For Those of You Who Were Worried...

Networks have already announced the shows being picked up for the 2008-2009 season.

Heath, you'll be glad to know that Pushing Daisies made it through the strike, though new shows will likely wait until next season. Other shows that are coming back will be Brothers & Sisters, Desperate Housewives, Dirty Sexy Money, Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Private Practice, Samantha Who? and Ugly Betty. Grey, Desperate and Ugly will have new episodes this season, but Practice and the above mentioned Daisies will likely get a proper relaunch next season.

The CW has also decided to begin shooting and airing new episodes of One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl, Supernatural, Reaper and Smallville. These episodes could be back as early as late March or early April. Gossip Girl will get an expanded order and a summer relaunch. Aliens in America and Everybody Hates Chris will not get new episodes - Chris completed their 22 episodes before the strike, Aliens completed 18.  Girlfriends didn't survive the strike, The Game will get about 8 more episodes to finish out the season and Life Is Wild won't go back into production nor will it be returning next season.

Boston Legal will likely return by next Wednesday. If it does, it will be the first show to return after the strike and if it does, it will likely finish out it's regular season.

Lost will most likely not be able to complete the 8 remaining episodes that's left to shoot for this season. They will be able to complete more like 5, but the crew at Lost feel like they can complete the storyline creatively and add the remaining shows into the next two seasons.

CBS will be moving forward with all the CSIs, NCIS, Without a Trace, Cold Case, Numbers, Criminal Minds, Ghost Whisperer and Moonlight. Comedies coming back on screen include Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory (GACK!). CBS hopes to get the comedies out by mid March and the dramas by the first of April, producing 8 shows for comedies and 6-7 for dramas. Moonlight, being a new show, will likely have fewer episodes.

So far, Shark nor The Unit have received episode orders. They may just wait until next season. Cane will not resume production, but is positioned for renewal next season. Midseason drama Swingtown is set to undecided. Only a couple of episodes were produced. No word on The New Adventures of Old Christine or Rules of Engagement. CBS could air a few shows as late as June but nothing is set in stone.

Fox, of course, being the network it is, is pulling full steam ahead with scripted shows, honoring remaining shows and playing them into the summer. Serialized dramas like Prison Break will come back in the fall and 24 will start in January of next year. The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Canterbury's Law, mid season shows, will not shoot any new episodes but will finish out their episodes for the season.

NBC should bring back it's Thursday lineup of My Name is Earl, The Office, and 30 Rock - Scrubs is ending this season, so the network may order up a shortened episode count, but the show will wrap. ER will produce more episodes because of contractual obligations, airing in April. Law & Order: SVU will resume with new episodes and Medium will finish its season. Chuck will return, but not until later summer or early fall. Heroes will return in the fall. Bionic Woman and Journeyman will not resume and are considered cancelled. Life will probably start again in the fall.

Friday Night Lights - a show that SHOULD continue, is up in the air, as well as Las Vegas.  Las Vegas won't produce any new episodes, but could be renewed. NBC execs are still trying to figure out what to do with Friday Night Lights (KEEP IT, YOU IDIOTS). 

It's exciting to get our shows back, isn't it? Now, we no longer have to languish in the murky pool of mediocrity that most of the midseason shows offered us, eagerly hoping for Doctor Who re-runs and some hot man on man action on Torchwood. BBC America, you're the only thing that kept my hopes alive! Welcome back, American  writers. We missed you.

Also File Under Music To My Ears

The writers may be reaching an agreement with the AMPTP which could get us the rest of our season back for some shows. 

Tuesday, February 12, 2008, writers are voting whether or not they will end the strike during the ratification process. The voting is between 2-6pm at the WGAW and between 4-7pm at WGAE. If there is a majority yes vote, production of shows could begin as early as Wednesday, February 13.

The vote does not end the dispute that is going on between the writers and the companies of the AMPTP. The contract that has been drawn will require that every guild member read and vote on it and even the contract itself is not firm as writers and studio execs try to hammer out the language of the contract. While shows may be ongoing, any hitch in contract negotiations could result in halting the season again. 

So, for the sake of television and so I don't have to watch such dross as both of the Sex In the City clones (Lipstick Jungle, you gave me what I expected and Cashmere Mafia, I expected better from you!), so I can see all of LOST and the Sarah Connor Chronicles, I say hurray for working during ratification... but for the sake of getting paid for the work you do, I say, take your time writers, take your time.

Going Crazy

I'm ready for new content. Oh, I know this is not the time to complain, but the AMPTP needs to get their act together and pay these writers what they're worth so I can find out what the FRAK is happening on that Island!

