Sunday, February 10, 2008
It's official - members of the Writers' Guild of American are going back to work on Monday. The WGA heads on both coasts approved a new labor deal and, on Tuesday, the final agreement will go to a guild-wide vote. Given that the WGA bigwigs have accepted the current deal with the AMPTP, the vote is expected to be a slam dunk. Ten to twelve days after the vote goes down, it will all be official. Starting on Monday show runners will be allowed to head back to work and prep production for their series. It looks like the writers' strike is officially over, folks.
“This is the best deal this guild has bargained for in 30 years," said WGA member Patric Verrone. Although details of the writers' three year deal is still unknown, it's thought to be similar to the deal that the Directors' Guild struck last month, but with improvements. What those improvements are is unclear, but the writers all seem very pleased with what they've accomplished. With the vote coming on Tuesday, it's possible that writers will be allowed to return to writing as early was Wednesday. It appears that most of the writers who lost their jobs as a result of the strike will get hired back on to their respective shows, but it's not a given.
This strike has probably gone on longer than it should have, but the casualty list is fairly low. There won't be too many series that get in a full season at this point, but the word is that most established shows will find the time to produce anywhere from 5 to 10 more episodes. Shows that debuted last Fall are almost all going to wait until next Fall to go back into production, so fans of Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money will have to sit tight. One exception is Gossip Girl, which is expected to produce upwards of nine more episodes for the Spring.
Source:
http://www.buddytv.com/articles/home-page-blog/wga-strike-over-writers-back-t-16509.aspx[SPOILER]24
Expected to return this fall or January '09.
30 Rock
Expected to shoot 5 to 10 new episodes to air in April/May.
Back to You
Two pre-strike episodes remain. Future TBD*.
Battlestar Galactica
Returns April 4 with first half of 20-episode final season. Production on second half could start as early as March. Airdate for those TBD.
The Big Bang Theory
Expected to shoot 5 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.
Big Love
Expected to go into production on Season 3 in March. Airdate info is TBD.
Big Shots
No new episodes expected. Ever.
Bionic Woman
No new episodes expected. Ever.
Bones
Four pre-strike episodes left. Unclear whether additional episodes will be produced for this season.
Boston Legal
Expected to shoot 4 or 7 new episodes to air in April/May.
Brothers & Sisters
One pre-strike episode remains. Expected to shoot 4 or 5 additional episodes to air in April/May.
Burn Notice
Production on Season 2 expected to get underway in late April. New episodes could start airing as early as July.
Chuck
No new episodes until fall.
The Closer
Expected to kick off its fourth season this summer.
Cold Case
Expected to shoot 4 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.
Criminal Minds
Expected to shoot 4 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.
CSI
Expected to shoot 4 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.
CSI: Miami
Expected to shoot 4 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.
CSI: NY
Expected to shoot 4 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.
Desperate Housewives
Expected to shoot 4 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.
Dirty Sexy Money
No new episodes planned until fall; three remaining pre-strike episodes will undergo some tweaking and kick off fall run.
ER
TBD.
Everybody Hates Chris
Twelve pre-strike episodes remain. No additional episodes expected for this season.
Friday Night Lights
No new episodes expected for this season. Future TBD.
Ghost Whisperer
TBD.
Gossip Girl
Expected to shoot up to 9 new episodes to air in April/May/June.
Greek
Kicks off second half of Season 1 on March 24. Still awaiting Season 2 pickup.
Grey's Anatomy
Expected to shoot 4 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May
Heroes
TBD.
House
Expected to shoot 4 to 6 new episodes to air in April/May.
How I Met Your Mother
Expected to shoot 5 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.
Jericho
Seven episodes remain. No additional episodes expected for this season.
Journeyman
No new episodes expected. Ever.
Las Vegas
Two pre-strike episodes remain. No additional episodes expected for this season.
Law & Order
TBD.
Law & Order: CI
TBD.
Law & Order: SVU
Production resumes in early March. Remains unclear whether episodes produced will be for this season or next.
Life
No new episodes expected until fall.
Life Is Wild
No new episodes expected. Ever.
Lost
Six pre-strike episodes remain. Six additional episodes could air this season.
Medium
Six pre-strike episodes remain. Expected to shoot additional episodes for this season.
Men in Trees
Eleven pre-strike episodes remain. No additional episodes expected this season.
Moonlight
No new episodes expected until fall.
My Name Is Earl
Expected to shoot 8 to 10 new episodes to air in April/May.
NCIS
Expected to shoot 5 to 7 new episodes, only three of which may air this season.
The New Adventures of Old Christine
Seven pre-strike episodes remain. No additional episodes expected this season.
Nip/Tuck
Season 5 concludes Feb. 19. Production on the show's eight-episode sixth season expected to start up this summer. Airdate TBD.
Numbers
Expected to shoot 5 to 7 new episodes, only three of which may air this season.
October Road
Five pre-strike episodes remain. Future beyond that TBD.
The Office
Expected to shoot 5 to 10 new episodes to air in April/May.
One Tree Hill
Six pre-strike episodes remain. Future beyond that TBD.
Prison Break
Two pre-strike episodes remain. Future beyond that TBD.
Private Practice
Slim chance it could return with 4 or 5 new episodes this season. Either way, it'll be back in the fall.
Pushing Daisies
No new episodes until fall.
Reaper
Three pre-strike episodes remain. Future beyond that TBD.
Samantha Who?
Three remaining pre-strike episodes remain. Expected to shoot an additional 4 to 8 episodes to air after the new season of Dancing with the Stars.
Saturday Night Live
Could be back on the air as early as Feb. 16.
Scrubs
Four pre-strike episodes remain. Four additional episodes will likely be shot; unclear whether they'll air on NBC or go straight to DVD.
Smallville
Four pre-strike episodes remain. Expected to shoot 3 to 5 additional episodes to air in April/May.
Supernatural
Two pre-strike episodes remain. Expected to shoot 3 to 5 additional episodes to air in April/May.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Five pre-strike episodes remain. Future beyond that TBD.
Two and a Half Men
Expected to shoot 5 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.
Ugly Betty
Expected to shoot 4 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.
Without a Trace
Expected to shoot 4 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.
Women's Murder Club
Shocking development: A deal to bring the show back this season is being hammered out as I write this. Stay tuned...
* TBD = To be determined[/SPOILER]
Source:
http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Ausiello-Report/Wga-Strike-Favorite/800032698good news but the effect will be felt for some time to come
