Writers strike effective Nov, 5th Posted November 3, 2007

The Writers Guild of America has voted unanimously to begin strike action at 12AM on Monday, November 5th.

Writers will be forced to stay home from work once the strike begins and while producers and show runners can continue to work, they can't continue to write scripts or even change lines.

The shows immediately affected will be late-night talk shows such as The Daily Show and The Tonight Show as these shows are written and filmed daily, leaving no backlog of scripts for them to produce. The shows will likely begin reruns on Monday.
In the event of a lengthy strike, hosts such as David Letterman or Jay Leno might try working without writers.

Sitcoms and dramas will have enough episodes to last out November sweeps and the quiet month of December but if the strike continues, newcomers such as The Big Bang Theory could find themselves off the schedule because they don't have enough episodes in the can to air or rerun over long period of time. CBS has "The New Adventures of Old Christine" waiting in the wings which could replace TBBT in the event of a prolonged strike.

While it's possible an agreement will be reached before Monday, preventing the strike, it looks unlikely. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa attempted to resolve the strike earlier this week, but without success. The Television & Movie production industry is big money to Los Angeles and surrounding areas, meaning a lengthy strike could cause a significant downturn in their economy.

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