Writers Strike

This month, as part of my Best of 2008 coverage, I'm going to look back at some of the entertainment world's big headlines. First up: the Writers Guild of America strike.

Though the strike started in November of 2007, it wasn't until early '08 that we really started to feel the effects. While the year started on a promising note — all of the late-night TV hosts returned to their shows on Jan. 2, with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert following soon after — the TV networks quickly started running out of new episodes, dooming us to week after week of repeats and reality shows. Check out this What to TiVo entry from January. It was pretty bleak!

Soon after actors announced they wouldn't attend the Golden Globes, NBC canceled the ceremony and replaced it with a news conference-style broadcast. The result was widely regarded as a disaster, with fewer than 6 million people tuning in.

In late January, after 12 weeks of striking, writers and producers tentatively started speaking to each other again, and the two sides drafted a new contract in early February. On Feb. 12, the strike was officially over, clearing the way for TV and movie writers to get back to work and for major award shows like the Oscars to proceed as usual. By late February, scripted TV was returning, with most shows back on the air by early April. But it hasn't been smooth sailing. To see how the strike is still messing with our entertainment options, just read more

Well, at least one good thing came out of last Winter's writers' strike. This week brought the launch of Strike.tv, a venture for comedy writers to put their own content on the Web without the interference of networks. (Think Dr. Horrible, but with even more people involved.)

Several of the web series are up now, including one called House Poor starring The Office's Mindy Kaling as a new homeowner who will stop at nothing (er, not even faking a pregnancy) to set up her dream house. Kaling also pops up in Global Warming, a series starring Kristen Wiig and The Daily Show's Aasif Mandvi as two coworkers and possible lovers connected only by their online tech support chats. There's lots more to come; check out the whole list.

Not only is it good content, but it also has a good cause: Its ad revenue benefits the Actors Fund's Entertainment Assistance Program, which distributes money to Hollywood workers (camera crews, set decorators, carpenters, etc.) hurt by the writers' strike and the threat of an actors' strike. This year, the fund has already given $1.3 million dollars in aid. So, get clicking!

The shows will also appear on YouTube and other video sites. To check out the first episode of House Poor, just read more

Earlier this year, TV writers were in the news like never before — but, unfortunately, that's because they were on strike. So, what's it like when they're working? The New York Times has given us a peek, taking us inside the rooms where the writers come up with the dramatic scenes and witty one-liners that make television so great.

The story goes inside five different writers' rooms. Awesomely, each one belongs to a favorite show of mine: Flight of the Conchords, Weeds, Damages, How I Met Your Mother, and House.

Some fun facts: The Damages room includes a rescued puppy who barks every time a page comes out of the printer. The Mother staff chomps salt-and-vinegar potato chips, while the Weeds room is a sugar-free zone. House writers actually use a whiteboard a la their title character when he's working on a diagnosis, and the Conchords spend a large portion of their day looking up old music videos on YouTube.

I was impressed by the patchwork pattern of colored index cards in the Conchords room that reportedly tracks "every idea [they've] ever had in the last six months," as well as by the fact that Weeds writers aren't allowed to have their cell phones in the room. Overall, it's a cool glimpse into a side of the writing life that we viewers don't get to see very often. Go check it out, and then tell me: What TV show do you imagine has the coolest writers' room? (I've long thought it's probably The Office.)

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TV ratings have been pretty miserable overall ever since scripted shows started returning to the air. It seems to be a little surprising to networks and advertisers, who expected viewers to come rushing back in a show of "absence makes the heart grow fonder"-style affection.

Today's New York Times notes that serial dramas have taken the brunt of the ratings hit and suggests several theories, one of which is that the strike gave viewers an excuse to quit shows that they just weren't that into anymore. I've noticed that myself, though the show I've quit is a comedy and not a drama: I've had trouble making time for Samantha Who? ever since it returned. I'm sure it's still cute and funny, but I'm not feeling the urge to get the episodes off my DVR.

A friend of mine recently told me that the strike gave her a chance to admit she was over Gossip Girl, and one of you even suggested yesterday that the strike could make people forget 24. So tell me: Did you quit a show because of the strike? What was it? And do you miss it at all?

Photo copyright 2008 ABC, Inc.

If you were eagerly looking forward to this Summer for new seasons of HBO favorites like Big Love, Entourage, and Flight of the Conchords, here's some bad news: You're going to have to keep waiting. As a result of the writers' strike, all of those shows have been pushed till Fall — if not beyond.

The strike delayed filming on several series, including Entourage and True Blood, the vampire series starring Anna Paquin and written by Six Feet Under's Alan Ball. Those two are now scheduled to start sometime in the Fall. Big Love and Conchords will likely start even later; the Conchords guys recently blogged that season two might not air till January '09. Boo!

