Two Tivos To Paradise 11.09.07: 411 Mania Writers NEVER Go On Strike

Posted by Al Norton on 11.09.2007

No 24 or Lost until 2009?!?!? The Office and Grey's Anatomy (among others) shut down production! Rosie back on TV? Lindsay Lohan on Ugly Betty? Ratings news, The TV Pick Of The Week, and the rundown on the last seven days of shows. Click here now for all the latest strike and non-strike television news - you don't have to cross any picket lines to read Two Tivos To Paradise!

Hello Friends. It's been a sad week here at Two Tivos To Paradise as the writer's strike is quite depressing (more on that in just a bit). Perhaps it's just the universe evening things out with me since the Red Sox won the World Series and the Pats appear to be unbeatable, but I am quite worried about how long this could go. Obviously this news report is strike update heavy, so let's jump right in.

You, telling me the things you're gonna do for news.

Understand We'll Go Hand In Hand But We'll Walk Alone In Fear
Despite marathon weekend negotiating sessions, the Writers Guild Of America went on strike this past Monday morning, which led to an immediate shut down of all the late night talk shows. Other than that, most viewers won't notice any changes unless the strike carries over into next year, at which time networks will run out of scripts to film and an overwhelming amount of reality programming with hit the airwaves. Here is a run down of what changes you will see and when you will see them.

*Daytime Programming
The View and Live With Regis And Kelly are fine as they don't involve writers as much as segment producers. Ellen went dark for one day (hey now, that's an interesting sentence) but even though she has union writers on her staff, her taping schedule resumed on Wednesday. One potential problem will be finding Hollywood types with projects to push if the strike goes on too long. Soap Operas should be able to air new episodes through January before they run out of scripts. It's unclear whether or not the networks would go with some sort of "best of" for the soaps or if they would turn that time over to the affiliates to run reruns of syndicated programming.

*Primetime Programming
This is where things really start to get tricky. Most shows have another 5-10 episodes that have been written but not filmed, but those that have lots of last minute script changes and day-of-filming changes will be shutting down immediately as they feel that would violate the terms of the strike. Also a factor is shows where the cast won't cross the picket lines, as was the cast with The Office. I spoke with Jamie Bamber of Battlestar Galactica last week and he told me the cast and crew of the series, which was about to start production on the second half of it's finale season, had agreed to not film anything in the event of a strike as they felt like their scripts were always evolving and to have to stick to exactly what was written on the page would be a change from their regular creative process.

Here is a list of shows that have shut down production:
Back To You
The Big Bang Theory
Desperate Housewives
Grey's Anatomy
The New Adventures Of Old Christine
The Office
Rules Of Engagement
Till Death
Two And A Half Men

Fox announced a revamped schedule starting in January, the biggest change being the absence of 24. The reasoning being that it makes no sense to start the process if they aren't able to complete the entire day. TV Guide is reporting that new episodes of Lost may not air on ABC until as late as 2009 as producers feel that airing the 8 episodes they have completed without knowing when the rest of the season would be ready could be a disaster. The good news for ER fans is that while this year was rumored to be the show's last, producers have indicated they will come back for another to give it a proper send off. The same can not necessarily be said for Scrubs, which only has 12 of its final 16 episodes written but probably would not bring everyone back for just a few more.

*Late Night Programming
All the late night shows went dark on Monday, so we are all in for a steady diet of reruns. If it the strike goes on long enough you could see the various talk shows start to edit theme episodes together, or do interesting things like show all the hosts first weeks on the job. There are some rumors that David Letterman may return to work by the end of the year, doing an off-the-cuff show that had no sketches, just him talking and then guest segments. The feeling is that he feels responsible for the many non-writers who work for the show who will be without paychecks. If Letterman were to return, if would be very likely that Craig Ferguson would follow suit.

What Have I Got To Do To Make You Love Me, What Have I Got To Do To Be Heard
Heroes creator Tim Kring did an interview with Entertainment Weekly this past Monday where he apologized for the pacing of the show's sophomore season and promised fans that he was aware of their complaints and that they would be addressed. In particular he acknowledged that Hiro spent too much time in the past, that newcomers Maya and Alejandro spent too much time on their own, and that Peter should have had his vision of the plague in the season's first episode. He also expressed regret at focusing so much on Claire's boyfriend, saying, "in retrospect, I don't think romance is a natural fit for us."

