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Of the 38 new broadcast scripted series next season, only one, Fox’s comedy Running Wilde, chose to go with SAG in what has become a watershed moment in the primetime dynamic between AFTRA and SAG, with AFTRA overtaking SAG as the top actors union. For the first time, AFTRA will represent more scripted series on the broadcast networks next season than the field’s long-time dominant player SAG. There will be 45 AFTRA series on the air next season vs. 38 SAG shows. That is a big swing from last year when 48 series were under SAG and 26 under AFTRA. It is the result of a second consecutive freshman class on the broadcast networks dominated by AFTRA-represented shows.
Of the 38 new comedy and drama series picked up for next season at the 5 broadcast nets, 34 are under AFTRA jurisdiction and 4 are under SAG. Last year, there were 24 new series, 18 represented by AFTRA and 6 by SAG. But it’s important to note the SAG affiliation for the majority of new series repped by the union was not by choice but automatic because they were based on existing properties or spinoffs of existing SAG-represented series. Last year, that included all 6 SAG series: the remakes V and Eastwick on ABC, spinoffs NCIS: LA on CBS and The Cleveland Show on Fox and ABC’s comedy The Middle and Fox’s Glee, originally developed during previous cycles. (Glee was the result of off-cycle development.) This year, the list of SAG-represented new series include spinoffs Law & Order: Los Angeles on NBC and the untitled Criminal Minds spinoff on CBS, the Nikita remake on the CW as well as one brand new series, Running Wilde.
AFTRA had had limited presence on the broadcast networks’ scripted series, mostly courtesy of Sony TV, which has long been closely associated with the smaller actors union, producing all of its series under AFTRA. But the mass switch from SAG to AFTRA among all major TV studios began during last year’s pilot season. It was fueled by fears of a potential SAG strike and was helped by the studios’ transition from film to digital video (If a series is filmed on 35 mm, it can only be covered by SAG; if it’s shot on digital video, it can be represented by SAG or AFTRA). In 2009, broadcast pilots went to to 90%-plus AFTRA affiliation from 90%-plus SAG pilot representation the year before. This year, with no labor stoppage on the horizon, SAG was expected to regain pilot ground, especially with a more moderate leadership in place. In fact, new SAG president Ken Howard listed retention of coverage of network pilots as a top priority when he ran for office in the fall. But the TV studios overwhelmingly stuck with AFTRA, which dominated pilot season for a second straight year with more than 90% representation. Why? Studio insiders tell me AFTRA continues to be considered the safer, more stable alternative.
SAG still represents most returning series (34 vs. 11 for AFTRA) but two years of overwhelmingly more new series under AFTRA have undercut SAG’s dominance even in that area. While the larger actors union continues to represent the vast majority of returning series at ABC, Fox and CBS, at NBC and the the CW, the unions have almost equal representation: 57%-43% in SAG’s favor. “If AFTRA and SAG don’t merge, AFTRA will be the dominant player in primetime within a couple of years,” one industry insider told me.
The drumbeat has been growing louder for a merger between SAG and AFTRA, which tried to unite unsuccessfully in 1998 and 2003. The dramatic representation shift in primetime may serve as a catalyst for that. I hear actors who work in both film and television are becoming increasingly frustrated that they have to be represented by one union when they do a feature and another when doing a series. The same is true for TV actors who appear on both SAG and AFTRA series. By dividing their earnings between the two unions, some of them don’t qualify for health insurance through neither of SAG nor AFTRA, even though their total yearly income would’ve easily push them over the threshold at either union.
The SAG/AFTRA relations seem to be thawing: The two unions recently approved a joint bargaining agreement and have been holding joint Wages & Working Conditions meetings in preparation for negotiation of the AFTRA Exhibit A and SAG TV/Theatrical contract that expires on June 30, 2011. That date comes right after the next development cycle for the broadcast networks, which no doubt will make for an eventful pilot season next year.
