Comic-Con panels, including Jury Duty & Abbott, canceled amid SAG-AFTRA strike
San Diego Comic-Con takes place this week, July 19 – 23. It’s been a weird few years for the Con, which had to pivot to a “Comic-Con At Home” format for July 2020 and July 2021 because of the pandemic and held a smaller, in-person “Comic-Con Special Edition” event in November 2021. At the end of June, we learned that Universal, Sony, HBO, Netflix, and Disney were pulling out while other big studios were still on the fence. Now, the SAG-AFTRA strike has organizers again scrambling for Plans B, C, and D, as it’s looking like the SAG-AFTRA strike will affect one of showbiz’a biggest promotional weeks because actors cannot promote any of their current or future projects.
San Diego Comic-Con is going to look pretty different this year, as SAG-AFTRA has officially begun its strike. As the actors join the writers on the picket lines for better pay, conditions, and benefits, much of the industry has come to a halt without many of its key people. With the SAG-AFTRA strike now happening, it means actors cannot promote their current or future projects – including anything that was originally planned for Comic-Con. Thus, panels are already being cancelled for the event happening next week.
The first round of SDCC panel cancellations came through earlier today, with shows including Prime Video’s Good Omens, ABC’s The Rookie, and That ’70s Show being affected. Good Omens has pivoted from a panel and signing event into a screening of the Season 2 premiere episode. It will give fans an early look at the new season premiering July 28. The Rookie has cancelled its planned signing. The crime procedural recently concluded its fifth season and will return for Season 6. That ’70s Show rounds off the initial cancellations, no longer holding its anniversary panel. Earlier this year, Netflix debuted its That ’70s Show continuation That ’90s Show, which follows Eric and Donna’s daughter Leia.
Along with the mentioned shows, SDCC’s schedule is packed with panels for currently running shows, several of which may potentially cancel in the coming days. Some of the included panels include Abbott Elementary, currently on hold for Season 3 following the start of the writers’ stike; Futurama, which is set to return on July 24; The Wheel of Time, returning for Season 2 on September 1; What We Do in the Shadows, which premieres Season 5 on July 13; and several more. Additionally, the SDCC schedule does include other panels revolving around industry professionals, comics, and more beyond film and television.
With the exception of the two pandemic years, I’ve attended all but one Comic-Con since 2007. I’m actually writing this post from my hotel room in San Diego, overlooking the Convention Center. While I’m not an old school attendee, I remember when tickets were still $75 and you could buy next year’s passes in person. I was a part of that group that probably ruined Hall H lines for forever by lining up to see the LOST panels at 2:00 a.m. I remember when actors still roamed the floors without fear, when a fan was tragically hit by a car carrying Robert Pattinson, Zachary Levi partying with us vaccinated folx at Nerd HQ, and the infamous pen-stabbing. Oh, and my husband once accidentally Sharpie’d Robert Downey Jr’s hand while crossing the street. His security wasn’t happy, but RDJ brushed them off and went, “I didn’t expect to get out of here clean.” Comic-Con is wild.
I’ve been refreshing the SDCC Blog, and as of right now, panels involving William Shatner, Kevin Smith, and Seth Rogan are still listed as happening. Other panels for shows like Ghosts, What We Do in the Shadows, and The Walking Dead Universe have very vague descriptions, like, “Fans are in for a treat!” Honestly, I’m perfectly okay with whatever happens. I stand with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA. Comic-Con is about more than just the chance to have your Sharpie run into Iron Man’s arm or seeing George R.R. Martin in a hotel bar (happened!). It’s about appreciating the art that all of these talent people created for us to enjoy and showing them support. The TV & film stuff is only one part of Comic-Con. The Exhibit Hall floor, the Sails Pavilion, and the off-set locations are bursting with vendors and authors promoting their creations. If all of the major studios and actors have to bow out, I’ll still support the smaller artists and venues. Mr. Rosie, my friends, and I have all met and/or become fans of authors, artists, and vendors who were there to promote themselves without big money backing. Let Comic-Con get back to its roots, and pay the writers and actors the living wage they deserve.
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