Skip to main content

StrikeWatch: Production Blackout Update #2

It's Friday evening and the first week of the WGA strike is winding down with no signs of resolution in sight. For those of us who work in the TV industry and didn't live through the 1988 strike, it really has been a strange, strange week here.

Rumors are circulating of a "secret, backchannel discussion" between parties that are being planned for this weekend. However, many insiders believe this to be more wishful thinking than anything concrete.

Around town, many writer/producers whose projects aren't currently in production found their term deals suspended as FOX, CBS Paramount, NBC Universal, and ABC Television Studios react to the strike.

But what the general television audience is curious about is how the ongoing writers strike will affect their favorite series.

Below is the latest production blackout update, sorted by network:

ABC
Big Shots: Shot episode nine on November 7th. Has 11 of its 13 episode order already written.
Boston Legal: Will have 14 of 22 episodes completed.
Brothers & Sisters: Expected to have either 11 or 12 episodes completed. 13 scripts written.
Carpoolers: Remains in production on final script. Shuts down Nov 9. Will have 13 of 13 eps.
Cashmere Mafia: On hold indefinitely. The current rumor is that ABC is not happy with it creatively and the strike was the perfect smokescreen to pull it. 7 eps in the can.
Cavemen: Expected to have 13 out of 13 episodes completed; has not received an order for a full season. Shuts down November 16th. Word around town is that the series will be pulled after episode 6.
Desperate Housewives: 10 episodes in the can. Shut down Nov 8.
Dirty Sexy Money: Expected to have between 11 and 13 episodes completed. Prepping #112 next week. 13 scripts written, but unclear if production will continue.
Eli Stone: Shooting #110 (day 3 of 9). Prepping #111, shoots November 15th – 26th. 13 scripts written. Whether production will continue for final 2 episodes is unclear.
Grey's Anatomy: 13 episodes of 23 episodes written, 11 of which have been shot and 6 have aired. 5 more episodes in the can. Currently shooting #411. Shutting down Nov 14.
Lost: Expected to have 8 out of 16 episodes in the can. Production shutting down end of November, following completion of episode #408 (currently shooting #407). Premiere date of February 6, 2008 is tentative.
Men in Trees: Has five episodes left over from last season, 10 new episodes shot, and four scripts to shoot; total would be 19 out of 27 for the season.
Miss/Guided: Midseason comedy will have completed all six episodes.
Notes From The Underbelly: Remains in production. Has five episodes from last season and will have 7 episodes from the current season, for a total of 12.
October Road: Shooting #210, which wraps November 21st. Has scripts through #213. Will complete all 13 episodes.
Private Practice: Will complete nine episodes.
Pushing Daisies: Will have nine completed episodes out of a total order of 22.
Samantha Who?: Production shutting down November 12. Will have completed 12 of 13 episodes.
Ugly Betty: Has 13 of 24 scripts written.
Women’s Murder Club: Shooting episode #109 until November 13th. They will shoot #110 between November 4–27th. Will have 10 of 13 eps ready.

CBS
Big Bang Theory: Production shut down.
Cane: Expected to complete all 13 episodes; has not yet received an order for a full season.
The Captain: Shooting #102 between November 8th – 14th. Have scripts through #104; goes dark November 30th.
CSI: Will have 11 or 12 out of 22 episodes completed.
CSI: Miami: Will have 13 out of 24 episodes completed.
CSI: NY: Will have 13 or 14 out of 22 episodes completed.
Cold Case: Going dark November 16th.
Criminal Minds: Will have 12 of 22 episodes completed.
Moonlight: Expect to have 11 out of 12 episodes completed; has not received an order for a full
season.
Ghost Whisperer: Shooting #312 between November 12 – 21st. No additional scripts written.
How I Met Your Mother: Production shut down. Will have 11 of 22 episodes completed.
Jericho: Will have all 7 episodes of its second season order completed.
Moonlight: Expected to have 11 out of 12 episodes completed; has not received an order for a full season.
NCIS: Will have 13 out of 22 episodes completed.
Old Christine: Production shut down.
Numbers: Prepping #412 for shooting between November 19th – 30th. No additional scripts written.
Rules of Engagement: Cancelled production on episode #210. No additional scripts written. Production shut down.
Shark: Will have 12 of 22 episodes completed.
Swingtown: Shooting episode #103 around November 9th – 11th. No additional scripts written.
Two and a Half Men: Production shut down.
The Unit: Will have 11 of 22 episodes completed. (Was recently picked up for full season.)
Without a Trace: Production shutting down November 22nd.

