Writer’s Strike and You
The writer’s strike is live and in effect now. What’s that mean for our favorite shows? Well, for now it just means that daily programming, like "The Daily Show" and "Late Night with David Letterman" are going into reruns. So, if you’ve never missed an episode you’re going to be bored stiff. If you’ve missed some (like yours truly) this is a good time to catch up. For other shows it’s business as usual. At least for right now.
Some channels have stockpiled scripts. Since the general production crews aren’t striking, that means filming will continue until the well runs dry. This is really good news for fans of weekly programming. We won’t miss a beat. At least not yet.
Also, it looks like some programs are wrapping up some key storylines, just in case. The last writer’s strike, in 1988 cost studios upwards of $50 million. It may not come to that this time. "Heroes" is wrapping up a key storyline soon. The heroes are coming together to save the world from a deadly virus. According to studio execs there are going to be smaller storylines that are more easily wrapped up throughout the season, so fans won’t be left hanging if the strike lasts longer than the amount of scripts they’ve got stockpiled. Once they go into reruns I’ll be in heaven, because I haven’t been able to watch so far this season. Monday night Math and all that jazz. Luckily, "Heroes" has accrued a huge fanbase, most of which will be back when the strike is over.
From the previews it looks like Dan’s double life on "Journeyman" is going to come to a head. Next week the FBI shows up at his door looking for that stolen cash and that professor Dan was talking to a couple of weeks ago calls him up again. This guy knows what’s up with Dan and Olivia, so we might just get an idea about what’s going on. I’m really looking forward to that. In case you didn’t know, "Journe
yman" is shaping up to be my favorite primetime show. Not only is the leading man hotter than hot should be, but the story is compelling and easy to follow (at least for me, and that’s really something). I’m hoping that taping isn’t coming to an end and that the show can last despite the idiots in network programming. IF Magazine said last month that NBC has ordered more episodes of "Journeyman" and that’s just what I want to read. Bring back the good old days when shows were given at least a half season to try to get some ratings- "Seinfeld" would have died a quick death if it were aired now. Hopefully, the execs give Dan, Livia, and the rest some time to get under the skin of more folks. NBC might even be a watchable network again.
Back to the strike. For now it looks like we’ll be able to have a few more weeks of regular programming. The last few years have had the networks going into reruns for a couple of weeks around this time ("House" already had a week of reruns). That may have been the death knell for some programs last season, but I think a brief period of reruns would do some good right now. Then bring in some new stuff about the time the writer’s are feeling the pinch in their wallets. I really, really hate reruns before December, but I’m willing to sacrifice for the good of my favorite programs.
Apparently "House" star Hugh Laurie has gone home for some emergency family time. Just in time, huh? I really love that show, but was getting antsy with their tendency to take long breaks. Now I welcome them. Let him have some family time and bring him back fresh to help us get through until the real rerun season.
I’m not looking forward to the end of the stockpiled scripts. But I sure am glad someone thought enough about the fans to do that for us (Yeah, I know it helps their bottom line, but without that motivation I wouldn’t be able to see my favs). As it is now, you’re just going to have to miss new episodes of daily programming. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert get extra long vacations and we get to go to bed a little bit earlier. Is that really a bad thing?
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