Strike Watch 2007!

Ask Ausiello

Question: What does the strike mean for Lost? Any idea how many episodes they finished pre-strike? Is it still scheduled to air some time in February? — Mike

Ausiello: Why do I suddenly feel as if I'm talking to myself, Mike? Why do I also suddenly feel like I'm not going to like what I have to say? At least I know the answer to that second part — it's because I don't like what I have to say. If the strike extends into the new year and beyond, there is a chance ABC may opt to delay the new season until the fall. Or worse yet, February 2009. Another scenario has the network simply airing the eight episodes already in the can this February as originally planned — something Team Darlton would not be in favor of. Says Lost cocreator Carlton Cuse, "Damon [Lindelof] and my concern about running the [eight] episodes we will have made is that it will feel a little like reading half a Harry Potter novel, then having to put it down. There is a mini-cliff-hanger at the end of Episode 8, but it's like the end of an exciting book chapter; it's not the end of the novel. Damon and I didn't write [the ending of Episode 8] differently [with the looming strike in mind]. We wrote it to be the ending of Episode 8." In any case, he concedes that the decision to hold or air the episodes isn't ultimately theirs. "It's really [ABC honcho Steve MacPherson's] call," Cuse notes, adding, "No one was happy with the six-episode run last season."


Network Exec: Even a Weeklong Strike Will Impact the Season
While one of the network talking points on the WGA writers' strike is that there are enough first-run comedy and drama episodes to last until January, the fact is that even a short work stoppage will mean a disruption of the season. "If it's more than a week, you will see some impact," said one network executive who has been huddling over contingency plans. "It will be a spotty schedule after it's over."

The reason? It will take shows a few weeks to get production back up to speed. Drama series, some of which shoot a single episode over eight days, can fall behind quickly. As one studo exec notes, "It takes the entire season to produce a full 22 episodes."

The thinking right now is that if there is no agreement with the WGA by Thanksgiving, there will be more than the usual number of repeats and a few reality shows that will be a stopgap — resulting in a dip in the ratings, which have already been soft this year. During the last strike, in 1988, the broadcast network ratings fell 10 percent. That was when fewer homes had cable, and sitcoms, which repeat better then dramas, were more prominent. With more choices (and far fewer sitcoms) out there now, the drop could be even more pronounced.

Meanwhile, the networks are busy planning for the worst — they are assembling actual "strike schedules" that will be announced in the coming days if no progress is made.

BC Saves Cashmere Mafia Hit for Later

Miranda Otto, Bonnie Somerville, Frances O'Connor and Lucy Liu in Cashmere Mafia Let loose the ripple effects! One of the first tangible schedule tweaks resulting from the writers' strike finds ABC pushing back Cashmere Mafia — which was to debut Nov. 27 — until further notice (or, to be exact, a premiere date "TBA," says the network). The thinking, of course, is to hold such fresh inventory until the new year at least, when the current bank of scripted and produced programming begins to dry up.