Wow, when was the last time you saw someone in Hollywood so openly take ownership of a series' issues? I am incredibly impressed and even if last week's episode wasn't as good as it was (see below), this admission would have earned him a few extra weeks to right the ship. Now if only we could get ABC to apologize for Cavemen.

Yes I've Been Black But When I'm Back You'll Know, Know, Know
The New York Observer is reporting that Lindsay Lohan has signed on for three episodes of Ugly Betty, playing a former high school classmate of the title character who is managing the fast food restaurant where Ignacio takes a job. Since Betty is always busy trying to help everyone, she ends up getting her a job at Mode.

Can Lindsay act? No, that's a serious question, can she act? She's crossed over the line and is now more famous for being herself than for any of the talents that got her the spotlight in the first place. She was entertaining enough in Freaky Friday, and was fine in Mean Girls, too, but that's about it as far as my knowledge of her career. UB has done a pretty decent job with its guest stars so far, and considering that people will have absolutely no expectations for her, I see this as being a big boost for her. Who knows, if she plays her cards right she could show up in the emergency room of Seattle Grace one of these days.

Some Say Love It Is A River That Drowns The Tender Reed
Rosie O'Donnell is in talks with CNBC for a nightly talk show that would go head-to-head with Larry King Live and Hannity And Colmes. Both sides have confirmed they have had discussions but there is no word on how soon an official announcement could be expected.

This certainly makes some sense as Rosie clearly wants to be able to address some of life's larger issues as well as doing the celebrity gab fest that made her famous, and this kind of a show would allow her that flexibility. Plus following Keith Olberman would make it much easier for the right to avoid any sort of televised liberal discourse as it would be in well packaged two hour block. I personally like Rosie as I believe she means each and every word she says, and that's a rarity in television. In life, actually.

This just in – now it seems like the deal is dead. Rosie only wants to sign a one year contract, which would mean that CNBC could end up paying her a huge salary and not being able to capitalize on whatever ratings increase she caused as she would potentially be gone before the new ad rates could go into effect.

People Are Talkin', Talkin' Bout People
The TV Guide network has ordered 65 episodes of a new game show featuring contestants trying to guess what celebrities will say. Celebrity Says! will feature famous people answering questions about various Hollywood related subjects, with most of them doing their answering via red carpet interviews (saves the network a ton of money that way). No official launch date is set but the ½ hour show is expected to debut in early 2008.

TVguide.com's Matt Mitovich stole my thought, which is that this sounds just like Howard Stern's Homeless Game but with the glitterati instead of the down and out. Actually he didn't steal the thought, he just beat me to writing up. I could see this show being fun in a Hollywood Squares type of way, although I wonder how many celebs will take part once they realize that the TV Guide network is making money using them on the air.

But You Were Up To Your Old Tricks In Chapters Four Five And Six
All you need to know about the Nielsen's for the last week…As predicted here when the plan was first announced, Jimmy Kimmel's daily cross country journey two weeks back led to the largest average audience in Jimmy Kimmel Live's history…Wow, Fox's Next Great American Band is pulling in barely half of what The CW's Smackdown is getting in the same time slot…Women's Murder Club continues to do well on Friday nights, even if finishing second to Moonlight in the demos…So much for all that downfall of Grey's Anatomy talk; this week it topped CSI in total audience (the first time this season when both aired new episodes) as well as handily outdrawing it in the demos (a regular occurrence)…Without A Trace was up almost 1.8 million even more impressive with lead-in CSI being down…Chuck was up 9% on Monday night. Also enjoying modest increases were How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory…NCIS crushed the competition on Tuesday (what else is new), with it's 18.28 million person audience being the second largest in series history…Bones finished second in the 8:00 hour with it's biggest totals of the year…Cavemen and Carpoolers were done over 20% from last week…Reaper hit a new series low…

