100+ showrunners stop work entirely. The Office's Steve Carrell is the
latest high-profile star (and writer) who refuses to cross picket line.
Members of the Writers Guild of America have been striking for less than a week, but the new television season is already feeling the effects.
As anticipated, late-night talk shows began airing reruns from day one. Though many primetime series will continue to air new episodes between now and the end of the year, others—such as NBC favorite The Office—have already shuttered, or are expected to do so soon.
What's on tap? What's shut down?
According to the Associated Press, the ABC sitcom Samantha Who? has eight completed episodes ready for air; the Fox drama House has six; and CBS’s NCIS, Cold Case, Criminal Minds, Without a Trace and the three CSI series have three to six each.
CBS’s Monday-night comedy block—How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, Rules of Engagement—will last the remainder of the month.
On ABC, Ugly Betty, Pushing Daisies and Grey’s Anatomy have four episodes left, and if the strike persists, Desperate Housewives would air the last of its remaining new episodes on December 2.
At NBC, The Office will commence reruns following next week’s episode because production has ceased, due in no small part to star—and writer—Steve Carell’s decision not to cross picket lines. NBC’s Heroes would last through December 3.
In addition, Fox has announced that the seventh season of 24, which had been scheduled for January, has been postponed.
AMPTP may table with DGA before
reconvening with WGA
Both the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers—the entity with which the guild is at loggerheads—have said that they want to resume negotiations, but each side has indicated conditions that thus far have prevented them from doing so.
Some observers of the dispute speculate that AMPTP representatives may find themselves in talks with members of the Directors Guild of America before returning to discussions with the WGA.
Contracts for the both the DGA and the Screen Actors Guild expire June 30 of next year, but the DGA is expected to begin negotiations early, perhaps as soon as the end of the month.
More in-depth strike coverage at Television Week's Strike Central and sections online now. |
Showrunners stop work, risk legal action
Pressure to bring the WGA and AMPTP back to the table has been spurred by guild-affiliated showrunners, who serve as both writers and producers of their shows.
More than a hundred showrunners have agreed to stop work entirely—a decision that has hampered many series. In some cases, this action has resulted in breach-of-contract letters from employers which state that if the hyphenates do not return to work, they will be sued.
In an effort to move toward a resolution, some showrunners have pledged to resume their producing duties once talks pick up again.