Following are lists of new and returning broadcast series by actors union affiliation:
ABC
New Series:
Better Together (AFTRA)
Body of Proof (AFTRA)
Detroit 1-8-7 (AFTRA)
Happy Endings (AFTRA)
My Generation (AFTRA)
Mr. Sunshine (AFTRA)
No Ordinary Family (AFTRA)
Off the Map (AFTRA)
The Whole Truth (AFTRA)
Returning Series
Modern Family (AFTRA)
Cougar Town (AFTRA)
The Middle (SAG)
Castle (SAG)
Grey’s Anatomy (SAG)
Private Practice (SAG)
Desperate Housewives (SAG)
Brothers & Sisters (SAG)
V (SAG)
CBS
New series
Blue Bloods (AFTRA)
The Defenders (AFTRA)
Hawaii Five-0 (AFTRA)
Mike & Molly (AFTRA)
$#! My Dad Said (AFTRA)
Mad Love (AFTRA)
Criminal Minds spinoff (SAG)
Returning Series
The Good Wife (AFTRA)
Rules of Engagement (AFTRA)
CSI (SAG)
CSI: Miami (SAG)
CSI: NY (SAG)
NCIS (SAG)
NCIS: LA (SAG)
Two and a Half Men (SAG)
How I Met Your Mother (SAG)
The Big Bang Theory (SAG)
Criminal Minds (SAG)
The Mentalist (SAG)
Medium (SAG)
FOX
New Series
The Good Guys (AFTRA)
Lonestar (AFTRA)
Mixed Signals (AFTRA)
Raising Hope (AFTRA)
Ride-Along (AFTRA)
Terra Nova (AFTRA)
Bob’s Burgers (AFTRA)
Running Wilde (SAG)
Returning Series
Human Target (AFTRA)
Glee (SAG)
The Simpsons (SAG)
Family Guy (SAG)
American Dad (SAG)
Bones (SAG)
Fringe (SAG)
House (SAG)
Lie To Me (SAG)
NBC
New Series
The Cape (AFTRA)
The Event (AFTRA)
Outlaw (AFTRA)
Love Bites (AFTRA)
Next (AFTRA)
Outsourced (AFTRA)
Perfect Couples (AFTRA)
Undercovers (AFTRA)
Friends with Benefits (AFTRA)
Harry’s Law (AFTRA)
Chase (AFTRA)
Law & Order: Los Angeles (SAG)
Returning Series
Community (AFTRA)
Parenthood (AFTRA)
Parks and Recreation (AFTRA)
The Office (SAG)
30 Rock (SAG)
Chuck (SAG)
Law & Order: SVU (SAG)
CW
New Series
Hellcats (AFTRA)
Nikita (SAG)
Returning Series
Vampire Diaries (AFTRA)
Life Unexpected (AFTRA)
90210 (AFTRA)
Smallville (SAG)
Supernatural (SAG)
Gossip Girl (SAG)
One Tree Hill (SAG)
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.
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Looks iffy all way around—and I’m still boycotting NBC until they (the network and the chief players in the “screw Conan” coup) make a formal apology to O’brien ON AIR. It doesn’t matter that NBC paid Conan 40 million $…I won’t watch a network that has no scruples and who plays musical chairs with their agendas like that!
Most viewers could care less, most viewers didn’t even watch Conan. Who really cares, if their shows are good viewers will watch them. Conan is old news. He appealed to a very small group. I haven’t watched NBC in years. Some of the most promising shows are on NBC this fall, they have finally gotten there act together.
What does this have to do with unions?
Thought you were going to start talking about D’Onofrio there for a minute…
Just merge already. Get it over with. Nearly every actor I know doesn’t understand why we haven’t done it at this point.
Additionally, just do the negotiations and get them over with soon. We cannot go through hell again. Get us a good deal and get out so that production keeps going at an even pace. If you have to wait to merge after these negotiations, fine.
It’s the next round of negotiations after this one that we should be fully merged and go for everything. We’ll be in a different economic playing field and be one union — much more powerful.
A) Let’s Merge!
B) this is slightly misleading, some series reg AFTRA contracts pay into health and pension for SAG–
which is another reason to…Merge!
Please for the love of GOD, merge!!!! They are both suppose to be representing and protecting the best interests of the actors and performers they represent ~ why on earth would there be two Unions in this day and age?
A SAG/AFTRA merger is absolutely necessary.
SAG has a president?
And one more vote for…MERGE. I voted yes in 2003 but of course all the barely working LA SAG extras manages to defeat the merger. Keep banging your heads against that wall why don’t you?
SAG has Alan Rosenberg and his minions to thank for this piece of news. Membership First – competent far-sighted Leadership Last.
