing it could potentially replace their labour.

Hollywood screenwriter Michelle Amor says she is fearful about the impact of AI on her livelihood: "I don't want to be replaced with something artificial," she tells the BBC

Elliott Kalan is a comedian and screenwriter, who wrote for The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.

In a July interview with BBC, he said studio executives’ use of AI will pose one of the biggest threats to writers' employment as the technology improves.

"Rather than buying an original screenplay or television series, or even hiring a writer to adapt an existing work into a new medium, they'll try to have a computer programme spit out ideas for shows or movies - then pay a writer a small amount to rework it and make it presentable and interesting," he says.

You can read more about the AI issue here.

Image source, Getty Images

Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo has voiced his support of the tentative deal struck by the Writers Guild of America and studio bosses to end the months-long strike.

"Bravo! WGA proves when we fight we win," he said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Ruffalo is known to speak his mind on social issues, and has been involved in the actors strike against studios - a separate protest that is still ongoing.

The actor is best known for playing the Hulk in Marvel's Cinematic Universe, as well as for his role in 2015's Spotlight - which won an Oscar for Best Picture.

The governors of New York and California have each issued statements welcoming the tentative deal between striking writers and film studios.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said he was grateful the two sides had reached an agreement over "existential threats" to writers' careers.

"California's entertainment industry would not be what it is today without our world-class writers," he said.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the strikes had impacted small businesses, film projects and thousands of workers across the state.

"New York's film industry is the backbone of our economy," she said, adding "I hope that all of the parties can move quickly toward final agreements that get New Yorkers and businesses back to work.”

The Writers Guild of America may have struck a tentative deal with studio bosses, but their protest will continue until a firm agreement is reached. Protesters have however withdrawn from the picket lines after this latest news.

Here's a look back at the writers' strike over the past few months.

Image source, EPA

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Ana Mulvoy-Ten, a British actress currently living in Los Angeles, has come back to the UK in search of work while the Hollywood strikes go on.

She says the general view of the Hollywood lifestyle is distorting the true picture.

"The glitz and glamour of Hollywood's overshadows the reality of what life looks like for most union actors," she tells BBC News.

"What we see on TV in terms of Hollywood is that it's just people making millions, that it's just all fun and games all the time, and everyone's living this fabulous life."

"This may be true for a handful, but I think that the majority of people aren't living like that, 86% of [members of the performers' union] can't get health insurance."

She notes:

US President Joe Biden has just issued a statement.

"I applaud the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers for reaching a tentative agreement that will allow writers to return to the important work of telling the stories of our nation, our world - and of all of us.

He went on to say:

Image source, Getty Images

Once the writers' deal with studio bosses is confirmed and everyone has signed the agreement, you can start getting excited about watching all your favourite shows again.

The first to make a comeback are likely to be those that don't involve actors - the daytime and late-night talk shows.

They were among the first programmes to go off air when writers went on strike in May.

According to insiders who spoke to Variety magazine, the late night shows could return in early October. Variety suggests that major network daily shows will coordinate to return at the same time.

Late-night talk show rivals Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and John Oliver joined forces during the strike to host a new podcast together and raise money for their writers and crew.

Image source, Rizwan Wadan

Rizwan Wadan is a camera operator, who has worked on productions based in the UK, such as Rogue One: a Star Wars Story and The Favourite.

Despite the possible end of the writers' strike in the US, it and the ongoing actors' strike has had a huge knock-on effect for British film crews, according to Wadan.

"The UK has attracted foreign investment into the industry. The tax breaks, the UK talent, the infrastructure; that's why US producers who want to make feature films or dramas are investing in the UK," he tells the BBC.

While writers union members have been celebrating a possible end to the lengthy strike, the big studios have been somewhat tight-lipped.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) is the body which represents the studios, having bargained on their behalf throughout the period of industrial action.

And AMPTP was concise in its joint statement with the WGA, external.

“The WGA. and AMPTP have reached a tentative agreement,” is all it said.

Image source, Reuters

The strike is not technically over, there's a few things that must happen before we reach that stage.

First up, the exact language used in the final contract must be agreed upon.

Once the language has been settled, the union's negotiating committee will vote on whether to recommend the agreement to its members, before members are provided with a "comprehensive summary of the deal points and the Memorandum of Agreement".

Then it will be over to the union members to vote on the ratification of the deal. If they vote to do so, the strike will officially be over.

For now, though, though the picketing may be ending - the strike is still ongoing.

The writers have negotiated some key points in this tentative deal with studio bosses, according to an analyst.

This includes things like minimum pay levels, a minimum number of writers employed on episodic TV shows, and a residuals system that rewards the success of streaming content, Fred Black from the market research firm Ampere Analysis told BBC News.

There has also been an agreement on artificial intelligence, he says - which was the issue that held back negotiations at the weekend.

Both sides wanted “very specific” wording to that part of the deal, he says, which they have now tentatively agreed on.

Black adds there is hope the agreement with the writers can be used as a “blueprint” to negotiate with actors – who have also been on strike since July.

Image source, REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

As Los Angeles and Hollywood starts to wake up (it's currently 06:45 there), let's take a look at the major developments of this story.

• Late last night Los Angeles time, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) announced it had reached a tentative deal with studio bosses which could end the ongoing strikes
• The writers’ walkout is the longest protest to hit Hollywood in decades and has halted most studio production
• It is unclear what exactly the agreement contains, but experts say they have likely agreed on a number of key demands – such as protection from AI and better financial compensation
• The first shows likely to return are late night TV shows, such as those hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and Stephen Colbert
• Actors – who have been protesting since July – remain on strike