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« Roush Dispatch
A Winter of TV Discontent?
Skeet Ulrich in Jericho by Cliff Lipson/CBS
Just a thought: If the strike lasts much longer, do you think CBS' Big Brother house has room for all of us? I joke, of course, but I also fear that if things don't get resolved soon, it's going to be a long, cold winter indeed for fans of good old everyday regular non-reality TV.
In the last few days, we’ve seen cliff-hanger episodes of Desperate Housewives and Heroes that felt like season finales, and for all we know, that’s what they might be, if production doesn’t resume early in the new year for the back half of their seasons. For the first month of the writers’ strike, viewers didn’t feel much pain (except for fans of late-night comedy, the first casualty) because we were in a sweeps month chock-full of original episodes. Life went on as usual. That’s about to end. There are scattered episodes of many series yet to air in December, and a few leftovers for early 2008. But come the new year, the TV landscape’s going to start looking mighty different. The situation is only now beginning to come into focus.
True, there are bright spots in the most recent announcements from the networks regarding their strike-contingency schedules in early 2008. CBS’ hilarious and underrated The New Adventures of Old Christine will return with new episodes Jan. 28, bumping the painfully mediocre Rules of Engagement. (A new as-yet-unscreened sitcom, The Captain, will take over for The Big Bang Theory, which was shut down by the strike just as it was hitting its stride.) These comedies will air alongside repeats of Monday fixtures How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men and CSI: Miami.
Also on CBS, fan favorite Jericho is returning with the seven-episode reprieve the network granted after being besieged by tons of peanuts and countless e-mails. It returns Feb. 12 in a time period likely to be a challenge: Tuesdays at 10 pm/ET, following new episodes of the first-ever winter season of Big Brother (which will also air Wednesdays and Sundays). Jericho's Tuesday time period has been a death slot for CBS ever since Judging Amy folded. Maybe this cult drama will turn things around.
Over at NBC, after months of confusion for longtime fans, the original Law & Order has finally resurfaced and will return to its old Wednesday time period of 10 pm/ET starting Jan. 2. (It will be preceded by episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, previously shown this fall on USA Network.)
NBC has also announced that Sex and the City wannabe Lipstick Jungle will take over for ER on Thursdays at 10 pm/ET on Feb. 7, after ER wraps its run of completed episodes.
The shoe has yet to drop over at ABC, which has its own Lipstick Jungle-like series, Cashmere Mafia, ready to go, but the network so far has only confirmed the start date of Dancing with the Stars spin-off Dance War on Jan. 7.
Fox was the first to announce an elaborate post-strike midseason schedule back in early November, the highlight of which is the launch of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles on Jan. 13 and 14, the same weekend originally set aside for 24, which is now on indefinite hold until the strike is history.
Other early winter highlights include the final season of HBO’s excellent The Wire, starting Jan. 6, and a series of new adaptations of Jane Austen novels on Masterpiece Theater beginning with Persuasion on Jan. 13.
Otherwise, brace yourself for a tsunami of reality programming that will make the winter look an awful lot like last summer. The fact that CBS can so easily fill three prime-time hours a week with Big Brother is the sort of news you’d think would give striking writers pause, if not chills. (Of course, two of those hours are already currently filled by reality shows: Kid Nation and The Amazing Race. In the first weeks of 2008, Kid Nation’s slot will be assumed by Drew Carey’s addictive game show Power of 10.) CBS also has its 16th cycle of Survivor on tap to begin Feb. 7, where it will likely dominate its Thursday hour again.
NBC is embracing reality like gangbusters, with the celebrity edition of The Apprentice taking up valuable Thursday real estate starting Jan. 3. Three nights later, the network revives American Gladiators with a two-hour opener on Sunday before it takes over the Monday slot currently held by the delightful Chuck. (Happy new year, everybody!) The Biggest Loser, 1 vs. 100 and who knows how many editions of the inane Deal or No Deal will help fill the schedule.
Fox, which will soar to the top of the ratings next month with multiple weekly airings of American Idol, is already making headlines with its controversial lie-detector reality experiment, The Moment of Truth, which will join American Idol on Wednesdays starting Jan. 23.
We’ve managed to survive previous attempts by Fox’s reality division to degrade and destroy civilization as we know it: The Swan, Who’s Your Daddy, Temptation Island, the list goes on. I just wonder, if the strike drags on too long into the new year, how long it will take TV itself to bounce back and regain our trust and affection after all of this unwanted and unnecessary disruption?
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Dec 4, 2007 12:26 PM
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I can usually afford to be particular about what I watch, with so many GOOD shows on television, even taping those I have no time to see during the normal airing. Now, with the strike still on, I'm upset about all of the GOOD shows I'll be unable to see BUT I'll be far less particular at what I choose because the list won't be that long at all, so maybe I'll be lucky to see repeats of shows I've never watched OR will content myself with some of the inane stuff on. Afterall, I can always switch to a book or the Internet. BUT that's hoping it only goes a month more!! Otherwise I'll have withdrawal pangs but just think, won't getting our best shows back be fantastic, when it finally happens? Let's hope we don't lose some in the meantime.