This is not the fault of MembershipFirst. Read the article. This time with your eyes OPEN. UFS, under moderate Ken Howard, has been in charge for quite some time. He and the new administration promised the AMPTP that SAG would behave during the next go round. That was back in early Sept 2009. The moderates control the SAG board. SAG/AFTRA are jointly negotiating, guaranteeing no chance of a job action/or securing a stronger contract. Merger is on the fast track at both unions. SAG has been successfully castrated. AFTRA is now entering the “long form” (aka Feature Film) world. Of course the producers are choosing AFTRA over SAG. That guarantees them job security. And although AFTRA’s minimums have been higher than SAG’s since July 2008, producers know that AFTRA routinely refuses to file claims on behalf of the members, regardless of the abuse or violation, saving producers millions! Ask any actor who’s tried to get paid for a meal penalty, forced call, unpaid residual, moving expense etc… from an AFTRA show.
This ridiculous cry for “merger”. We are merged. We are negotiating together. Your supposed “strength in numbers” should be happening right now. Both unions will be at the negotiating table together. Why wait another 3 years to fight for a stronger contract? The time is now. The economic climate in Hollywood is very healthy. It’s not 2008.
AFTRA is a company union. It shouldn’t really be called a union at all. Why is it that AFTRA still hasn’t been able to unionize basic cable news programs. How is it that Larry King has been doing his show, non union, for 25 years, as an AFTRA member? And any kind of official merger will take quite a while to pull off. What do we do with our respective pension and health plans? Even if we merged by 2011, what about the 45 shows that are currently AFTRA, with higher terms? Even if we merged next year, we will still be working under several different tv contracts until those contracts expire.( 2014). If we merge, will we get residuals for all of the AFTRA basic cable shows that don’t provide for residuals?
Oh and I love that little mention of certain new shows remaining SAG because they are spinoffs of established SAG shows. Really? Then how do you explain the New Melrose Place, the new Hawaii 5-O, 90210 and others? All those are AFTRA shows now, but were originally SAG shows.
It’s mess. Some tried to warn us a few years ago when AFTRA invaded scripted shows airing on basic cable by offering low ball deals to producers. They now control basic cable. SAG could have stopped this years ago but AFTRA centric- producer friendly SAG board members from other divisions fought hard against exposing the truth about AFTRA. And then came UFS. We are doomed. Ken Howard and his crew promised SAG actors SAG show retention. WTF. Is this what he considers retention?
You have a poor memory. I and many other argued with you, Ace, Mulhern and your whole cabal back when your you were absolutely sure there would be a strike authorization. We all said that the MF strategy would lead to nothing more than every single pilot going to AFTRA, and that the ramifications of that would be felt forever. We warned you, and were called disloyal and anti-union. Now that our predictions have come to pass, you try to blame Ken Howard and UFS?
Not to be profane, but it’s long past time that all of you idiots who think you’re coal miners standing up to the Man without even having the least bit of understanding about the mechanics of a single one of the issues you spout MF talking pouts took one single actions: STFU.
It’s time to merge. We could have done it from a position of strength. You people have us looking like beggars at the ball.
Wow. I have kept a pretty low profile since the takeover debacle. But what I won’t stand for is people putting words into my mouth. None of us “union advocates” and our whole “cabal” wanted a strike, nor were any of us “absolutely sure there would be a strike authorization”. All we wanted was for SAG leadership to stand firm on SAG’s constitution, send out the strike authorization and see where we stood as a union. That didn’t happen because of USAN/NY/UFS cutting off Doug Allen’s legs at the knees, and taking over SAG using a virtual loophole in the constitution. The current situation between SAG, AFTRA & the AMPTP is a direct result of the current moderate SAG leadership, not the past leadership. Our current “leadership” got us the shit contract we now have. Our current “leadership” didn’t even make an effort to get any of the new pilots. Our current “leadership” promised us more work if voted ‘YES’ on the contract. Let’s not rewrite history, huh?
To all of the Alan Rosenberg (and Doug Allen) bashers: Rosenberg was ELECTED because the union wanted someone to fight back at the bargaining table and get us those DVD dollars. Consequently, he hired a negotiating bulldog (Allen) to do just that. They were both doing the job they were elected/hired to do. All either/both of them needed was some damn support from the union, and for a lot of reasons, they didn’t get it when it was crucial to the future of SAG.
