How the Entertainment Community Fund Is Supporting Workers Impacted by the Strikes

Welcome to the 231st episode of TV’s Top 5, The Hollywood Reporter’s TV podcast.

Every week, hosts Lesley Goldberg (West Coast TV editor) and Daniel Fienberg (chief TV critic) break down the latest TV news with context from the business and critical sides, welcome showrunners, executives and other guests, and provide a critical guide of what to watch (or skip, as the case may be).

This week, we’re looking at the impact of Hollywood’s dual strike from a different point of view — that of the Entertainment Community Fund, which is helping workers impacted from the work stoppage get by. Here’s how this week’s episode plays out:

1. Mailbag

Ahead of next week’s series finale, Dan offers an elevator pitch (and plea!) to watch Reservation Dogs as we also discuss the possible contraction that may be coming for the TV industry post-strike.

2. Strike Zone: The Latest Updates

The WGA and Hollywood’s studios and streamers who comprise the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are back at the bargaining table this week and there’s progress to report!

3. Strike Zone: Daytime Updates

Remember last week when we talked about how daytime syndicated shows were returning to air? Toss that out the window! Plus Dancing With the Stars may be the next show plotting its return to have to reverse course. 

4. Strike Zone: Inside the Entertainment Community Fund

We’ve reported for months now on how Hollywood’s dual strikes are impacting media behemoths like Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery. This week, we shift to focus on the workers who have been affected by the massive production work stoppage. Staffers who are on strike, as well as those who are not part of either the WGA or SAG-AFTRA, are living in cars and losing their homes as many top showrunners in the industry rally to support the Entertainment Community Fund. Joining us this week is Barbara Davis, the COO off the ECF, who has been with the organization since 1984. Davis opens up about how much money the fund has distributed to workers in need. During the COVID-19 shutdown, the ECF distributed north of $30 million in resources. As the WGA strike heads toward its 22nd week and 150th day, the fund estimates that tally to be at $20 million. “We’re seeing a lot of people who have lost their homes,” Davis tells us. “More people are living in their cars.… There are lots of concerns around the inability to pay for basic needs.” Click here to donate.

5. Critic’s Corner

 As usual, we end with Dan’s thoughts on this week’s new and returning series. In this episode, he weighs in on Max’s Young Love, Peacock’s The Continental, the final season of Netflix’s Sex Education and Fox’s Krapopolis.

Hear it all now on TV’s Top 5. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to never miss an episode. (Reviews welcome!) You can also email us with any topics or Mailbag questions you’d like addressed in future episodes at TVsTop5@THR.com.