Still hope for end of writer's strike

By: James Harrison Posted: 02/06/08 10:11pm

For those who haven’t been paying attention: Yes, the writer’s strike drags on – but maybe not for much longer.

Light is beginning to be seen at the end of the tunnel. Rumors sprang up over the weekend that an agreement was in the works.

The excitement was short-lived. The Writers Guild of America responded to the scuttlebutt with a letter to its members, informing them no agreement has been made.

Furthermore, Vanity Fair canceled its post-Oscar party – a sign they were expecting the Oscars to be derailed the same way the Golden Globes had been earlier.

Hope springs eternal, however, and by Tuesday the WGA had sent a second letter to its membership, in which it announced full guild meetings Saturday for both the East and West branches of the union. In the letter, the group stated it hopes to bring terms of an agreement to that meeting.

If an agreement is in place at that time, it’s possible the strike may be called off at the meeting, even before a formal vote, as a sign of good faith. With the strike called off, that would mean the Oscars could go on as usual, and it would also mean most television series could produce their so-called “back nine” episodes.

Assuming the best, it would mean the only lasting effect for the average viewer would be an April and May back-loaded with new episodes of his or her favorite series and a fall season with far fewer scripted premieres than usual.

Hopefully this will all play out successfully. The strike has hurt nearly everyone, from the writers who have not been paid in months, to the networks watching ratings drop to the average person facing a television schedule crammed full of reality television and reruns.

I think we’ll all be a lot happier when this is all in the history books.