All The Young Dudes Carry The News
Industry Notes, Pilot Updates, & Casting News…Much less news than usual, but I'm guessing you expected that…Showtime has ordered a 13 episode 4th season of Weeds…CMT is prepping Can You Duet? for spring, a new reality show trying to find the next big thing in pairs. Since we are on the subject, the best country duet of all time is Kenny Rogers and Kim Carnes' Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer. Also ranking high on the list is Rodney Crowell and Rosanne Cash's Such A Small World… All My Children hottie Justin Bruenig will star as the lead in the new Knight Rider movie/series. No spoilers here…Madchen Amik and Robin Givens are the leads in the new Lifetime pilot The Verdict that you read about here a few weeks back…The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency will return to Oxygen for a third season in December…Look for George Segal on an upcoming episode of Private Practice…Two Tivos favorite Wallace Shawn will appear on four episodes of the new season of The L Word…Also on The L Word in January will be Kelly McGillis…ABC has ordered five episodes of Dance Machine, a new show featuring real people – non dancers – competing for cash prizes...CMT is working on Billy Ray Cyrus: Home At Last, a four part special that shows the country singer trying to balance his career with being a good Dad and husband…

Turns Out Not Where But Who You're With That Really Matters
The top thing I watched since the last column went to press AKA The Best Of What's Around…Last Tuesday's season premiere of Nip/Tuck was as entertaining an hour of television as the fall season has had to offer, with the move to LA providing the FX series a much needed jolt of energy. Aside from a reinvigorated regular cast, the show benefited from line up of guest stars who all brought their A game. Bradley Cooper made shallowness an art form, Lauren Hutton proved she can still hold her own, Craig Bierko, Tia Carrere, and Daphne Zuniga made as strong an impression as they had with any of their earlier work, and that's not mentioning the always brilliant Oliver Platt. After quickly putting Nip/Tuck on my season pass list I spent a few minutes trying to find the next episode of Hearts And Scalpels.

People Say I'm Crazy Doing What I'm Doing. Well, They Give Me All Kinds Of Warnings To Save Me From Ruin
What's flashed before my eyes the last seven days…Quite a week for Azura Sky, who is most famous for her two episode stint on Buffy The Vampire Slayer as troubled teen Cassie Newton (Ok, once she was Cassie and the other time she was The First using Cassie's body as a vessel, but Help, her first appearance, is one of my favorite Buffy's); she guested as a private detective on Bones at 8 and then as the patient of the week on House at 9…Speaking of Bones, the Halloween episode was their best of the season, a well balanced mix of witty banter and forensic science fiction. Did I mention how incredible Emily Deschanel looked in her Wonder Woman costume?...The shot of young Chris' face reflected from the TV set playing the Richard Pryor concert was the highlight of last Monday's Everybody Hates Chris…Tired of reading my high praise of My Name Is Earl? Tough, because it's the most creative comedy on TV right now and has been on a major roll all season…Finally found time to watch the two hour finale of Burn Notice, which did a great job at straddling the line between leaving viewers hanging and leaving them wanting more. I do wonder why you would go through the trouble of getting Richard Schiff (The West Wing) to do the show only to kill him in his first scene, but perhaps things aren't what they seem. Special kudos to Bruce Campbell, who stood out while sitting down most of the episode…Kevin Rankin is proving to be quite the talented actor; as much as I love him on Friday Night Lights as Herc, it took me two multiple episodes before I recognized him on Bionic Women, where I had also been enjoying his performance…Anyone out there watching Torchwood? Anyone out there have a problem with me calling it the best sci-fi show not named Battlestar Galactica?...Barney hit an all time low in terms of what he will do to get laid on Monday's How I Met Your Mother. I imagine we will be seeing that girl again…Staged a Reaper mini-marathon this past weekend and was very pleased with the introduction of a new running sub-plot, Sam's contract with the devil. Giving the audience something to think about starts to make up for how lame the villains-of-the-week have been…A very moving Brothers And Sisters this week, done without over hype or the kind of hysterics that sometimes mar what is otherwise an excellent show. Danny Glover was a welcomed addition to the cast and his scene with Rob Lowe at the end was all about two pros at the top of their games…If ABC still had their family friend Friday night lineup on the air, Aliens In America would be the cornerstone of their programming. Can't you just imagine the crossovers, with Raja teaming up with Eurkel for the science fair, or Justin trying to win Topanga's heart? Sadly, this quality comedy languishes undiscovered on The CW…This past Friday's FNL was the best of the season, including a TV staple that always gets me – the scene where Tyra broke up with Landry because she is trying to protect him and is extra mean to make it stick… Speaking of best episodes of the season, this past Monday's Heroes was the first where I didn't wonder what happened to the show I loved last year. Stuff happened, characters interacted, and best of all, Hiro finally got back to 2007. This week has the potential to be just as good as we finally found out what took place in the missing months between the finale and the season premiere… Costume parties on television are always so much different than in real life. On this week's Desperate Housewives, people clearly spent ridiculous amounts of money on incredibly elaborate outfits, and in real life a guy throws on a fake moustache, a Hawaiian shirt, and a Tigers hat and he's Magnum PI…

