In This Section
|
« WGA Post-Strike Watch: News About Returning Shows
Writers' Strike Won't Scrub Soaps Until at Least January
With an eye on the writers' strike set to launch Monday, Nov. 5, TVGuide.com has created a blog to bring you frequent updates on the work stoppage and how it will affect your television viewing.
The bubble won't pop for television's soap operas until the new year arrives, as most shows have enough scripts in the hopper to keep plots twisting and cliffs hanging for at least two more months. As summarized by the Hollywood Reporter, Days of our Lives, The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful and As the World Turns currently possess inventory to take them through at least January 2008, while Guiding Light might be able to soldier on an extra month beyond that.
The similar story from ABC has All My Children, General Hospital and One Life to Live in shape enough to not make like Mary J. Blige and cry, "No more drama," at least until the beginning of January. As an Alphabet rep tells the trade, "ABC's daytime dramas are written well into the new year, and we will continue to produce original programming with no repeats and without interruption."
|
TVGuide Links:
|
|
|
|
Nov 4, 2007 11:36 AM
|
|
Thanks for creating this blog and all the frequent updates!
|
|
Nov 4, 2007 11:49 AM
|
|
Some good news, at least!
|
|
Nov 4, 2007 1:12 PM
|
|
What they could do is simply air four episodes a week, leaving Friday off for an extra hour of news or whatnot. That'd make room for extra weeks of episodes down the line.
|
|
Nov 4, 2007 3:10 PM
|
|
Thanks for the blog update.. I have been wondering about this. Let's hope the strike is over very soon...
|
|
Nov 4, 2007 3:34 PM
|
|
Thank you for starting this blog and the update. I really hope that we don't have to endure endless months of nothing but reality shows. At least we will have the soaps will remain on air until at least January.
|
|
Nov 4, 2007 5:00 PM
|
|
Its probably just wishful thinking but I'm hoping scab writers come in and get the only soap I watch(General Hospital) back on track.
|
|
Nov 4, 2007 6:22 PM
|
I knew that they were working to get ahead with the strike looming. I think the sentence in the ABC statement "We will continue to produce programming with no repeats and without interuption"
is a not so subtle indication that the ABC soaps will use backup writers as was done in 1988 if the strike is a prolonged one.
All indications are that this will be a long stike. I don't see the writers backing down. They seem view it as a moral issue more than a money one.
I think this is good news for Soaps since if there was a stoppage soaps would probably not recover and a lot of people will be out of work.
|
|
Nov 4, 2007 11:55 PM
|
From a personal point of view, being a big All My Children fan, this news could not have come at a worst time for the show.
Already, it is at the bottom of the heap in ratings. To think the writing could sink any furthur... this surely can be the last nail is the coffin for the show.
In the last writer's strike, AMC was pretty lucky because it had a big and succesful story in place (namely Ellen Wheeler's Cindy Parker's battle with HIV and AIDS).
Still, they suffered greatly in many other departments with characters that acted very much out of character, and disjointed storylines. Fan favorite Carmen Thomas (ex-Hillary Wilson) was written off without any regard, and Darnell Williams (ex-Jesse Hubbard) was killed off in a tragic, yet anti-climatic plot device.
The use of history and family has been the best formula of success for the show. In its golden era's, the storylines have revolved around the big families and their internal dramas (The Vietname SL with tHheMartin, Tylers, Kanes in 1973, The Cortlandt Arrival in 1979, Bianca's rape and birth of Miranda Montgomery in 2004-05).
How can we expect these scab writers from off the street to know these histories when we've had writers on the show who have been around for decades who have even failed to cash-in on this formula?
It would be different if it was 1988 again, and AMC was doing well (not spectacularly, but well) in a much stronger market. Now they are the injured gazelle, straddling behind everyone else through a pack of lions.
Frons needs to step up here, find someone or something to save this show. Are any of the past writers non-union? Gillian Spencer? Winser Washam? AGNES NIXON? I shiver when I think of her watching the show in its current state.
The All My Children History Project: p://amchistory.powweb.com/
|
|
Nov 5, 2007 2:22 AM
|
Back in 1988, many of us students taking writing classes were asking about whether we should look into writing for the soaps during the strike. We were warned that if we did, it would be possible for the Guild to find out and basically "blackball" us. There were also rumors that some of the soap writers continued to work during the strike under assumed names.
I do remember that during the strike, DOOL fans finally got the Steve & Kayla wedding that we wanted.
|
|
Nov 5, 2007 2:48 AM
|
Oh thank god! what would we ever do without soaps! (HEAVY SARCASM)
soaps are GARBAGE.
|
|
Nov 5, 2007 1:34 PM
|
|
maybe i just don't understand but i have been watching general hospital since i was 5 years old my mom always watched the show and so did i, i will be very unhappy if they took that away also they need to bring back night shift too i can actually say i look forward everyday to see what happens next
|
|
Nov 7, 2007 6:45 AM
|
|
maybe i just don't understand but i have been watching general hospital since i was 5 years old my mom always watched the show and so did i, i will be very unhappy if they took that away also they need to bring back night shift too i can actually say i look forward everyday to see what happens next
|
|
Nov 7, 2007 6:45 AM
|
This could be a great time to try out some new writers who are trying to break into the field, but know the history of their soaps.
I understand, though, that the Writers' Guild would want to blackball them since they would want to become members if/when they were able to work after the strike. Letting them write during the strike defeats the purpose of the strike even though they should also consider that the 'show must go on.'
Soaps are shows that only work in reruns during the holidays or on SOAPNET. Otherwise, we need to know what is going to happen next!
|
|
Nov 7, 2007 2:38 PM
|
|
I am confused. When you say they have enough scripts to take them into January, does that mean to TAPE into January? Or, to AIR into January?
|
|
Nov 7, 2007 7:27 PM
|
|
|
