More than 12,000 writers are striking right now.
This means your favorite scripted shows are beginning to end production because they have no content. Which means come December, the major networks will be airing reruns and – prepare yourself – quickly crafted, crappy reality shows.
The Writers Guild of America went on strike earlier this week. Immediately, the late-night talk shows went to reruns. Many sitcoms – my fave Back to You, Old Christine, The Office – have already stopped production.
The television world may change for a little bit until this strike is resolved. Sitcom scripts are usually written about a week before it’s taped, so they ran out quickly. Hour-long shows like Desperate Housewives are beginning to feel the strike, too, as production is quickly coming to an end.
The stars seem to be on the writers’ side. Ellen DeGeneres refused to give a monologue on her show earlier this week in honor of the writers. Housewives’ Eva Longoria Parker even delivered pizza to the picket line.
We, as entertainment lovers, might see this as a major inconvenience. Will new shows return from their planned hiatuses? Are old shows going to lose interest? Are we really going to need to endure Kid Nation 2: Rise of the Toddlers?
Clearly, when I wrote my fall TV preview column, I did not take the writers’ strike into account. Since reality shows are unscripted, they may be the only hope networks have. And since some networks have been caught off-guard, these reality series will be cheaply produced and will lack quality.
So yes, we may be inconvenienced by the striking writers. The striking writers who are trying to make a living by expressing their creativity. The striking writers who don’t receive any cuts from DVD sales or syndication. The striking writers who just want their families to have a joyous holiday season.
The last writers strike happened in 1988 and lasted 22 weeks. It cost the industry more than $500 million.
Let’s hope the Hollywood execs loosen up and make the writers’ holiday season a little bit merrier.