That is all water under the bridge. SAG is what it is, and the situation is what it is. There is no question that we must (we have no choice), and we will, merge with AFTRA. Both unions’ “leadership” has handily seen to that. (That we haven’t done it already amazes me. Hell, maybe they’ll drop that on us before the negotiations begin in September.) AFTRA scamming a vote/referendum by making voters be present at a meeting – well that doesn’t surprise me at all.
This is the same, short sighted, retro-thinking that got SAG into the hole that it is currently in. Rosenberg et al dug SAG into a shallow grave, and it’s been Howard and his team that is pulling us out. Thankfully! Merge!
For God’s sake – make the contract, then merge. Let’s make some sense for a change.
PEOPLE PEOPLE!!! They have been trying to merge since the 80′s!!!!
This is sad and I’m frustrated with this BS!
I don’t want to join AFTRA then they decide to combine after I pay in. This is ridiculous that there are two unions!
SAG didn’t even try to organize any new shows this season. Which was part of the “Unite for Strength” plan to force SAG members to merge with AFTRA.
AFTRA is a horrible union, whenever I’ve had a problem on set or contract violation and called AFTRA, they’ve never called me back. AFTRA is not a union, its a racket. AFTRA doesn’t have any legitimate jurisdiction over actors in primetime scripted TV. Actors never chose AFTRA as their union, the producers and employers did. Actors chose SAG before and they’d do it again.
One or the other, SAG or AFTRA, it can’t be both. AFTRA is rotten to its core, chose SAG. Some actors hate AFTRA so much they’ll go ficore if SAG and AFTRA merge, which is probably exactly what the producers want. It will be the end of an actors union.
The solution is for Actors is to petition the NLRB for a “bargaining unit clarification” hearing for digital production. To do that Unite for Strength must be voted out office. Hollywood isn’t big enough for two actors unions. Instead of merging, actors should be choosing and merging with a rotten union like AFTRA will make SAG just as bad. Its the end of SAG and an actors union if Unite for Strength stays in power at SAG.
@Working Actor
You just don’t get it, do you? Just what do you mean by “We’ll be in a different economic playing field and be one union — much more powerful”? How did you come up with that? Is that based on your thorough knowledge of the current political landscape that plague our Unions or did you just pull that out from somewhere I don’t even want to think about?
Assuming that we eventually merge, do you think the players in our Unions who are or have been pro AFTRA and proponents of merger who happens to suck up to our employers and has been selling us out all this time do not continue to do so then?
No surprises , i can taste the tension from here.
Merge. Don’t merge. It doesn’t matter anymore. Precedent has been set and no matter who merges or doesn’t merge Producers will hold fast to the contract the members of both unions voted in which include no meaningful residuals for reruns on the internet.
By the time the next contract comes up the internet will be the preferred method of re-runs and film watching. Netflix offers a box now to plug into your computer and stream films and programming wirelessly to your TV. Because it’ll come through the internet there are basically no residuals. You can run TV re-runs the same way to your TV wirelessly. Watch the Best Buy ads. It’s all here now.
Actors only payday will be for the day or days you actually shoot. Residuals are very soon to be a thing of the past. That is why big ticket actors and series lead actors urged you to vote in the contract. They get their money up front. They don’t care about residuals because they are in a position to negotiate the up front money.
Blame the extras, blame, Alan, blame anyone you want. But the enemy is us.
In the end the truth is collectively we have done ourselves in. NBC.com ABC.com CBS.com Hulu.com is how we are watching TV. In a year or two it will be the only way to watch when your cable box is converted to an internet box from the same coaxial feed. But different deliver (via the internet instead of broadcast cable) mean no residuals. Why? BEcause that’s what we agreed to in ratifying the last contract.
“If a series is filmed on 35 mm, it can only be covered by SAG; if it’s shot on digital video, it can be represented by SAG or AFTRA” – BULL CRAP. That’s only a popular myth… The jurisdiction was decided decades ago by the National Labor Relations Board. Shows shot live go to AFTRA… anything recorded (using any technology) go to SAG… but the unions let it ‘drift’ and then AFTRA (clearly in collusion with the producers) began to take everything over.
There can’t be two unions. It doesn’t work… it never has. But the Pension and Health plans have separate boards of directors, and for some complicated accounting reasons, they can’t be merged easily, and perhaps not at all.
