The latest round of talks between writers and TV bosses broke down over the weekend with a lot of bad-mouthing on both sides. No further negotiations are expected until after the first of the year, and it's starting to seem unlikely that this season's scripted dramas will resume. Given the time it takes to write new scripts, then produce the actual shows, unless there's a prompt settlement right after the holidays, the networks may seriously consider giving up on dramas for the rest of the season. Sitcoms, which work with a shorter lead time, probably have a little more breathing space.
But they, too, face another unspoken threat: that all the reality and game shows the networks plan to introduce after the first of the year to fill dead air will find an audience. If those shows, which are so much cheaper to produce, draw large numbers of viewers, the networks -- particularly NBC and The CW, already battered by low ratings -- may decide to drastically cut back on scripted shows.
You're right. But I really hope that doesn't happen. Soon they'll make things like Are You Smarter than An Idol Contestant, and I will have no choice but to stab my eyes out with sharp objects.
But at least the folks at The Soup will still have plenty of junk to work with! Thank God for Joel McHale.
Posted by: Say it ain't so. | December 11, 2007 at 11:49 AM