So, I wanted to nerd out with my little sister and have a BSG marathon (she's never seen it). We'd make Chief Tyrol hooch (or pomegranatinis, whichever tastes better), watch the miniseries, watch key episodes that tell the story, watch Razor and then complain that, after watching 3 seasons in 24 hours (over two days of course) that there is no more BSG until next year. However, when I went to iTunes to download said episodes, I find that not a one of them is up for sale. More use of the word "frak" as I try to figure out what happened and I'm embarrassed to say that I missed the news that, since NBC is no longer satisfied with the pricing system that iTunes set up, all NBC owned stations (Sci-Fi, USA and others) shows were pulled. Zhe shi shen me lan dong xi!? So we watched Firefly instead (which still involved hooch (Kaylee's this time), with the space adventures we longed for, and the weekend was saved by Joss Whedon.

This just in: Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report will both resume production January 7, without their writing staffs. This return date follows a scheduled two-week, end of year hiatus. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert issued this statement about their announced return: "We would like to return to work with our writers. If we cannot, we would like to express our ambivalence, but without our writers we are unable to express something as nuanced as ambivalence." (emphasis mine)

The response from WGA: "Comedy Central forcing Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert back on the air will not give the viewers the quality shows they've come to expect. The only way to get the writing staffs back on the job is for the AMPTP companies to come back to the table prepared to negotiate a fair deal with the Writers Guild."

The same thing happened with Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno. It will be very interesting seeing where these shows go.

As networks have been gearing up to sit it out for the long haul with midseason shows and reality shows, I find that the different descriptions of the same shows are making me curious. Of course, I'm going to watch the new American Gladiators, the cooking shows, maybe the design shows, but I'm not sure if I want to venture into the singing show territories now that even American Idol are running out of good singers... To the one person reading who I seem to always piss off about The Big Bang Theory, what shows do you think I should check out as reality becomes the nature of the tv beast?

Wow, That's A Good Idea

In a move that falls under "fantastic idea", CBS President and CEO Les Moonves says that CBS plans to integrate some Showtime series into the current primetime schedule at midseason if the strike continues. Shows they are thinking about include Dexter, Weeds and Brotherhood - edited for broadcast tv of course. I would love to watch the first season of Dexter again and get caught up and I'm sure there are a few who would like to check it out for themselves, as well as Weeds and Brotherhood. Not only will it give viewers new, non reality, content, but it will possibly also encourage more people to pay for Showtime when the strike is over and the shows move back to their homes. 

For more information on the on-going writer's strike, check out this summary by United Hollywood.

Tanya Huff's series Blood Ties, about Henry VIII's illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy, an ex cop, Vicki Nelson, and the complicated relationship they have solving supernatural crimes together in Canada, plays on Lifetime. The real Henry Fitzroy died of consumption, but in Tanya Huff's Blood series, she theorizes that he did not die at all, but was turned into a vampire. It's an interesting series. Lifetime, though, decided to offer the last two shows of the season for download only. With the writers striking primarily for their stake in the future of online media, it was a pretty brash move for Lifetime to make. Tanya Huff thought so as well. She normally writes about the show for Lifetime, but she refused to do so for the final two shows and goes so far as to mention torrenting the show (though doesn't encourage it) so that fans still get to watch it, but the networks don't make the money off of it.

That writers are even mentioning torrents is something else altogether. Torrents are files you download to watch or listen to anything from movies to music. That's all part of the illegal downloading saga that has been going on since Napster. TV shows are a bit more sketchy, since they start out free. You only have to pay if you want to get them all at once without commercials. While torrenting may make networks mad at the moment, this may be something that could come back and bite the writers on the ass later. I mean, there is a bit of a convenience thing to watching shows online - and you can deal with 4 30 second commercials in a 30 minute show or up to 8 in an hour. While torrents allow you to watch any show, whether online or not, commercial free, it takes a little time to download them and you could be done with the online version of 30 Rock before you finish downloading. The disadvantage to networks concerning the whole torrenting thing is that they usually air shows the next day and torrents are available within the hour after the show has finished airing. So people who work nights can come home, download their shows and watch them all before the first synopsis hits the internet or they get spoiled by ESPN's Colin Cowherd on their morning drive. But for writers, if they start making money on webisodes and online downloads, then torrenting will cut into their bottom line - so suggesting torrenting (they couldn't be encouraging something illegal, could they?) is something that should be done lightly. And maybe it was done lightly, but in the end, some people will do it and find their lives tremendously streamlined for it. 

The rest of us will just watch last season shows from Netflix and by the time we're ready for this new season, the strike will be over.

