CBS' The Closer? ABC's MI-5? Strike Talk Has Nets Scrambling
As the threat of a Writers Guild strike continues to loom, network suits are considering perhaps using finished and already aired-elsewhere episodes of international hits and/or cable series to fill schedule gaps should the stop-action happen. According to Variety, non-U.S. programming such as the U.K.'s Footballers Wives and MI-5, CBC's Little Mosque on the Prairie and CTV's Corner Gas could make their way to the Big 3 — and Warner Bros. is said to be shopping around The Closer — though execs maintain such acquisitions would be a last resort. "Right now," says NBC entertainment cochair Ben Silverman, "we're just hoping there's not a strike." Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Non-American Broadcasting Cooperative says, "Hey, whatever you do, don't send Black Donnellys our way."
