The painful writers strike of several months ago could prove a boon to the development of a new web TV channel packed with original content.
The months long Writers Guild of America strike that began November 1 of 2007 touched off a storm from which Hollywood still hasn't recovered. It slowed not only the production of new TV shows but the purchase and development of fresh material. The jury is still out on whether the settlement agreement that ended it all accomplish much for writers -- or merely set-up another strike in 2011.
Reports say, during the work stoppage, a group of top-shelf TV creators decided to step out of the traditional production model and develop material just for the web.
The long Hollywood labor nightmare that began in November of last year officially ended yesterday when the Screen Actors Guild overwhelmingly ratified a new contract with the studios.
Guild members voted 78% in favor of the new agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP), despite calls by hard-line union members who urged actors to vote "no" and force continued negotiations.
It's clear that two huge factors in the SAG approval were general labor strife fatigue and the struggling economy.
Remember when, as all the late-night shows came back during last year's writers' strike, Jay Leno mentioned on the air that he was writing his own monologue jokes? As you might expect, that didn't sit well with the rank-and-file of the WGA, but the guild decided to ruminate on it because a) he was very supportive of the union at the beginning of the strike and b) it's Jay Leno.
Apparently, though, the union has had a change of heart. The Tonight Show's outgoing host has been called to testify to the union's trial committee on charges that he violated the terms of the strike by writing for himself. Both Leno and NBC claim that there was language in the strike terms that said performers could write for themselves, even if they were guild members like Leno. The union, however, disagrees.
Everybody's been boo-hooing the ongoing decline in the ratings of the broadcast networks for years now. Each year their numbers erode and the news outlets go crazy trying to figure out what's going on. But there's been a quieter story building during that same timespan, and it really came to the forefront this year. While the major broadcast networks have seen a drop in viewers, the cable networks have been busting ratings records all year, culminating with USA not only having the best year of any cable channel in 2008, but having the best year in the history of cable television.
But what does that mean for television, in general? Is it just the continuing evolution of a drastically changing medium? Considering the state of the economy and its impact on the networks, it's definitely worth noting that someone on the airwaves is apparently doing something right, and it's these cable channels. Ironically, many of those same success stories in cable are sister stations to the broadcast networks, even going so far as to lend them shows during that pesky writer's strike. But how can it be that while the Big Four are going down, the cable networks are on the rise?
How's this for happy holiday cheer? The Screen Actors Guild is gearing up to ask members to authorize a strike. Yes, that's right. The actors' union leadership -- headed up by Alan Rosenberg -- is talking tough and threatening another strike. It's been nearly a year since the Writer's Guild strike and the ramifications are still being felt throughout the TV business. An actors strike would be crippling.
Currently, SAG is working under a contract that expired on June 30. The WGA strike began on November 5, 2007 and was finally settled on February 12, 2008. Rosenberg and SAG knew how damaging the strike had been, and in the months before June 30, they tried for a settlement. They didn't get it done then, and they've been treading water ever since.
Hear that sound -- a nearly inaudible rumbling coming over the horizon? Everyday it is getting louder and louder. Soon, the stampede that is the return of scripted series back from the depths of the WGA strike will overrun our televisions and computer screens, bringing overwhelming joy to our lives.
Okay, that statement may be a little flowery, but the sentiment is still there. After a very long dry period a good many of our favorite comedies and dramas are returning to the television landscape. We've had a taste of it these last few weeks with the return of shows like The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Dirt, The Richesand Smallville. That was just a preview of what is to come. Over the next few weeks we will see the return of The Office, Scrubs, Ugly Betty, all of the CSIs, Battlestar Galactica, and Lost, among others.
Gallery: 2007-08 Season: After-strike series returns
Yesterday we talked about how the WGA and studios were going to enter informal talks today, and it looks like those talks have actually made some news.
The WGA announced just a short time ago that they have dropped one of their main demands, that reality and animation writers be unionized. The union members say that they are going to try other ways to organize writers that work on animation shows and reality shows.
Let me preface this super quickly: I'm glad that a lot of you enjoyed my Colbert Report post from yesterday, but I'm afraid that was just a once in a while thing because I don't have the time to do both Daily Show and Colbert Report every single night. However, when Colbert does a crazy episode (first day back, Guitarmageddon, Papa Bear's visit, etc), TV Squad will get on it. On regular nights, I might add a little Report-related note in my section for the Jon/Stephen throw and I'm totally cool with TCR discussion in the comments. So, sorry if we got your hopes up. We still love you (and Colbert).
Ahem, let's get started, shall we? First of all, the team really did follow through with The A Daily Show, which is fantastic. Probably gave the graphics people something to do since they're not designing pun-tastic images everyday.
Hey, Brigitte here with TV Squad Daily. I'll be covering the TV stories I find interesting each day, Monday through Friday, in this video blog.
Today, on TV Squad Daily:
Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel will guest on each other's shows this week, and the WGA is threatening disciplinary action against Leno for writing his own jokes and performing a monologue.
Ellen DeGeneres just can't stay away from controversy. Even though she hasn't done anything as ballsy as coming out (I guess you can't do that twice, can you?), which fortunately didn't tank her career, this year was a bang-up year for Ellen in the news. The first dog I am referring to in the title is, in fact, a canine. Did anybody not hear about Ellen's infamous dog story? Ellen adopted a dog from a dog agency called Mutts and Moms, and signed agreements at the time that if the adoption didn't work out, she would return the dog to the agency. I presume Ms. DeGeneres has signed contracts before, but maybe this one didn't count. Maybe this one didn't seem binding. Or maybe she was just in a hurry that day, and didn't actually read it. (MSNBC claims that DeGeneres didn't read the contract, and that her partner Portia de Rossi signed).
Sure, the WGA strike sucks. But it doesn't just suck for us, the TV viewers (or reviewers, as the case may be here at TV Squad). It sucks for a lot of people with families to support. But I don't want to be a total downer. If you have been following the strike, then you probably already know there are a lot of great resources out there. But if you haven't been reading closely, you may find these nine sites worth clicking to for more information (and, in many cases, entertainment).
The painful writers strike of several months ago could prove a boon to the development of a new web TV channel packed with original content.
The long Hollywood labor nightmare that began in November of last year officially ended yesterday when the Screen Actors Guild overwhelmingly ratified a new contract with the studios.
Remember when, as all the late-night shows came back during last year's writers' strike, Jay Leno mentioned on the air that he was writing his own monologue jokes? As you might expect, 
How's this for happy holiday cheer? The Screen Actors Guild is gearing up to ask members 
Hear that sound -- a nearly inaudible rumbling coming over the horizon? Everyday it is getting louder and louder. Soon, the stampede that is the return of scripted series back from the depths of the WGA strike will overrun our televisions and computer screens, bringing overwhelming joy to our lives.
Let me preface this super quickly: I'm glad that a lot of you enjoyed my Colbert Report post from yesterday, but I'm afraid that was just a once in a while thing because I don't have the time to do both Daily Show and Colbert Report every single night. However, when Colbert does a crazy episode (first day back, 
... nine Writers' Strike supporting sites.
Mike Henry and Daryl Hall on a Cleveland Show Thanksgiving
The TV Squad Podcast: The Prisoner, '80s TV, soap news and more
Let's talk about spoilers ...
