Since I'm assuming the threat of this strike is the only reason Journeyman hasn't been pulled, I hope it lasts just long enough to let them air the remaining episodes they've made for it. Although Red Dog's idea about letting it run through college basketball season has some appeal as well.

We were joking here that when CBS starts to run out of shows to put on the air during the strike, they'll end up showing the remaining run of Viva Laughlin and it'll become a hit that they'll order more episodes.

Don't give CBS any ideas.

I expect Jericho to come back sooner though.

Well played... well played.

So they're suppose to sit down and have talks tomorrow. I expect much more of the "Fuck you, we don't want to give you the %, thus giving the DGA and SAG contracts the same shit later this year" which will just lead to a strike come monday.

If this strike happens - just how soon can we expect these early season finales to start?

Early December 2007 time frame.

I think the strike could result in a couple of things:

1) An explosion in new reality shows.

2) The possibility that we could see older programs come back on air as "fillers," provided the networks still have broadcast rights to the programs.

3) Disney could possibly move some of their ESPN sports programming to ABC. That means NBA games during the winter and MLB games in the spring normally shown on ESPN/ESPN2 could end up on ABC (e.g., Wednesday and Friday night NBA games).

Why the hell are the networks intransigent over this? From what I understand the sticking point is an increase in home video residuals from 4 cents to 8 cents. Okay, that's a 100% increase, but it's 8 lousy cents! What's the average profit on a DVD?

So is this going to pretty much kill the upcoming season of Lost, (which I believe was set for february)? How about 24?

I actually read that Lost may be the one show least affected. Supposedly they've been stockpiling scripts and have 14 or the 16 done for Season 4.

I'm hoping this is true

That's what I heard, and that's why they are delaying the premier of the season so they can run them continuously while the strike is on. It will be a good move if the strike happens...one of the few new original shows on TV and all

Because then other two unions will also want $0.08 / DVD when they renegotiate in 2008.

Thats $0.24 / DVD out the window.

classic.

24 is going to be hard hit by this. Supposedly they are working on episodes 7 and 8 right now and only have enough scripts to finish 30% of the season. Plus, the extremely late start shooting the season didn't help matters either.

I believe the Sarah Connor Chronicles should be okay because FOX only ordered 13 episodes and they have been shooting since the summer.

My guess is that 24 and Heroes are the shows most likely to be seriously messed up by a 3 month or longer strike. Actually, Heroes might be screwed if the strike isn't resolved this month based on what I have seen in this forum about them making contingency plans to wrap the season with an alternate ending to the last episode they have shot. I wouldn't be totally shocked to see Heroes handled that way and then end up cancelled if NBC is unhappy about cost to viewership. If 24 is only 30% done, I think they would just have no choice but to hold the show until the strike was over. Hopefully that wouldn't totally screw up whatever they're shooting (due to locations, actor availability, etc). I imagine LOST should have at least half a season shot and could be pushed back slightly to improve its situation.

The show I'm most worried about that I have heard nothing about is The Shield. Anybody have an idea as to whether the final season is completely shot at this point or not?

I'm also worried about The Shield. There has been no mention how much of it has been completed. It's suppose to premiere sometime in 2008.

The writers and studios are meeting today to try one last time for a new contract to prevent a strike. This might be the last chance to save the 2007-08 TV season.

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/071104/hollywood_labor.html

Again.. I see a future for Viva Laughlin... and maybe ABC can show Emily's Reasons Why Not..

Another show that would be hurt by the strike is Army Wives. Lifetime ordered an 18 episode 2nd season that's suppose to air in the spring.

If the WGA goes on strike tonight, I'd say there's probably a 95%+ likelyhood that the DGA and SAG will do the same when their contracts expire in the next few months. It's good for them, they can collectively bargain if all are striking, but really, really bad for me, trying to get a job in Hollywood in approx 6 months.

I think it's more likely that the WGA will essentially set the parameters for the DGA and SAG because those organizations are going to want deals with similar provisions and compensation. My guess is that the producers will try their best to avoid a strike by all three bodies -- that could end up being really bad for business.

It's a complicated mess between the Producers, Studios and Writers/Directors/Actors. It's important to remember that there are two guilds that act for the different "producers" of a show or film. The PGA is the same as the WGA or SAG in that it protects the interest of individual producers and makes sure they get paid fair wages and what not. The AMPTP collectively bargains for the interests of the producers but is ultimately acting in the interests of the studios.

I'm working on getting into producing, so I'm a bit biased, but realize that the problem the producers have here is that the cut of the residuals is essentially coming out of their pocket. I don't think the writers are getting a fair share either, but entry level producers, and even mid-range producers (APs for example), don't make anywhere near what the writers and actors do. The EPs definitely have the potential for a lot of money, but they also may have fronted a lot of money for the show (ie Mark Burnett and Survivor).

So while I agree that the Writers/Directors/Actors may not be making enough money of residuals, producers are having their piece of the pie cut drastically, while the studio retains an even larger portion of the profit.

I've read that all of "The Shield" scripts for the season have been turned in. As for "Lost" and "24," your answers are in this article: "Lost" will only have half of its 16 eps done, "24" will only have 8 or 9 eps of 24.

How long does anyone think this strike would reasonably last? I really couldn't see lasting until spring.

The last time WGA went on strike it lasted nearly half a year (154 days) in 1988. If a strike does occur I wouldn't be surprised it lasts at least this long, and it could "bleed over" to the SAG/AFTRA and DGA strikes coming July 2008.