TV Pick Of The Week
Time to put my money where my mouth is; I have been singing the praises of Life all season and thought I would finally make it the official TV Pick Of The Week and see if my seal of approval gives it a ratings jump. For those of you who don't watch, Life tells the story of Charlie Crews, fresh out of prison after serving 12 years for a double murder that DNA evidence proved he didn't commit. His settlement with the state of California included a boatload of money plus his reinstatement to the LAPD. Charlie has become a bit of an eccentric – can you imagine what a cop in prison must go through? - more Monk than House, and lives in a big empty house with a prison buddy who was in for embezzlement but who know manages his millions. Charlie spends his time solving cases with his new partner, a (somewhat) recovering alcoholic who doesn't much care for his Zen ways, and trying to find out who set him up for murder and why. Did I mention the married lawyer who got him out of prison is in love with him? There is more than enough plot to go around, and what makes Life stand out to me is the slow (in a good way) pace that they are revealing info about the conspiracy. Damien Lewis plays Charlie and while his American accent was distracting at first, he has settled into the part quite well. The real acting stand outs are Sarah Shahi as his partner and Adam Arkin as his accountant, both wisely underplaying their parts opposite the showier Lewis. The intro each week does a pretty decent job at catching you up on things, so don't worry about jumping on the bandwagon two months in – don't miss Life this Wednesday on NBC.

Two Tivos To Paradise, Weekly Update
30 Days, The 4400, Aliens In America, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Antique Roadshow, The Apprentice, Battlestar Galactica, Best Week Ever, Big Love, Bionic Woman, Bones, Boston Legal, Brothers And Sisters, Burn Notice, Chuck, The Closer, Criss Angel Mindfreak, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Dead Zone, The Deadliest Catch, Desperate Housewives, Destination Truth, Dirty Sexy Money, Entourage, Eureka, Everybody Hates Chris, Flipping Out, Ghost Hunters, Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, The Hills, House, How I Met Your Mother, Jericho, Kid Nation, King Of Cars, Last Comic Standing, Law And Order, Law And Order: Criminal Intent, Law And Order: Special Victims Unit, Lost, Mad Men, Medium, Moonlight, My Name Is Earl, The New Adventures Of Old Christine, Next Food Network Star, Nip/Tuck The Office, One Tree Hill. Project Runway, Pushing Daisies, Psych, Real Time With Bill Maher, Reaper, Rescue Me, The Riches, Rules Of Engagement, Run's House, Samantha Who?, Saturday Night Live, Scrubs, Shark, Shear Genius, The Soup, Supernatural, Top Chef, Top Design, Ugly Betty, Welcome To The Parker

Additions :Nip/Tuck
Deletions : None

People Love You When They Know You're Leaving Soon
Here ends another edition of Two Tivos To Paradise. Hopefully I'll be back next week with news of the end of the writer's strike, but I am not all that hopeful about this ending in 2007, which means sooner than later the top stories will be about how Farmer Needs A Wife is the new # 1 show. Shoot me now. Hey, if it goes on long enough I can always go back and get my money's worth on all the series I own on DVD. No matter how long the Hollywood writers are on strike, Two Tivos To Paradise will be here each and every Friday – you can count on us!

Feedback is encouraged at [e-mail].


Sources for this week's column include Daily Variety, Entertainment Weekly, TV Guide, and Hollywood Reporter (plus the web sites for those publications) as well as Aintit.cool.com.