CW
Everybody Hates Chris: Wrapped for the season. Expected to complete 22 of 22 episodes.
The Game: Production shut down. Dark as of November 9th.
Girlfriends: Shutting down November 14th.
Gossip Girl: Expected to complete 13 of 22 episodes.
Supernatural: Estimates peg the series at completing 10-12 episodes. Shutting down December 4th.

FOX
24: 6 out of 24 episodes completed. Premiere postponed in order ensure “Day 7” completed before launch.
American Dad: Will have 19 new episodes.
Back to You: 9 episodes completed out of 24 total episodes ordered.
Bones: Will have 12 out of 22 episodes completed.
Family Guy: Will have 14 new episodes.
K-Ville: Will complete 10 of 13 episodes.
King of the Hill: Will have 17 new episodes.
Prison Break: Will have 13 out of 22 total episodes ordered.
The Simpsons: Will have 17 new episodes.
'Til Death: Episode #212 wraps November 9th.

NBC
30 Rock: Completed 9 out of 22 episodes, with several days of shooting for the 10th episode
scheduled for this week. Tina Fey back on show as an actor after picketing on Monday, November 5th. Shooting #210 through November 9th. No additional scripts written.
Bionic Woman: Production shuts down November 12th.
Chuck: Reports claim that the freshman series has 6 episodes in the can, which--if true--would mean that it had wrapped its 13-episode initial order. Has not yet received an order for a full season.
Friday Night Lights: Expected to complete 15 of 22 episodes.
Heroes: Production shut down November 9th.
Journeyman: Expected to complete 13 of 13 episodes; has not yet received an order for a full season.
Law and Order: SVU: Will have 14 of 22 episodes completed.
Medium: Will have 9 of 22 episodes completed. Prepping #069-09 to shoot November 15th through 28th. No additional scripts written.
My Name is Earl: Has shot 13 episodes out of 13 scripts turned in.
The Office: Shut down, due to strike on November 6th. Completed 8 of 24 eps. (Note: 4 episodes were one-hour installments.)
Scrubs: Expected to complete 12 of 18 episodes.

AMC
Breaking Bad: Last day of Season One will be Wednesday, November 21. In the middle of shooting episode 6 and are contemplating whether episode 7 is in good enough shape to shoot.

ABC Family
Greek: Shooting #1018 beginning November 15th. No additional scripts, out of a 20-episode order written.

FX
Damages: No word yet on second season pick up.
Dirt: Prepping #206 for November 20th-30th shoot. Script #207 written.
Nip/Tuck: Season Five intended to be broken down into two cycles, with 14 to run this fall and 8 in 2008. All 14 in the first cycle have been written.
Rescue Me: Recently announced Season Five affected.
The Riches: 7 scripts of 13 written, reportedly good through December 10th.
The Shield: The final season is written, no date set for airing.
30 Days: Completed and not expected to be affected.

HBO
Entourage/Big Love: Currently in the writing stages and scheduled to air in the summer of 2008. Affected.
True Blood/12 Miles of Bad Road: Have begun production; both affected.
The Wire: Completed and will air as scheduled.
In Treatment: New series will air as scheduled, with 45 episodes to air over nine weeks.

Lifetime
Army Wives: Production suspended indefinitely. Intended to start pre-production on Season Two on November 19th. Will resume when the strike is over.

Sci-Fi
Battlestar Galactica: 10 episodes shot, plus two-hour movie, "Razor," to air this Fall. Production shuts down on November 16th.
Eureka: Season Three Will be affected.
Stargate Atlantis: Season Four will air as scheduled.

Showtime
The Tudors: Season Two returns in late March, completed production November 1st on 12 episodes.
Tracey Ullman: Five-episode series is shot.

USA
In Plain Sight: New series nearly wrapped.
Psych/Monk: Enough scripts in hand to guarantee a full second half of each season for both.
Law and Order: Criminal Intent: Enough episodes--ten in all--for first half of the season; the second half (12) will be affected.
Burn Notice: Scheduled to start production of Season 2 in January.
Starter Wife: Scheduled to start production in March.

