WGA Post-Strike Watch: News About Returning Shows

With SAG's big negotiation day kickoff in place for April 15, AFTRA announced Wednesday that it will begin its own talks with the AMPTP April 28, giving SAG a two-week head start, says the Reporter.

The two groups broke up as a unified bargaining bloc over the weekend, leading to likely less leverage for each of them after a rocky on-again-off-again relationship. Contracts for both the actors' union and the federation are up June 30, which has put the pressure on leadership, and brought their differences into sharp relief in recent weeks.

Even the seeming cordiality of the two-week window, however, may be simply a calculated move to piggyback on SAG's work when AFTRA, the smaller of the two groups, sits down at the primetime bargaining table. AFTRA prez Roberta Reardon said, "In our view, our proposed schedule should allow SAG sufficient time to work out a good deal with the studios." She continued to say that, although AFTRA went its own way this year, it's "also concerned about the well-being of SAG members — some 44,000 of whom also belong to AFTRA."

Reardon is definitely spinning the schedule choice to appear as being in the interest of members, and it very well might be, if SAG sets a good precedent before it's AFTRA's turn. What do you think? Will the piggybacking be a drop in the bucket after all that's happened, is it a savvy move that could really have impact — or both? T.S. Eliot famously said that "April is the cruelest month." This year, for the actors in contract limbo, it might be. — Anna Dimond

After weeks of uncertainty about the relationship between SAG and AFTRA as they head into contract negotiations, the two groups broke up again on Saturday. Actors' contracts with the AMPTP are up June 30, and the groups attempted, sort of, to combine forces at the bargaining table.

But just before a scheduled meeting to discuss a shared negotiation approach, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists suspended its alliance with the Screen Actors Guild, accusing the organization of meeting secretly with the cast of CBS' The Bold and the Beautiful. According to the Times, AFTRA honcho Roberta Reardon saw the alleged CBS-SAG talk as "simply the culmination of what really has been a year-long campaign by SAG to discredit AFTRA." SAG prez Alan Rosenberg, meanwhile, shot back that the CBS convo was a "sham."

While Rosenberg says that his group and AFTRA are both asking producers for the same things, it's generally acknowledged that the two groups are weaker as separate entities than they would be as a combined force. In recent months, tension flared and subsided as leaders attempted to drop past grudges and reunite for upcoming bargaining. But the unity was fragile, with ups and downs that saw, among other incidents, Reardon setting up a timetable with an ultimatum for SAG, and Rosenberg standing firm on his own pre-negotiation modus operandi and timeframe.

The resulting relationship, while delicate, seemed to bode well for the actors and Hollywood as a whole, which is still reeling from the recent writers' strike. Now, however, the actors' leverage as divided voices remains to be seen. What is clear, though, is that tempers will need to simmer down before the next chapter begins. Rosenberg said on Sunday, "I'm so furious about the whole thing, I can hardly talk about it." — Anna Dimond

Related:
• AFTRA Makes a Tentative Deal, on Its Own
• AFTRA to SAG: Start Talking, or We're Walking

Over the past month and a half, you may have seen ABC's welcome-back promo for returning shows. In the segment, an uplifting montage of some of the net's biggest stars, personalities and series mixes with spring-themed graphics of rebirth and new growth. Behind the promo and its message, though, is the music — the real heart-string tugger in the piece.

The selection of the song, "Crash" — from Taylor Dayne's latest album, Satisfied — came as a surprise to the music vet. As soon as the strike ended and studios were scrambling to get fresh eps out the door, she got a call. And while the selection itself was unexpected, Dayne told TVGuide.com that the song fit well with the welcome-back theme. "It has one of those messages to it," she said. "It [also] has a classic sound to it.... I feel that it also has this heart to it, it has this big, crunching chorus, and I just [love] it." (You can check "Crash" out here.)

As intent as ABC was on using the song, Dayne was also impressed with ABC's approach to setting her music to the TV montage, and she especially liked the way Oprah's Big Give frame was matched with a crescendo in the song. "I love how they did the edit!" she gushed.

For Dayne, though, the promotional clip was not just about a new avenue for her music. The end of the writers' strike was a welcome relief for the entertainment industry as a whole. "It lasted a helluva lot longer than I thought people anticipated, but it's over."

She also thinks the strike's message should be embraced by the music industry. "I would love to see some shakeups happen there," she explained. "It is a really archaic system.... It's shocking that we're still independent contractors. It proves itself, how the labels [have led to their own] demise. But technology's changed so incredibly, it's affected everybody." — Anna Dimond

Want a taste of spring shows? Use our Online Video Guide to see clips and shows from ABC.

AFTRA settled on a tentative deal with major television networks and producers Saturday, after less than a month of talks. The pact, if ratified, would establish new codes for daytime TV and other actors, as well as change the pay structure for new media projects, such as webisodes.

According to the Reporter, AFTRA prez and negotiating committee chair Roberta Reardon said, "This agreement is a major milestone for AFTRA as substantial gains in wages and working conditions for performers were successfully achieved." She added, "This contract is extraordinary for performers and made significant progress on many fronts, including importantly new-media jurisdiction and compensation."

The union's possible agreement comes as relations between AFTRA and SAG have gotten a tad sour. Next up for them are talks with the AMPTP for prime-time contracts, negotiations which they've traditionally done together. But a schism developed in recent weeks, as Reardon urged SAG to hurry up and start bargaining, while SAG has preferred to continue doing research and doesn't plan to begin negotiations until April. Contracts for members of both actors' unions expire June 30. — Anna Dimond

Related:
• AFTRA to SAG: Start Talking, or We're Walking

AFTRA is upping the pressure on the Screen Actors Guild to begin contract negotiations by the end of March — or they'll begin their own talks, according to Variety.

In a statement last week, SAG leaders said they didn't plan to start talks until at least April, when all their fact-finding was done and they were good and ready. Contracts for both unions expire June 30. Days later, however, AFTRA prez Roberta Reardon sent a letter to SAG chief Alan Rosenberg asking that the guild begin talks on AFTRA's timeline — or they can negotiate on their own. As it is, the two unions only recently reestablished ties, a move that was widely seen as preparation for upcoming contract negotiations. The relationship is still fragile, hanging as it is on various quid pro quos that each union set up.

In her letter, Reardon was clear about her timetable saying, "Time is of the essence now, and AFTRA can no longer let its members be idle when such important matters are before us."

SAG's response in the next week should indicate the tenor of things to come. Reardon asked for an answer by Monday, while SAG announced Tuesday that it's open to interim deals with feature producers on a case-by-case basis — similar to the WGA's strike-time approach. If SAG doesn't step up to Reardon's request, how would separate negotiations affect things, if it comes to that? Do you think it would harm or help actors' interests to have the unions negotiate independently? — Anna Dimond

Related:
• SAG Preps for Talks, But Not Ruling Out a Strike

First it was the writers, then the directors. Now it's coming up on the actors' turn for contract negotations before theirs expires June 30. With the five-letter S-word hovering on the periphery, it seems that union leadership are taking every step they can to start talking ASAP — but they're not making any promises that they won't strike.

In a letter to members Wednesday, SAG chiefs Alan Rosenberg and Doug Allen promised that they would begin talks with the AMPTP as soon as their information-gathering is complete on March 31. In recent weeks, they've asked members to submit wages and workflow feedback in an effort to prep for the big table.

That said, they then noted that there were some things left to be desired for actors in the DGA's and WGA's new contracts. Promising to start negotiations "as soon as possible," they added this caveat: "But not before we finish our member-driven W&W process and not until we are in a position to finish what we start [sic]."

While it's clear that SAG's focus right now is on research and preparation for serious sit-downs, it also seems that no one's ready to rule out a strike. As things unfold in early spring, my guess is that the tenor and direction of things will become clear, as the rest of Hollywood looks on. — Anna Dimond

Three months and two weeks after the start of the writers' guild strike, Hollywood (and the rest of us impatient viewers) found closure Tuesday as the guild members' vote to ratify the proposed three-year contract was announced.

In a statement, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers confirmed the ratification, and issued a call to action to get everyone fired up for production as one big happy community:

"Now that our industry is back in business, our goal is to collaborate with everyone in the industry — writers, directors, actors and stagehands alike — to produce the highest-quality entertainment products without any further interruption."

While members voted two weeks ago to lift the strike order (thus allowing writers to return to work), the big pact in question wasn't definite — until now. Let's hope the AMPTP is wholehearted and that, three years from now, we're not recycling shows again (or strike coverage). In the meantime, get ready for a kinder, gentler Hollywood. — Anna Dimond

It's been two weeks since the WGA's strike order was lifted and ratification ballots were sent out to membership. Now the votes on the new three-year contract are being tallied, and an announcement on the result is expected Tuesday.

As 10,500 guild members await closure on the three-month strike, other discussions and issues stemming from the strike continue to surface. On Tuesday, CBS chief Leslie Moonves commented on another way the strike has impacted the industry, saying that, while the 100-day strike order "lasted longer than any of us would have liked," it actually helped the industry.

Not only did it save CBS $70 million in its fourth quarter, he said, but it gave nets an opportunity to reexamine their series-development processes — i.e., and start cutting back. In the same statements, Moonves asserted that "pilots are vastly overrated," and counted the reduction in spending on them as a major plus for the bottom line.

In the meantime, the WGA is still working to squeeze in some more love for its members. On Monday the WGA said it had introduced a bill into the California state senate that attempts to make up for a provision in the contract that didn't make it in. According to the Reporter, the guild said the proposed bill would "end the practice of selling television series and films for less than fair market value."

Will the senate go for it? Does Moonves have a point? Will the effects of the strike keep reverberating? Give us your take. — Anna Dimond

Following the other networks' announcements of their upcoming spring schedules, ABC has finally unveiled its plans for the post-strike return of its shows.

Ugly Betty and Grey's Anatomy return April 24, with each series airing five new episodes. To round out the Thursday-night knockout punch, execs are (as Ausiello first reported) placing Lost in the 10 pm/ET slot for at least five new episodes.

Desperate Housewives returns April 13 with five original episodes and a two-hour finale planned. DH's Sunday-night sibling, Brothers & Sisters, won't be back until the following Sunday and will only air four new episodes.

Samantha Who? and Boston Legal will return April 7 and April 8, respectively, each with six original episodes to air. Pushing Daisies, Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money will all return... next season.

Keep checking Ausiello's chart at TVGuide.com/ShowStatus for updates on all your favorite shows. — Adam Bryant

Related:
• Exclusive: Lost Finds Post-Grey's Berth!

CBS has announced that when The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother return with fresh episodes on March 17, they will occupy each other's time slots. Big Bang will now lead off the Eye's comedy four-pack, with Mother sliding a half-hour back, to 8:30 pm/ET. Welcome to the Captain, in turn, will move from the Monday lineup onto the answer side of a Trivial Pursuit card. — Matt Mitovich

Tweaking a bit that which was previously reported (at least with respect to its Thursday-night lineup), NBC has issued a game plan for its returing series, inlcuding both Law & Orders. Without further ado:

April 3
8 pm/ET: My Name Is Earl (returning with a one-hour episode

March 20
10 pm: Lipstick Jungle concludes its run

April 10
8:30: 30 Rock
9 pm: The Office
9:30 pm: Scrubs
10 pm: ER

April 15
10 pm: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

April 23
10 pm: Law & Order

Medium, meanwhile, will forge on with original fare, Mondays at 10..

"Specific plans for other NBC scripted series are currently being determined," says the Peacock's press release, "and will be announced later." Translation: Watch 30 Rock.

For more on the "new" season of TV, check Ausiello's chart at TVGuide.com/ShowStatus.

Related:
• Tina Fey Weighs in on the Strike's End, 30 Rock's New Beginning

Tina Fey walked the picket lines with fellow writers last November, but on Feb. 12 she walked the red carpet with 30 Rock co-star Alec Baldwin , ready to toast the end of the strike.

"I'm very glad that the strike is coming to an end, because I really feel like it's been difficult economically for our crew, for people in Los Angeles and New York, and at the same time I feel like hopefully we got a good deal on some of these things that needed to be settled. I'm just happy," a smiling Fey told reporters.

The 30 Rock star and her on-screen boss were out to celebrate their cover and feature spread at Gotham Magazine's eighth-annual gala held at the Rainbow Room.

Fey expects to meet with her 30 Rock writing staff this week and already has ideas about what fans should expect from Liz Lemon and the gang for the rest of this shortened season. "I think we're going to see some crazy stuff. I think we're going to see Jack trying to get the big boss' job. Maybe Will Arnett's character will come back. We'll see my character hook up with some of her ex-boyfriends. Maybe have a little pregnancy scare by the end of the season," she revealed to TV Guide.

As for Tracy Morgan's Tracy Jordan? Fey would only say, "We'll see Tracy get up to some crazy business." — Erin S. Medley

More Strike Watch news:
• NBC Thursday Gets "Fresh" April 3
• Galactica Exec Glad to Have Writers Back in Orbit

Strike Recovery Guide previews:
• What Will Ghost Whisperer Scare Up Next?
• Desperate Housewife Teases "a Lot of Juicy Stuff"

In a statement, the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers today reached out to the Screen Actors Guild to encourage a dialogue about upcoming contract negotiations before the guild decides to strike.

SAG, whose contract is up in June, has been threatening a strike of its own in the wake of the writers' actions. The AMPTP, however, reminded SAG that the directors' guild managed a new deal sans strike — and so can the actors. SAG prez Alan Rosenberg said on Wednesday, "We're always open to having discussions."

With relief about the WGA pact still fresh, the industry is eyeing the actors' guild as the next player in the contract game. While SAG has not formally announced its next move, they have taken heartening steps toward a diplomatic solution. On Saturday, the organization abruptly announced its renewed ties with AFTRA, the other actors' union. The prior schism between the two signaled a long and bumpy road of strike one-upmanship that would likely have drawn things out (and eroded a lot of that WGA relief).

The upshot? No official course of action yet, but everyone's playing nice so far. So keep those fingers crossed! — Anna Dimond

On the heels of CBS' detailing of their own plans for the spring, NBC has announced that the funny 66 percent of its Thursday-night lineup — My Name Is Earl, The Office, 30 Rock and Scrubs — will return with fresh fare April 3, with Earl presenting a one-hour eppy.

ER comes back with new episodes the following week.

Update:
• NBC Confirms Rollout Plan for New Episodes

Related:
• Tina Fey Weighs in on the Strike's End, 30 Rock's New Beginning

Now that the strike is over, what are the writers going to do? No, they're not going to Disney World, they're getting their butts back in the writers' room ASAP. Not only are the writers ready to go back to work, they are all fired up about it. A few weeks ago, TVGuide.com spoke to Jane Espenson (co-executive producer on the hugely popular and acclaimed Battlestar Galactica) and Charles Tatham (a co-executive producer for Fox's Back to You) on the picket lines. Now that the strike is over, we wanted to know how it felt to be getting back to the grind.

Tatham, who writers affectionately call "Uncle Chuckles," said, "Only one person in the known universe wants me to go back to work more than I do: my wife." Espenson echoed that sentiment, and more, saying, "I'm happy that a deal was reached. I'm happy that it appears to be a good deal, certainly better than what was likely without a strike. But most of all, I am, and my colleagues are, happy to be going back to a writers' room tomorrow to work on Battlestar Galactica. So say we all."

So say we all indeed. — Erin Fox
More post-strike coverage:
• The WGA's New Deal: Tallying the Pros and Cons
• CBS' Post-Strike Plans Features Lotsa Laughs
• NEW CHART! When Will Your Shows Return?