Disney 2023 Upfront Takeaways: Unscripted Takes Center Stage, but Marvel, ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Shogun’ Bring the Heat
variety.comJoe Otterson TV Reporter Disney’s annual upfront presentation leaned heavily on the company’s non-scripted programming, opening with nearly an hour of focus on ESPN and its sports offerings.
The emphasis on live events, of course, comes as the writers strike continues and is expected to impact the fall TV season. In fact, around 100 Writers Guild members and other union supporters marched outside the Javits Center on Tuesday to remind Disney they are still looking for a deal with the company and the other studios.
Among those seen on the picket line: Zach Cherry and Michael Emerson. Inside the Javits, sports and news stars from within Disney were out in force, while reality personalities like Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Jesse Palmer and Ryan Seacrest made appearances as well.
Even WABC-TV New York anchors Sade Baderinwa and Bill Ritter got some time onstage. Read some of the key takeaways from the presentation below. The Writers’ Strike Looms Large — Even if It Isn’t Mentioned One need only look at the lineup of this year’s Disney upfront (or ABC’s fall schedule) to recognize that the company is clearly feeling the effects of the writers’ strike.
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