WGA Strike, Part III of ?
I know I've been talking about the WGA strike a lot lately, but I do have my reasons: This is an "intelligent entertainment" blog, and if talented, tenured writers are no longer producing content, there's not going to be much entertainment in our future. Worse still, it probably won't be all that intelligent, either. More than likely decisions will be made on the fly and off the cuff, by actors, producers and directors alike.
Heroes is reportedly filming a new ending to a December episode this week in anticipation of it filling in as a season finale. Photo copyright NBC Universal Television.
At this point in time, ABC's Desperate Housewives, NBC's Heroes and ER, Fox's Back to You and 'Til Death, and CBS' Two and a Half Men, Rules of Engagement, The New Adventures of Old Christine, and The Big Bang Theory are all halting production, among many others, as shown in the updated grid on latimes.com. The scary part is that many of the series listed in the table only have anywhere between three and seven more weeks of programming left before their done. I say "scary," because TV is going to be inundated with unscripted, reality television shows come January, and I was so relieved when that trend took a downward turn. We can only hope that it doesn't become uber-popular again. That would be the worst kind of irony for writers once this whole issue is resolved.
The way I see it, this strike could essentially cause one of two things. Short of costing Hollywood much more than the $500 million it cost them in 1988, it may bring crews together in that sometimes elusive, yet collaborative, effort to create quality programming. Without writers to do the work, others will have to step up to the plate. It could be downright inspiring.
Or, sadly, it could cause an even deeper divide in Hollywood.
So far, it's looking pretty bright. Actors like Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, America Ferrera and cast members from The Office have reportedly expressed their support of the writers, though many of their colleagues have remained coy. According to Variety, executive producers have been "refusing to cross the picket lines even to perform non-writing chores on scripts that have already been completed." It's great to see that there is such a unified front from Screen Actors Guild members and executive producers.
The Hollywood Reporter has a great article that documents the back-and-forth debate between Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP) president Nick Counter and WGA leaders. Make of it what you will.
It looks like many in the media underestimated how badly the strike was going to hit production on a variety of shows, but I think it's a good sign that everyone is still supporting the writers. We'll see how far that support goes in two months' time, though it's fairly clear which side of the debate is causing the problem here. Hopefully the writers will get what they want (and deserve) in a timely manner, so everyone can get back to work.
Still -- and this is pure speculation here -- I wonder if this may be drawn out longer so as to stop any chances of a precedent being formed. There's been talk of a Screen Actors Guild/Directors Guild strike this summer, and maybe The Powers That Be are hoping it will be reconsidered, so as to prevent another huge hit like this. I don't think anyone wants to see production halt from coast to coast, but if SAG members have justifiable reasons like the writers, it may be quite necessary. According to Firefox News, SAG president Alan Rosenberg was pretty confident, saying, "We'll get what they get."
For everyone's sake, I hope that confidence is bankable.
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