[Televisionary]

It's Day Five of the writers strike here in Los Angeles and there's been no movement towards resolution (or reconciliation) this week since the strike began on Monday morning and no talks are planned for anytime soon. WGA president Patric Verrone said that he wanted to return to the bargaining table as soon as possible but added that the timing for that would be determined "when the companies are ready" to negotiate. The ball then, according to Verrone, is firmly in the studio's courts. A massive strike rally is planned for 10 am this morning by the writers at Fox. It's believed that between 2000 and 4000 people will join in during this en masse rally, the biggest yet this week. For more details about today's rally at Fox, please visit UnitedHollywood.com . Expected speakers include WGA West President Patric Verrone and SAG President Alan Rosenberg and Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello will begin the event with an acoustic set. Meanwhile, Fox emp...

Perhaps it's just me but I cannot believe that the strike has only been going for four days so far. Maybe it's because it's been discussed endlessly for the past few months that it feels like it's been going on for an eternity already. I'm still hopeful that a fair solution can be found to this dispute sooner rather than later but that hope is dwindling by the day as it seems that both sides are willing to dig their heels in for the long stretch. Today's StrikeWatch brief, on the back of yesterday's fairly inclusive roundup of series going dark that I posted, focuses on a few updates since yesterday. United Hollywood confirmed yesterday that production on The Office has in fact shut down. (You, gentle readers, knew this already when I broke the news of the Office shutting down on Tuesday.) The series only has two episodes in the can that have yet to air, including tonight's "Survivorman" episode written by Steve Carell (who had told NBC he ...

Thanks to a well-placed source, I have managed to obtain a list of current strike-affected series and when they will turn their lights off (or have already), along with how many additional scripts have been written: [UPDATE can be found here .] 30 Rock: Shooting episode #210 through November 9th. No additional scripts have been written. 24 : Eight episodes completed. FOX has shelved Season Seven indefinitely. Big Bang Theory: Production shut down. The Captain: Shooting episode #102 November 8th - 14th. Scripts in for episodes #103 and #104 (production will conclude 11/30). Carpoolers: Production shut down 11/16. Cavemen: Shooting episode #113 between November 7th - 13th. No additional scripts had been ordered. Cold Case : Production shut down 11/16 Desperate Housewives : Production shut down. Dirt : Prepping episode #206 for a November 20th - 30th shoot. Script written for episode #207. Dirty Sexy Money: Shooting episode #111 between November 8th - 19th. Prepping episode #112 nex...

Not much to report today on Day Three of the WGA Strike. However, it does seem as though both sides are digging their heels into the ground and seem unwilling to sit down with the federal-appointed mediator to discuss the contract negotiation any further, a decision which will have lasting ramifications in the months to come. Several high-profile series have shut down after work was unable to be completed this week, due to the fact that writers, showrunners, and actors have walked the picket line and not turned up for work. Expect confirmation today from studio NBC Universal that production on hit comedy The Office has in fact been shut down , as I reported yesterday. (For a hilarious and apt behind-the-scenes look at the striking writers on The Office , click here .) The tally of series that have either had shoots derailed or have shut down completely include: The Office, Old Christine, The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, Desperate Housewives (which was, however, expected to wra...

In an expected move, studio NBC Universal has shut down production on comedy The Office . The decision comes after stars Steve Carell and Rainn Wilson, in addition to writer/actor hyphenates B.J. Novak, Mindy Kaling, and Paul Lieberstein, have not shown up for shooting again on Day Two of the WGA strike. Executive producer Greg Daniels has also not reported for work this week to render non-writing services as part of his role as showrunner. The writing staff, as well as other WGA members, have been heavily picketing the lot where The Office shoots. In related news, reports have reached me that Tina Fey has not crossed the picket line to film her scenes for NBC's 30 Rock , despite being quoted yesterday that she would be fulfilling her acting obligations to the series. Production has also been halted on comedies Back to You, Old Christine, 'Til Death, Rules of Engagement, Two and a Half Men, and The Big Bang Theory as well as drama Desperate Housewives.

A day later, the issue on everyone's minds is still the WGA strike. The effects of yesterday's WGA strike launch were immediately felt throughout Hollywood, with several ongoing series affected by the picket lines. Studios were quick to respond with suspension letters to several writers with overall deals. A quick run-down then on which scripted primetime series were immediately affected since yesterday's update : The Office . Steve Carell, a WGA member and writer on the "Casino Night" and "Survivorman" episodes of The Office , along with writer/actors Mindy Kaling, B.J. Novak, and Paul Lieberstein did not show up for work yesterday. Additionally, actor Rainn Wilson called in sick later in the day. Production was only able to shoot two scenes yesterday and it's thought that the above actors will continue to withhold acting services during the strike period. An NBC Universal spokesperson contacted for this story had no comment on the possibility of a ...

I'll admit that I was holding out hope these past few days that a potential WGA strike could be averted but it wasn't looking good. Sources had told me last week that the strike would start on Monday morning and sure enough, despite talks over the weekend, the WGA held firm to their threat. I have very mixed feelings about the strike. I do feel that writers and others deserve to be compensated fairly for their work, whether that be on linear television, home video, or online. Writers definitely rolled over last time their contracts were up when the ancillary home video market was still a nascent spark in the eye of studio moguls; back then, the studios claimed that home video would never amount to a significant revenue stream, much like they are doing today with new media. The fact is that new media is the business of tomorrow. Even as studios and networks are in the process of figuring out how to monetize this new form of programming, the fact remains that it is a source of re...