When the Talks Progress

The news blackout has been lifted and statements were released late Thursday by both sides - the AMPTP and the WGA. The AMPTP offered a new contract to the WGA containing clauses covering several areas of new media including streaming, content made for new media and programming delivered over digital broadcast channels. The AMPTP claims the entire value of the "New Economic Partnership" will deliver more than $130 million in additional compensation, though it's unclear whether that's per year or over the 3-year life of the contract. WGA is taking a close look at the proposal, but initially has categorized it as a "massive rollback." Meanwhile, WGA also presented the justification for their economic proposal on Wednesday which could cost the industry $151 million over three years, representing what WGA says is a 3% increase. More on all this when the talks resume on Tuesday. Here are excerpts of the statements provided by both sides:

AMPTP:

The AMPTP today unveiled a New Economic Partnership to the WGA, which includes groundbreaking moves in several areas of new media, including streaming, content made for new media and programming delivered over digital broadcast channels. The entire value of the New Economic Partnership will deliver more than $130 million in additional compensation above and beyond the more than $1.3 billion writers already receive each year. In response, the WGA has asked for time to study the proposals. ... talks [resume] on Tuesday, December 4.

WGA's responds first to the AMPTP proposal and then talks of their proposal presented on Wednesday:

Thursday morning, the first new proposal was finally presented to us. It dealt only with streaming and made-for-Internet jurisdiction, and it amounts to a massive rollback.

For streaming television episodes, the companies proposed a residual structure of a single fixed payment of less than $250 for a year's reuse of an hour-long program (compared to over $20,000 payable for a network rerun). For theatrical product they are offering no residuals whatsoever for streaming.

For made-for-Internet material, they offered minimums that would allow a studio to produce up to a 15 minute episode of network-derived web content for a script fee of $1300. They continued to refuse to grant jurisdiction over original content for the Internet.

In their new proposal, they made absolutely no move on the download formula (which they propose to pay at the DVD rate), and continue to assert that they can deem any reuse "promotional," and pay no residual (even if they replay the entire film or TV episode and even if they make money). ...

On Wednesday we presented a comprehensive economic justification for our proposals. Our entire package would cost this industry $151 million over three years. That's a little over a 3% increase in writer earnings each year, while company revenues are projected to grow at a rate of 10%. We are falling behind.

For Sony, this entire deal would cost $1.68 million per year. For Disney $6.25 million. Paramount and CBS would each pay about $4.66 million, Warner about $11.2 million, Fox $6.04 million, and NBC/Universal $7.44 million. MGM would pay $320,000 and the entire universe of remaining companies would assume the remainder of about $8.3 million per year. As we've stated repeatedly, our proposals are more than reasonable and the companies have no excuse for denying it.

Conan O'Brien will pay the salaries of his nearly 80 non-writing staff members of his show for the immediate future out of his own bank account. David Letterman's company Worldwide Pants likewise is paying the non-writing staffers of The Late Show with David Letterman and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Staffers at NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, however, will be laid off as of today. NBC had agreed to pay Tonight Show non-writing production staff through the end of November. As to the production staff of Saturday Night Live were laid off in the third week of the strike. Information via Cynopsis.

Wow.

So I guess we'd better be prepared for the slew of reality tv that is going to emerge in the next month or so. To note, though: Lipstick Jungle will be debuting earlier to fill in for the writers strike stopped ER. The reality show I'm looking forward to is the new American Gladiators. Starting Sunday, Jan. 6, it will play in Chuck's Monday 8pm timeslot on NBC.

Speechless

Video... who needs it on their page?

I wanted it... I didn't have it... so I am providing a couple of links for actors in support of the Writers Guild Strike

Speechless: http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1323277051&channel=1321270825

http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1328166657&channel=1321270825 (this one goes on for way too long, but it's funny, especially when they start arguing. "Call for quotes.")

Are You Ready?

I love television. I like the excitement of it, I like the humour and drama in it, I love the escapism of it, but most of all, I love the entertainment of television. Lately, however, it seems that the lives of writers is garnering much more entertainment value, almost more than tv itself.

3 weeks now the writers have been striking. They've been striking for their own work, work that is receiving awards and page views and advertising. But everyone is losing. The non writerly people who have no show to run and who are losing pay because of someone else. The studio execs who are resting a little easy now because shows are still on and people are still checking out the shows on the web, but if they don't come to a decision, that will end very soon. The writers who are not getting paid and who, if they cave now and back down, will have had a pointless strike, wasted everyone's time as well as not having gotten at least one thing they did deserve, a piece of their own internet pie. The viewer who, very soon, will be forced to look at reality tv or go back to paper (I will be reading if there's not tv). I suppose I could write about reality tv - I like a few... food ones and that crazy Who Wants To Be A Superhero - but in the end, reality tv just doesn't provide the pure escapism I want.