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Dec 4, 2007 12:40 PM
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Matt,
Do you know how many episodes of L&O were made before the strike? Will we get something resembling a full season of that?
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Dec 4, 2007 1:52 PM
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I choose to view this as "strike season" and somewhat similar to the summer season. Reruns and reality shows abound. The biggest difference is that we probably won't get great shows like Burn Notice during this strike season. I wonder if TPTB would consider switching out the seasons? After the strike season, just start a new season as if it was fall with new shows and new episodes of returning shows. I doubt it because they are still convinced that people don't watch TV in the summer. (With 90+ temps most of last summer, I was indoors much more than I was outdoors. Thank goodness for the few interesting summer series.)
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Dec 4, 2007 1:58 PM
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I think we ought to call a viewers' strike and refuse to watch replacement reality programming. Let the corporate suits know we want our writers paid for their product, as they should be. If no one is watching, their advertisers won't be happy. Unhappy advertisers make corporate suits unhappy - and scared. Scared corporate suits might just get off their high horses and negotiate in good faith. Instead of watching some of the reality crap they're planning to foist on us, I'm supporting my local library. I REFUSE to watch anything replacing my beloved Chuck!
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Dec 4, 2007 2:47 PM
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I won't be watching the new and ridiculous reality shows. I've just never been a fan (except for AI, of course).
I think there are a lot of people like me, TV-holics, yes, but with some minimum requirements for entertainment.
The network executives are biting themselves in the ass with their archaic views. If the strike goes on for a long time, they might just lose a huge audience who somehow rediscovered books.
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Dec 4, 2007 6:47 PM
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I'm OK with the old, established, high quality reality shows that will still be on. Survivor, TAR, AI, etc. Even the Dancing with the Stars spinoff as the fruit of a good tree. The ones that would have aired anyway had the writers never gone on strike.
Let's not diss "reality" in general out of protest over the strike. There's no reason to take out our hatred and frustration on these already established shows (the four I mentioned really are always of high quality production and entertainment value).
As far as the other replacement tripe...probably not.
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Dec 4, 2007 8:04 PM
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Just a minor correction: Though L&O premieres Jan 2nd and will be in the 10/9c slot, its first night is a two-hour ep starting at 9/8c. L&O: CI then joins it at 9/8c the following Wed.
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Dec 4, 2007 10:58 PM
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Matt -
Thanks for the round-up of what'available to watch this winter in primetime free tv.
Maybe you could also post what is available to watch on cable in another article? We would all love to know when our fave series (i.e., Doctor Who, Torchwood, Psych, Monk, Burn, Damages, etc.) are coming back.
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Dec 5, 2007 8:38 AM
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Matt -- I am in complete agreement with the writers (I've never lived/worked in a union shop -- I just think the writers MAKE tv what it is and I'm a believer in residuals, but I digress), however, this is one view from a DVR owner...
Between Jericho, Sarah Connor, and Law & Order, the stuff I've been DVRing for the past 2 months, playoff football and TCM -- I'm not sure I'm going to notice the strike until maybe March. Oh, forgot about March Madness -- make that April. No -- it'll be time to start doing things outside again. Make that September?
Wes Grate
Fairfield, Ohio
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Dec 5, 2007 10:01 AM
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My son wants to know how the strike will affect his shows/cartoons. Digimon, Pokemon, Naruto, to name but a few.
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Dec 5, 2007 10:27 AM
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I really hope CBS has fast-tracked Amazing Race 13 or something even if the strike ends soon.
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Dec 5, 2007 1:39 PM
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As someone who detests reality TV, I refuse to watch any of the dreck that they will be using to replace my favorite shows - Chuck, Grey's, House, etc.
I'm actually kind of looking forward to having the extra time to catch up on movies that I didn't get to see at the movie theater and maybe picking up the first seasons of some shows that I missed that are now on DVD (FNL, Mother, etc.). However, as someone who supports the writers 100%, I find it somewhat ironic that I'll soon be turning to DVDs for my entertainment. DVD residuals are one of the biggest sticking points for the strikers. I would think an extended strike will just make the "big dogs" more money off DVD sales and rentals, while the striking writers still see absolutely no profit off of their hard work.
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Dec 5, 2007 6:04 PM
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Matt, what would I do without you?!?! First there was the Shakespeare Redeux (??) on the BBC, and now Jane Austen's novels on Masterpiece Theatre. I just finished my Thesus Paper on Austen's heroine - specifically Elizabeth Bennet. I'm so glad you mentioned this. I'll be sure to set my TiVo.
On a different note - I second one of the previous posters. Can you please post when all the cable shows are coming back. I miss Greek, Saving Grace and all of my USA programming!
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Dec 5, 2007 10:35 PM
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Matt --
Just wanted to say that you are one of my favorite TV critics. I'm always interested in your views, and you seem like a very sweet guy.
It would be nice if once in a while you could respond to the comments we leave here, like most of your TVGuide cohorts do -- just to let us know you read our responses to your columns.
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Dec 6, 2007 12:00 AM
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