It’s a race to the finish now between everyone who wants to merge, and a National Labor Relations Board action by a group of actors who hope to expose what’s really going on and give back ALL the production to SAG. Stand by – it’s going to be an interesting 2nd half of the year.
Here’s the reality, for what it’s worth. “Merger” and the people who so passionately argue for it, is almost entirely about idealogy, not cold, hard, facts. The cable contract that went out a couple years ago was about to be passed without sending it to the membership – a direct violation of the SAG constitution. Someone asked people who could explain the cable residual system to raise their hand. 3 hands went up. 60 people in the room. They were about to bypass the membership and pass a cable deal they themselves could not explain, even in it’s simplest terms.
All talk of “partnership” with the AMPTP is, again, some tortured hope this will create a “relationship” whereby the AMPTP will come to a better understanding of the needs of actors, and be reasonable.
These are the thoughts and dreams of children, not experienced, adult, union negotiators, who have watched the AMPTP dismantle SAG over the last two years with the willful ignorance of the moderates helping them do it every step of the way.
All precedent, all clinical measurements of progress in contracts in the Screen Actors Guild points to tough stands backed up by threat of strike, or strike. All benefit upgrades have been the result of that. All.
The AMPTP has zero interest in any “partnership” in the true sense of the word, with SAG or their lap-dog, AFTRA. The AMPTP wants one thing: greater profits at less cost of labor. Period. Any fantasy otherwise is indefensible, and easily argued into irrelevance, if the moderates would ever debate.
But they never agree to discuss the actual issues, the specifics of precedent, the actual terms of the various contracts and why we are headed down a very dangerous, very bad road.
The AMPTP does not consider AFTRA more stable. That is ridiculous. They consider AFTRA a pushover, unwilling to threaten to strike or strike. That, and only that, is the reason all the TV pilots have now gone to AFTRA. AFTRA’s contract for those pilots, by the way, is more expensive to the producers than SAG’s.
SAG is irreparably harmed. The 2011 negotiations are only about trying to limit further damage, then getting to merger. Then, say the SAG moderates and AFTRA, “we’ll get them then.”
But anyone familiar with the negotiation philosophy of moderate SAG and the philosophy of AFTRA understands the combination of those two idealogies will result in a paper tiger. There is no evidence, no fact, no precedent to argue otherwise.
Bill Maher says America is stupid. He’s right. A lot of deeply ignorant people. SAG is the same, as is AFTRA. And the result will be a merged union, probably called SAG-AFTRA that fails it’s membership, refuses to take tough stands or to strike to protect them, and oversees the already steady decline of acting as a viable profession where one can aspire to a secure middle-class living.
The entertainment business has money coming out it’s ears. Money is not the problem. As predicted (by some) the dire forecasts of a labor action in the “Great Recession” are now trying to spin the 2009 record year in profits for theatrical box office. HBO made a billion dollars last year.
The AMPTP is simply preying on profound weakness that SAG leadership’s predecessors are rolling in their graves over, and recognizing the opportunity through new media to realign the entire compensation system for actors, and not too our benefit. When the great, dumb membership wakes up to the fact they have no health insurance, no hope of qualifying for a pension, and they are making half what they did 2 or 3 years ago, it will be too late.
I just remember all the actors freaking out at Membership First during negotiations because they just wanted to get back to work. Has it happened? Are you happy now? And you gave away digital and whatever bargaining leverage left because it’s proven that actors are gutless and easily divisible with just a little prodding. Nothing has changed except that you’re even less likely to get insurance and your residuals are history. Thanks Roberta and Ken, especially Roberta. You gutted the stronger union and built up AFTRA without considering the cost. Well, we’re all paying it now. Thanks and hope you one day realize your mutual stupidity.
The Brits have the right idea…ONE…that’s 1 as in one…Union for all including STAGE…works just fine!
