No, I’m not on strike (yet?). I’m just sick, and staring at the computer monitor has been too nauseating to handle for the past few days. But time and TV stop for no man, so in lieu of any reviews of a so-far sleepy sweeps, here are some of the latest bits on that gut-wrenchingly craptastic Writer’s Guild of America strike that may soon deny us all the glorious scripted programming that gets us through the day. But first thing’s first…
What do they want? A new contract that reflects the changing mediascape – higher residuals from DVD sales and a piece of the downloadable pie (to name a few). It’s the least they deserve.
When do they want it? Uh, now? Or whenever the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers is willing to meet them remotely halfway. Talks have gone nowhere and, as of today, aren’t even taking place. Don’t be surprised if we don’t see a resolution until early 2008.
So with no new scripts in sight, where do we stand? Here are some of the most interesting bits on how some partially produced programs are feeling the heat:
- NBC’s eternal whipping boy, Scrubs, might not even run the full 18 episodes of its final season (Hollywood Reporter).
- The fourth season of Lost might not show up until 2009 (Televisionista).
- Unless you count the canning of Heroes: Origins, there haven’t been any real cancellations yet because of the strike. But with so many new series that have yet to receive full season orders, look for the guillotine to possibly drop on newbies like K-Ville and (gasp!) Dirty Sexy Money (The Watcher).
- Midseason debut (and total stinker) Cashmere Mafia will not be premiering in November. No plans for the show have been confirmed (Daily News).
- That springtime premiere for Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse isn’t looking so good. At least we have his dispatches from the picket line to tide us over (Whedonesque).
- The final season of The Wire is completely done and will air, in-full, as scheduled (LA Times).
- Sitcoms filmed in front of a live audience are already out of commission, with a bunch of CBS and FOX shows I pretty much hate leading the pack. How I Met Your Mother, which is apparently isn’t, soldiers on (New York Times).
Speaking of Mother… I’d hadn’t realized how little time was left on the slap countdown until CBS released some stills from this month’s “Slapsgiving” episode of How I Met Your Mother. Yes, in a mere 12 days, the slap bet returns. With so much uncertainty in life, at least we can count on that.
