dex14

"Real Time is coming back, unfortunately, sans writers or writing. It has been five months, and it is time to bring people back to work. The writers have important issues that I sympathize with, and hope they are addressed to their satisfaction, but they are not the only people with issues, problems, and concerns. Despite some assistance from me, much of the staff is struggling mightily. We all were hopeful this would come to an end after Labor Day, but that day has come and gone, and there still seems to be nothing happening. I love my writers, I am one of them, but I’m not prepared to lose an entire year and see so many below-the-line people suffer so much. I will honor the spirit of the strike by not doing a monologue, desk piece, New Rules or editorial, the written pieces that I am so proud of on Real Time. And I’ll say it upfront to the audience: the show I will be doing without my writers will not be as good as our normal show, full stop. But the heart of the show is an off-the-cuff panel discussion that aims to cut through the bullshit and predictable partisanship, and that will continue. The show will not disappoint."

alfredog1976

Scab

Gunde

Nonsense. A scab would be writer doing work on the show during the strike. Not everyone else.

I applaud this. A ton of people, that have no direct stakes in the current strike, gets to have a pay check again.

Nesbit

Maher is a writer on the show though not a good enough one to handle new rules or a monologue on his own which is the real reason they won’t be on the show.

No other union involved in entertainment is against either strike because they understand that the things SAG and the writers guild are fighting for are going to benefit them too.

Throwing Copper

I watched his Club Random show from a few weeks back, and Bill brings up the strike etc with Jim Gaffigan, good episode.

Another good one from this summer, Ice Cube, 90 minutes of fun.

He should have started to do that show from his guest house years ago.

BTW - Yeah Richard Dreyfuss really is THAT hammered in an episode

Bandoman

Maher and anyone who continues to work on this show during the strike are crossing the picket line. They're scabs.

Paff

This. It's nice to generate income for those who are not on strike but affected anyway, like camera operators, costumers, make-up, lighting techs, etc. But the whole point of a strike in the first place is to show top management how much some people are needed and to hit them where it hurts unless they meet the demands. If the show still goes on during a strike, management is doing just fine and they'll think "why do I even need writers?"

This only makes things worse in the long run.

Runaway

While I do share your opinion no show should go on during a strike, I do believe the quality of the show will suffer and proove the writers worth. Maher's covid shows were terrible, since the format had to be changed and back then, he still had writers. Without monologue, comedy bits and especially new rules, the show is reduced to a political talk show.

Anyway, I wouldn't call the crew scabs, since they are not doing the writers jobs, they are doing their jobs. The camera operators don't write new rules.

Paff

No, but they're unionized too I assume, and they'd want the same solidarity from the writers or whomever if they were to go on strike.

Nesbit

Tbh I always fast forwarded past the monologue when i used to watch and would prefer more panel time over new rules anyways so if anything this would be an improvement to me

Runaway

I'm not sure about that. If the camera and mic operators go on strike. I'm pretty sure writers rooms will continue to produce scripts until production of a show will continue. Solidarity is one thing, making a living is the other. The crew members aren't on strike.

rw2516

Solidarity striking isn't allowed. It's considered walking off the job and you can be fired. Company doesn't have to let you come back because technically you quit. Union cannot strike while under contract unless employer is violating terms of the contract.

Paff

You don't say. I always thought if there was a labor dispute of any kind, unionized workers wouldn't cross the picket lines either. Like when those Vegas hotels had strikes that literally lasted several years (something spoofed in the classic "Festivus" episode of Seinfeld, Kramer had been on strike at H&H Bagels the entire run of the show until the episode). The workers eventually found other jobs, the hotels would hire new workers, but the disagreement was still there between the hotel and the unions, and as a result other unionized workers (like construction companies) refused to take on any jobs at the hotels, thus keeping the hotels several years out of date because they could never find anyone willing to do renovations or modernizations.

Runaway

Different circumstances: Construction companies aren't out of work, if they refuse to work for some hotels. An electrician working for a show could find another job but mic or camera operators are just unemployed.

rw2516

The construction workers weren't employees of the hotels under a different union. They were employees of the construction company they work for. They weren't striking. They were still working doing other things, or laid off. That would be more of a boycott by construction companies against the hotels.

dex14

Maher is delaying coming back:

"My decision to return to work was made when it seemed nothing was happening and there was no end in sight to this strike. Now that both sides have agreed to go back to the negotiating table I’m going to delay the return of Real Time, for now, and hope they can finally get this done."

Cellar Door

Throwing Copper

Show returns tomorrow night with Ron Desantis

Count Dooku

Events would suggest that he was telling the truth.

Nesbit

Or he didn’t like the shit he was getting but had to come up with a reason he was changing his mind because he couldn’t admit that he was changing his mind because of the shit he was getting because he’s a self absorbed asshole.

Count Dooku

If he makes that flip-flop announcement that he's changing his mind because it look like the strike might get settled, so he'll wait and see, and the strike goes another month, then he's everything you say he is.

If the strike gets settled within a week, then events have vindicated him. We don't know what he was really thinking, but reality covered his ass.

Gunde

Ok, can we get back to discussing the actual show after the new episode tomorrow? All this continued thread crapping is completely unnecessary and fucking annoying. No one cares that you think Bill is an asshole.

Count Dooku

The last time the show aired a new episode, it had a super high profile and controversial guest, and generated 6 posts. Just sayin'

alfredog1976

Get those softball questions ready for DeFascist, Bill! Scumbag

Nesbit

Thats only true if i’m arguing that Maher made up the fact that they were close to a deal. I assume he had some inside knowledge that they were close to a deal and then used that as the excuse to hold off on the triumphant return of Real Time despite it not being the real reason he changed his mind.