The Writer's Strike ... do you care.

[CheezeFlixz]

As the writers strike drags out many shows are in jeopardy and as it seems actors/host are unable to create their own thoughts. Do you really care if the strike drags out and TV goes into total reruns?

[Mr. DS]

I've been loosely following this and find it funny how TV could possibly go into shambles without their behind the scenes people. 

I wonder what they'll broadcast if TV goes into ruins.  Perhaps they'll finally have to re-air Cop Rock. 

[Derf]

Yes! The time is almost right for Manimal: The Lost Episodes!!!

I don't watch much TV anymore, but a writer's strike is always sad, if for no other reason than networks then look into airing more "reality" shows. Ugh.

[CheezeFlixz]

I don't care because I don't remember the last time I watched network TV or any regularly running show short of the news.

They could put tons of old shows into reruns and likely get better rating. Which would you rather see, 'Survivor' or reruns of the 'Ed Sullivan Show'?

[Torgo]

I don't watch TV so as far as shows going into reruns they could cancel all of them for all I care.

But as for the writers' livelihood, they have plenty of merit to strike as they're the low people on the totem pole in terms of residuals and the like.

[flackbait]

I don't care because I don't remember the last time I watched network TV or any regularly running show short of the news.

They could put tons of old shows into reruns and likely get better rating. Which would you rather see, 'Survivor' or reruns of the 'Ed Sullivan Show'?

I worry that their bound to try new crap, before they use older shows like rockford files, magnum PI, I love Lucy etc. etc.
Personally I think that would be cool if they did run old shows, but it could be scary/amusing to see how low they can push the TV boundries.

[Torgo]

Perhaps they'll finally have to re-air Cop Rock. 

They need to release all of the like 6 episodes of that show on DVD at some point.  

[Mr_Vindictive]

I care as I side with the writers.  The companies are getting huge amounts of cash from online video sales (iTunes) and DVD sales yet the writers see little to no money.  That's just wrong.  If I create something, then I should see some type of profit from any media the idea gets released on.

That being said, this does mean we get to see all of the strange sh*t that has been sitting on the studio shelves for a while.  All of the shows that only had three or four episodes and never made it to air will take the place of regular shows.

Hopefully this strike will help weed out all of the crap on TV today. 

[Jack]

I couldn't care less.  I never watch network TV except for Football.  Honestly, the networks could disappear off my television and it would be months before I noticed.  Considering that the writing is a big part of why I don't watch, I obviously don't think they deserve a raise.  It could only be an improvement if they all quit and new people were hired.

[raj]

Oh goody, they'll bring back "The Duck Factory."  I always had a soft spot for that show.  Probably why I hang out here.

I do tend to side with the writers; they are necessary for new shows and are artistic talent just like actors (and I am using "artistic" loosely).  They should get royalties for their creative effort.

IIRC, the directors might soon be going out on strike too.

[Kester Pelagius]

It's not a matter so much of not caring so much as not understanding.  IIRC they're peeved because they aren't getting a cut of DVDs sales, or something along those lines, to which I, as someone who's hurled their best (and worst) into the slush pile sargasso can only say. . .

WTF?

I would think their terms, as a writer working for hire, would be very clear.  Granted when studios start to rake in the megabucks writer's working for pennies probably feel shafted.  OTOH what about all the turds that made no money?  Are the writer's willing to give BACK a %age of their pay?

Of course not.

But, hey, if all else fails they can join the rest of us trying to sail out of the slush pile sargasso.  Granted the more effort you put into getting out the further you sink but, hey, you gotta try right?

[RCMerchant]

TV? Whar's that? We got our satellite dish shut off about two months ago...and ya know what? Best thing that ever happened! The kids,Tara Sue and Angel watch movies that Angel (Tara's daughter) gets from her job-she works at a video rental store-and I watch old movies I have yet to see from my bizzare collection of trash and garbage...! Last night..rewatched 2000 MANIACS ,the original DRACULA,and KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL!

[Yaddo 42]

Yes, to a point. I ditched cable almost two years ago, so I watch less TV, but what I do watch are mostly scripted dramas and sitcoms. I shudder to think of the networks airing even more "reality" programs. Even the TV shows I rent are most scripted shows that air on channels like HBO. A long term strike may kill off the few things I actually watch and enjoy.

Plus as it goes on, it has begun to affect movie production, delaying or shelving the beginning of some new films. When a strike loomed back in the 90s, Entertainment Weekly had an article pointing out that the studios would have to look overseas and to the indie market for product if a strike went on long enough, that could be interesting if it happened now, but the market has changed since then.

I'm curious to see what the talk shows will be like when they come back without regular writing staffs. Maybe they will have real interviews like in the olden days of Carson (in his prime), Cavitt, and Tom Snyder; rather than just plugfests and lame bits after the monologues that burn up half the show time.

