TVSquad

There are so many articles and blogs about the writers strike that it's really hard to keep track of them all. But I'm really enjoying the first person accounts from writers and other industry people on what's going on at the picket lines in Los Angeles and New York City.

One of the funniest parts of the strike (and there are funny parts) is what the people on the picket lines are saying. If you're on a picket line, you have to also say something. You can't just walk around the whole day carrying a sign, completely silent. So the writers have come up with several chants they've been saying. After the jump, a few of my favorites. Many of them are about Desperate Housewives.

This is getting serious.

Both sides are still far from agreement on a new deal, and a strike by the Writers Guild of America could start in a couple of weeks (the last offer was rejected by writers). That means that scripted shows (Lost and House, for example) and late night talk shows would suffer the most. Some shows have a schedule that means they won't be affected that much, like The Simpsons, but most other scripted shows will be hurt in some way. As for daytime, Martha Stewart wouldn't be affected at all, but The View uses union writers so that should could be hit. (The View uses writers? So that means a writer actually puts those words into Elisabeth Hasselbeck's mouth?)

No, this isn't some programming move to get rid of reality shows (though I think it's worth exploring). It's actually a strategy in case there's a strike in Hollywood.

And that strike is looking more and more like it might become a reality. It sounds like hyperbole, I know, but the two sides are really far apart, and we're closer to a strike than we've ever been. Writers want more money for DVD sales and other forms of media. At one point they were going to work under their old deal until the end of this season, but now things have changed. The networks have been stockpiling on scripts and orders for reality shows just in case.

Studio 60!

I'm kidding. Readers just love it when I mention that show.

I'm talking about the shows created by The TV Show Pitch Generator. Just click on the "Pitch It" button and it will randomly create a new show for you. Most of them are better than the stuff that's been announced for this fall. It's too bad they don't have an option where you can actually create the cast/plot yourself, but it's pretty fun. My favorites are after the jump.

Just in time for the May upfronts (that time of year when all of the networks - ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, and The CW - unveil their lineups for the fall), The Futon Critic has a complete guide to what shows have been renewed and what shows have been canceled for the 2007-08 season.

Most of the news isn't that surprising. We already know that shows like The Black Donnellys and Six Degrees and King of Queens are ending, and that shows like Lost, Bones, and 30 Rock have been renewed. However, I wasn't aware that Men in Trees had already been renewed, and isn't it a little odd to put 60 Minutes in the "Fate To Be Determined" category? I would assume it's definitely renewed.

There's also a very handy guide to all of the pilots that are currently in development (at the top), so you can see what shows just might replace your favorites.

1. NFC Championship  (FOX)
2. American Idol - Tues (FOX)
3. American Idol - Weds (FOX)
4. CSI (CBS)
5. Desperate Housewives (ABC)
6. NFC Championship - GUN (FOX) 
7. Without A Trace (CBS)
8. Gray's Anatomy (ABC)
9. Golden Globe Awards (NBC)
10. Dancing With The Stars (ABC)
11. Lost (ABC)
12. Skating With Celebrities (FOX)
13. NCIS (CBS)
14. Law and Order: SVU (NBC)
15. CSI: NY (CBS)
16. Dancing With The Stars - Results (ABC)
17. NFC Championship - Post Game (FOX)
18. CSI - Special (CBS)
19. CSI: Miami - Special (CBS)
20. 24 (FOX)