Stay tuned.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Do you know anything about USA's To Love & Die?
Jace Lacob said…
Jon,

I haven't heard anything about To Love & Die, but they were slated to shoot from August to February so are most likely strike-affected.
The CineManiac said…
I don't know what network it was to air on, but Family Law (listed on IMDB as Family Practice) has shot its pilot and was preparing to start production in Chicago in January according to series star Michael Muhney.
The CineManiac said…
Apparently the title is Family Practice (I just remembered it wrong) and it's a Lifetime show.
Anonymous said…
So just to clarify, is there the possibility of these show finishing their seasons when the strike ends, or will the 13 episodes shot for, say, NCIS, be it for the season, and if they come back it'll be next year?
eAi said…
Mara: I would imagine that depends how long the strike lasts for. If it lasts till next June as some people are saying, then I'd imagine they'll just start a new season, at least numerically. If it's over by December, perhaps they'll just continue and show them either without breaks or over the summer.
Jace Lacob said…
Mara, it would all depend on when the strike comes to an end. If it is protracted, expect to see existing series have shorter seasons and expect to see many new series without back nine pickups (Dirty Sexy Money, Journeyman, etc.) sail off into the sunset altogether...
joy said…
Re: Damages...Glenn Close said last week at the Paley Center that there wasn't official word that they've been picked up, but that there was a *pretty strong* chance that it would be. Also, that they were looking for a six-year commitment, and Ms. Close seemed a little wary of committing to anything for that long. She also said that if they do go back into production, it would be sooner rather than later, and that (of course), they would be affected by the strike.

BTW, I was surprised you didn't make it to NYC for her session at the Paley. Given your love for Damages, it seemed like a perfect evening for you!
Jace Lacob said…
Thanks for the update, Joy. Unfortunately work commitments (outside of this blog) don't usually permit me to jet off to the East Coast as much as I'd like to, especially for a Damages-related evening. But I did get a chance to interview the fabulous Ms. Close, which can be read here.
Anonymous said…
I really hope that this strike doesn't put a dagger through the heart of shows like Dirty Sexy Money. It's one of my favorite new shows this season! It will be hard enough missing The Office or Lost but at least there's a good chance that they will be coming back. But the new shows are the ones who are really in peril.
Anonymous said…
Any word on Life? I didn't see it on your list.

Thanks.

Popular posts from this blog

What's Done is Done: The Eternal Struggle Between Good and Evil on the Season Finale of "Lost"

Every story begins with thread. It's up to the storyteller to determine just how much they need to parcel out, what pattern they're making, and when to cut it short and tie it off. With last night's penultimate season finale of Lost ("The Incident, Parts One and Two"), written by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, we began to see the pattern that Lindelof and Cuse have been designing towards the last five seasons of this serpentine series. And it was only fitting that the two-hour finale, which pushes us on the road to the final season of Lost , should begin with thread, a loom, and a tapestry. Would Jack follow through on his plan to detonate the island and therefore reset their lives aboard Oceanic Flight 815 ? Why did Locke want to kill Jacob? What caused The Incident? What was in the box and just what lies in the shadow of the statue? We got the answers to these in a two-hour season finale that didn't quite pack the same emotional wallop of previous season

The Daily Beast: "How The Killing Went Wrong"

While the uproar over the U.S. version of The Killing has quieted, the show is still a pale imitation of the Danish series on which it is based. Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, "How The Killing Went Wrong," in which I look at how The Killing has handled itself during its second season, and compare it to the stunning and electrifying original Danish series, Forbrydelsen , on which it is based. (I recently watched all 20 episodes of Forbrydelsen over a few evenings.) The original is a mind-blowing and gut-wrenching work of genius. It’s not necessary to rehash the anger that followed in the wake of the conclusion last June of the first season of AMC’s mystery drama The Killing, based on Søren Sveistrup’s landmark Danish show Forbrydelsen, which follows the murder of a schoolgirl and its impact on the people whose lives the investigation touches upon. What followed were irate reviews, burnished with the “burning intensity of 10,000 white-hot suns

Pilot Inspektor: CBS' "Smith"

I may just have to change my original "What I'll Be Watching This Fall" post, as I sat down and finally watched CBS' new crime drama Smith this weekend. (What? It's taken me a long time to make my way through the stack of pilot DVDs.) While it's on following Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars on Tuesday nights (10 pm ET/PT, to be exact), I'm going to be sure to leave enough room on my TiVo to make sure that I catch this compelling, amoral drama. While one can't help but be impressed by what might just be the most marquee-friendly cast in primetime--Ray Liotta, Virginia Madsen, Jonny Lee Miller, Amy Smart, Simon Baker, and Franky G all star and Shohreh Aghdashloo has a recurring role--the pilot's premise alone earned major points in my book: it's a crime drama from the point of view of the criminals, who engage in high-stakes heists. But don't be alarmed; it's nothing like NBC's short-lived Heist . Instead, think of it as The Italian