I'm on the side of the writers' since they did make a bad deal back in the 80s, when no one knew how the revenue streams for their work would change. Things are changing yet again, and more of the money will come from other sources than just the network airings and syndication, they deserve a fair cut.

[Inyarear]

What strikes me as interesting about this whole strike is how it has exposed a lot of the less-well-known inner workings of the entertainment industry. For instance, I hadn't known (nor, apparently, had many others) that these writers were contributing a lot of the material for Jay Leno's show. Back before the strike, I remember hearing from some people saying his jokes were lame and they didn't think he was funny. Turns out he's just the front man after all; he might have to answer for himself now if he isn't funny enough, but back before this strike, any lacking bit of humor was the writers' fault. Some of you guys may be better connected than I am, so maybe you knew all about Jay Leno already, but I get the feeling most of the rest of the public was as much in the dark about this situation as I was. How enlightening.

There may be, as some here contend, some justice to the writers' demands. Certainly, if television and movie moguls are making the big bucks, the writers whose scripts helped them get there may deserve a bigger cut. At the same time, as noted in this article, the ratio of film script quality to film financial success has been anything but friendly to the writers' contention that Hollywood needs them. Deservedly or not, the public still turns out in droves and pays the inflated ticket prices to see a lot of what the professional movie critics are panning. To turn the article author's contention on its head, however, maybe some of what he and his fellow critics think of as "creative" sucks every bit as much as the big-budget Hollywood garbage he's deriding. I mean, Valley of Elah? That's a "creative" movie? Maybe these writers haven't exactly been turning in their best efforts lately, you know? (Maybe we don't think much of professional critics either, eh?)

The situation on TV is much the same. I wasn't allowed to watch TV growing up, so getting to see what was on TV used to be kind of a forbidden pleasure for me. As I've grown up and been able to see whatever I wanted, however, I've come to see that my parents probably had the right idea; I don't even want to watch TV anymore with all the mind-numbing sludge it's got on it these days. Just a few years ago, I had to write an essay for a class at my community college about my favorite TV show. Since I had long since ceased watching the boob tube, that assignment was a bit of a conundrum for me. Finally, I just reviewed one of my favorite anime series. I mean, hey, an anime series comes from Japanese television, right? (The assignment got a good mark, so I guess the teacher agreed.)

Maybe I'm unique in not caring to watch TV at all, but I'll bet a lot of people would share my contention that television's well on its way to rock bottom already, and that if reality shows are any worse than what they're replacing, they can't be that much worse than what would soon have replaced them anyway. The lowest common denominator might just be getting a little too low for anyone's liking these days. I don't think I'm alone in saying, too, that a lot of us might be happy enough to see this strike go on forever. Hey, guys, let's give this a shot: a year without scripting!

It wouldn't be the first time there's ever been a conflict in which we wanted both sides to lose. Who doesn't want to see the high-and-mighty of Hollywood and TV land brought to their knees? Who hasn't seen something so bad that he was astounded anyone actually got paid for writing it? Who doesn't get sick of hearing what a bunch of manic-depressive crack-addled sluts Hollywood celebrities are? Maybe this is what we just didn't realize we wanted to see until now: every last one of them losing this fight. Maybe they're finally giving us exactly what we want, however unintentionally.

I wouldn't be too sorry if this strike did inspire some of those stuffed suits to dig up some of their old material, too. Indie film makers will doubtless be bringing forth whatever they've got to offer (which should be a bonanza for us on this forum at the very least), and foreign companies such as Walden Media will still be bringing out a few big-budget productions for us if we still want to see them, courtesy of the deals they've cut with domestic corporations such as Disney. (Prince Caspian's preview trailers, for one, are looking good.) We will not suffer any famine of spectacle in any case.

In short, I'm seeing a lot of benefits and not too many drawbacks to this whole writers' strike. Am I missing anything here? Does anyone disagree? I'd love to see some contrarian thinking on this subject.

[Jack]

It wouldn't be the first time there's ever been a conflict in which we wanted both sides to lose.

Sorry, no contrarian thinking here, but karma to you for that quote 

I think part of the problem is that Hollywood is not looking for talented, creative writers any more than McDonald's is looking for professional chefs.  Their infatuation with remakes and the "humor" of a few over-the-top nutcase "comedians", not to mention that everything must be 100% politically correct, sanitized for your protection, sets up a framework in which creativity can't exist, and talented writers just aren't suitable for employment.  We're dealing with the Hollywood equivalent of fry cooks here.  We shouldn't discuss it as if we're talking about professional culinary artists.

And fry cooks can be replaced very easily.