What's a disgruntled HBO subscriber to do? Well, there are still a couple of exciting things coming up this summer, including the Iraq war miniseries Generation Kill, which was adapted from a book for television by The Wire's David Simon. That's set to premiere in July, while two comedies — an animated series called The Life and Times of Tim and an Australian import called Summer Heights High — are scheduled to start airing on Fridays in June. Summer Heights High, in particular, comes highly recommended by the Conchords guys themselves. To check out the first part of the first episode, just read more

• USA Today has a gallery of images from the psychological thriller The Box, starring Cameron Diaz and James Marsden.
• It's official: Hollywood writers approved their new contract with almost 94 percent of WGA members voting in favor of the agreement, the Associated Press reports.
• Miss/Guided, the ABC comedy starring Judy Greer, will premiere in March, Zap2it reports.
• The next Terminator movie, starring Christian Bale, will open Memorial Day weekend of 2009, Variety reports.
• Billboard writes that Justin Timberlake, Lou Reed and Billy Joel are among the people who will induct members of the 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class next month in New York.
• The New York Times reports that several networks are ready to claim Jay Leno once he's done with The Tonight Show next year.
• The Martin Scorsese film Shutter Island, starring Leonardo Dicaprio, just added Emily Mortimer, Jackie Earle Haley and Max von Sydow to the cast, according to ComingSoon.
• Variety has the news that Jonathan Rhys Meyers will join Julianne Moore in the supernatural thriller Shelter.

Wondering how you're going to get your Shonda Rhimes fix before new episodes of Grey's Anatomy return in late April? Well, if you live in LA, and you have 85 bucks and no plans for Feb. 29, you can go see the casts of Grey's and Private Practice as they throw a singing benefit.

Yup, singing. The casts are putting on a variety show called Good Medicine to benefit crew members who were out of work during the writers' strike.

Now, some of these people have actually been paid to sing before — and they're even quite good at it. Sara Ramirez and Audra McDonald have five Tony Awards between them, Taye Diggs was an original cast member in the stage version of Rent, and Chandra Wilson has been a Broadway star, too. As for the rest of them, well, I guess we'll find out in a couple of weeks. Can you imagine TR Knight singing? Kate Walsh? McSteamy? Which cast members would you most like to hear belt one out?

Photo copyright 2008 ABC, Inc.

So, the writers' strike is dunzo — but that doesn't mean we're getting our shows back right away. It generally will take between four and six weeks to get a comedy back on the air, while dramas will need six to eight. CBS became the first network to announce when its shows will return, and NBC followed soon after. Add that to the premieres and finales we already knew about, and we've got ourselves a calendar!

More than usual, this information is subject to change, especially for all the networks that haven't formally announced their dates yet. Furthermore, some of the shows currently marked as having finales might be returning later in the season — where possible, I've tried to note how many episodes are planned for them. I'll be updating this continuously as we get more info about biggies like Gossip Girl and Grey's.

Announced post-strike premieres and return dates, so far:

FEBRUARY 15
Finales: Las Vegas, Psych

FEBRUARY 17
Finales: American Gladiators, Cold Case (returns later this season), Brothers & Sisters (expected to return, date TBD)
Premieres: Knight Rider, Dexter (on CBS)

FEBRUARY 18
Premieres: My Dad is Better than Your Dad, Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious
Finales: Dance War, Prison Break

FEBRUARY 19
Finales: Nip/Tuck, Boston Legal (expected to return, date TBD)

FEBRUARY 20
Premieres: America's Next Top Model
Finales: Cashmere Mafia

Lots more — including return dates for The Office and How I Met Your Mother — so read more

• Members of the Writers Guild overwhelmingly voted to accept the new agreement with Hollywood producers, meaning that the writers' strike is officially over. They're returning to work today, so let the countdown to your favorite shows begin! — BuzzSugar
• Barack Obama and John McCain swept their parties' primaries yesterday in Virginia, Maryland, and DC, giving Obama enough delegates to pull ahead of Hillary Clinton. While the Democratic race is still neck-and-neck, things look pretty good for John McCain. — CitizenSugar
• Despite pressure from family and friends, Janet Jackson has no plans to marry Jermaine Dupri, saying she "might be allergic to marriage." With two failed trips down the aisle behind her, it seems reasonable to be hesitant about a third. — The Insider
• Mary-Louise Parker and Jeffrey Dean Morgan are engaged. We've been gunning for these two all along — congrats to the happy couple! — The NY Daily News
• Joel Madden's brother Benji has split from his fiancée, Australian singer Sophie Monk. Looks like baby Harlow isn't getting an aunt just yet. — The Daily Telegraph

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