SAG is now and has always been a nightmare to deal with. Global Rule One was the last straw for me. Like an idiot, I keep trying – I was excited by the opportunity to work under the new Ultra Low Budget Agreement, thinking SAG was finally getting the point. Against the wishes of the financiers of my $200,000 feature extravaganza, I decided to go Signatory, only to have SAG Indie refuse to speak to me about an accommodation on the $60 per diem minimum, which pushed me over budget. Yeah, the producers were getting RICH on that budget and SCREWING the poor actors… (as a producer, I stood to make about the same as the actors – $100 per day, but only $20 in per diem and I have to pay my own freakin’ Blue Cross, which is almost five hundred a month and covers fuck all). And why the bias against non-theatrical films? Why do I have to go through an onerous process to get a “theatrical exhibition” for my movie just to get low budget rates? What makes a theatrical any more worthy than my Cable Movie, which is one of the few games left for ultra low budget filmmakers like me? What percentage of ultra low budget films get a theatrical release anyway? This is all completely disingenuous. I am SOOO tired of you all whinging about this. You have NO idea at all how the economics of this work and how much SAG and the IA have contributed to productions fleeing Los Angeles for greener pastures. You THINK it’s the rebates, but it’s not the only reason. It’s the sense of entitlement of the Unions. SAG should have followed ACTRA and UBCP’s lead and offered 120% buyouts for budgets up to $3 million – how many of you have made bank on Lifetime or direct-to-video residuals?
Anybody who thinks either union can tell a studio which contract to use is smoking crack. It’s about the bottom line and who has the cheaper contract at the time. AFTRA was the beneficiary of SAG negotiator, Doug Allen’s inability to close the deal for months on end. The blame for the studio’s flight from SAG falls squarely on his and Alan Rosenberg’s shoulders.
AFTRA took/stole/invaded nothing. They acted like any union working for the benefit of its members. To do otherwise would have been a breach of their fiduciary responsibility.
If you’re an actor and you’re working and feeding money now into both AFTRA medical and SAG medical with no chance making the minimum in either, then you can thank the Al(l)a/e)n’s for that.
Merger will be messy and there may be gains and losses in the contract consolidations, but you won’t be splitting your benefit contributions, paying two dues, going through two elections every year and most importantly you won’t ever have to go through the devastating effects of two unions racing to the bottom.
You are saying that producers or employers are the ones that choose an actors bargaining unit or union? That’s not the way its suppose to work in the United States. There is a law called the National Labor Relations Act. Read it before you write such stupidity. Employees or actors have the right to choose their bargaining agent or union. This right has been taken by the employers. The AMPTP or employers, have decided that actors will be represented in contract negotiation by AFTRA, rather than SAG, not actors.
Suppose SAG and AFTRA merge and the IA forms an actors union and the employers decides to designate this new union as the actors bargaining unit. I guess you’d be alright with that wouldn’t you.
Sometimes you have to fight for your rights. Unite for Strength doesn’t have the cojones to fight to be recognized as the bargaining agent for actors.
If it came down to a vote and you have an opportunity to choose. Which union would you choose? SAG or AFTRA? You can’t choose both. Only someone with their head up their ass would choose AFTRA.
And a big thank you to all the anti-merger morons on this page and elsewhere who lobbied against the last merger effort. Look what you’ve wrought.
SAG and AFTRA achieved a very good commercial contract, and will probably achieve a much better Theatrical contract this time around because they will be negotiating together: in spite of the ridiculous blather on this comment page.
And then merge, consolidate, whatever. Should have been done long ago.
And the bile dripping from the anonymous shills on this page, filled with fabrications, half-truths and outright lies should be ignored. These are the crazy people claiming the world is going to end tomorrow(they know, because they have inside knowledge God probably gave them), and who continually alter history to serve their own warped perception of the world.
Merger is the answer.
Merge, yes! But only with strong leadership. It’s apparent the actors have shot themselves in the foot. They let SAG wither, and allowed the networks’ and producers’ union, AFTRA, into the lead. Will AFTRA fight for its members? Doubt it. The loss of residuals is shameful. I’m afraid we’re seeing the end of working actors being able to affordably squeeze into the middle class. Can’t wait to see how things play out in 2011. Meanwhile, members should be letting their voices and choices be heard now.
I don’t know about scale wages for AFTRA, but IA rates are about 1/3 lower on AFTRA shows. Quite a paycheck chop in this economy. I’m sure this has a lot to with the love producers are showing them.
A couple of facts that the article doesn’t include:
1. Earnings threshold for either union is approx. $30,000 per year. Any actor who doesn’t hit that level isn’t working enough to be considered a professional.
2. The studios are always going to go with AFTRA because it’s a better contract for the studios in a bunch of areas. Also, the studios got burned paying off SAG actors during the WGA strike. AFTRA has lower minimum guarantees.
Name of Criminal Minds spinoff – Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior.