A few strike-related ...
Question: A few strike-related questions for you. I'm familiar with the basic reasons behind the writers' strike but not the fine details, so I'm still wondering why the late-night talk shows are affected.
Conan,
Letterman,
Leno,
Jon Stewart and the others are all accomplished comedy writers and I'm sure could write their own monologues and comedy skits. Couldn't Dave throw things off the roof of the building or play Show and Tell with the audience without the help of writers, and then still do interviews? Are they showing reruns because they actually have to, or because they are choosing to show their support? The same goes with shows like
The Office, where many of the cast members are also writers. I'm sure if you put the cast of
The Office in a room together and asked them to write a few scripts, they could come up with material at least as good as what they're already working with, so why not do it? I'd love to see a resolution to this situation as soon as possible, but in the meantime it seems as though there are many things that could be done to keep our favorite shows on the air.
Answer: You're confusing what's in a show's best interest (an abstraction) with what the writers see as in their own best interests, and that involves not crossing the picket lines for now. Especially on a show like
The Office, which was a pioneer of being made popular through iTunes downloads and was even pressed into duty by the network to create "webisodes" that the writers and actors feel they weren't properly compensated for. The writer-actors of
The Office, as well as show-runner
Greg Daniels, were leading the charge last week to successfully shut down production of the show, and they appear to be resolved not to return to work until a deal is struck. Late night may be trickier. For now, the hosts are showing solidarity with the writers so the shows have gone dark. Eventually, they may return to work without the safety net provided by their writing staffs, but I'd be surprised if it happens soon.