Which means I will probably submerge myself in last season's DVDs. Maybe I will rewatch the last 3 seasons of Veronica Mars. Maybe I will re-watch 30 Rock. For some of you who are just catching up to TV, I have a few titles you should check out, but that will be for another time. So enjoy the remainder of your new shows and remember that you want the writers to get some of what they ask for. I know I do.

With the Strike Underway...

Now that the Writer's Strike is under way, here are more shows and what they are doing once they run out of episodes.

Dirt (FX) has up to script #7 for their 2nd season written. They are prepping #206 for a late November shooting.

Dirty Sexy Money (NBC) - They are shooting #11 for season 1, prepping for episode 12 and they have other scripts written, but it's unclear if production will go on.

Eli Stone ( a midseason show) - are prepping for episode 11 of season 1. It's unclear if there are other written scripts.

Ghost Whisperer (CBS) - shooting episode 12 of their third season but have not additional scripts written.

Heroes - Production has shut down

K-Ville - The finished shooting their 10th episodes. It is unclear whether they have other written scripts or if they will continue production.

Numbers is propping episode 12 of season 4 but have no additional scripts.

October Road (midseason) is shooting episode 10 of season 2. They have written scripts to episode 13.

Ugly Betty is shooting two more scripts and then they will be out of scripts.

Fox is creating a new lineup for January. Of course, if the strike ends, they may go back to before, but like I said before 24 is out and other shows will start earlier. The Sarah Connor Chronicles will start Jan. 13, Prison Break will return on Mondays as well on the 14th of January, American Idol will start on the 15th of January. A new reality show I hadn't heard about The Moment of Truth, will start on the 23 of January and House will follow the Super Bowl (as opposed to 24, I assume) February 3rd.

ABC will show the first 8 episodes of Lost, but beware, episode 8 is a cliffhanger and it will not be resolved until after the strike, unless the strike resolves before episode 8.

If you know of any other shows/networks that are making changes because of the strike, then let me know in comments.

Writers Strike

I don't know if I've always been a union girl. I never really had a reason to think about it. 

I lived in California during the public transportation strike and when the local grocery store workers were striking for better benefits. Despite the inconvenience, I found myself really pulling for these workers and hoping that by staying away (even though it meant spending way too much at the gorgeous Whole Foods and Trader Joe's), I was doing a good thing for their negotiations. 

Now that the Writers are striking, I am torn. I guess torn is not the right word, since I am 100% for the writers standing for their rights. There is no way in hell that internet downloads of shows should not be adding money to the pockets of the people who write them. Writers just want their fair share. As much as I want shows to continue, I want writers to get their fair share. As much as any of us can complain about content (or lack thereof), there are a lot of shows we like and anyone who's tried their hand at writing knows that it is hard work to come up with new content every week. 

I listen to ESPN Radio incessantly. It's almost an obsession. Colin Cowherd was talking about the WGA strike and how important writers were to the process. They are like the offensive line. The less you hear about the offensive lines, the more touchdown passes Brady has thrown was his example. If writers weren't important, he stated, then De Niro would win an Oscar every year. But good acting can be eclipsed by bad writing. Jon Stewart is funny, but his writers help make him brilliant. Pretty much every late night show is going to reruns because of the strike.

Anyway, just so you know the status of some of your shows, here's an abbreviated list:

* 30 Rock is shooting it's 10th episode for this season through November 9th and then will shut down

 

*Big Bang Theory, Carpoolers, Desperate Housewives, The Office, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Rules of Engagement, Samantha Who?, Two and  Half Men, and Without a Trace have shut down.

*Show runners that share writing duties for shows are also walking (Shonda Rhimes of Grey's Anatomy and many SAG members are also in support of the WGA strike). Studios are threatening the pay of anyone non-writing related or who have non-writerly duties who are stopping work in support of the striking writers.

There are plenty of video about people who are striking and why they are striking...

There are plenty of websites that are talking about the details of the strike...

While we, as tv viewers, won't miss much for the remainder of this month, we will start to feel the pinch, especially as the new year starts. First off, no 24 until the strike is over. The show runners don't want to run it if the episodes currently recorded will end before the strike does. Lost, however, will play their current 8 recorded shows starting in February. They realize that most of their fans are willing to wait for the remaining 8 shows. 

The thing I dread is that tv will become over populated with reality shows. What reality show would you like to see? Which show do you never hopes sees (or re-sees) the light of day?