More than 90% of the 3,775 writers who cast ballots in Los Angeles and New York voted to immediately end the strike, which began on November 5 last year.
The vote was seen as a formality after WGA members voiced widespread support for a new contract presented to them by union leaders on the weekend. A second vote to approve the deal will be held on February 25.
WGA's new contract gives writers residual payments for shows streamed over the internet and secures the union's jurisdiction for programming created for the web. Previously writers received nothing for online sales.
The union reached the agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, representing: CBS; Walt Disney Co; Twentieth Century Fox owner News Corp; Viacom, owner of Paramount Studios; General Electric's NBC Universal; Sony Corporation; and Time Warner, owner of Warner Bros.
Patric Verrone, Writers Guild of America west leader, said: "The strike is over. Our membership has voted and writers can go back to work.
"This was not a strike we wanted, but one we had to conduct in order to win jurisdiction and establish appropriate residuals for writing in new media and on the internet. Those advances now give us a foothold in the digital age."
The strike forced the postponement or cancellation of several television shows and movies, causing billions of dollars in losses. The Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation estimates the strike cost the Los Angeles economy over $2bn in direct and indirect losses.
Most shows, including 'Ugly Betty', 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'Desperate Housewives' will be returning to UK television by later this year, some as early as April, but '24' won't be back on air until 2009.
A joint statement from the chiefs of the eight major studios, said: "This is a day of relief and optimism for everyone in the entertainment industry. The strike has been extraordinarily difficult for all of us, but the hardest hit of all have been the many thousands of businesses, workers and families that are economically dependent on our industry."
The strike has hit many writers hard financially, after more than three months out of work. The site wrought changes to the US TV landscape, which could have implications for the future as US TV networks opt for fewer pilot shows and possibly more reality-based television.
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