Umpteen weeks into the writers' strike, television is becoming a precious commodity at our house. At first we were rationing, not wanting to go through the DVR recordings too fast in order to make them last longer. Then we went to hoarding. At this point the DVR is stuffed full of shows we don't even particularly like but which we might have to resort to as stocks of our preferred programs dry up.
I'll tell you something, though. It's a real blessing to be a sci-fi fan right now. Dramas takes longer than comedies to put together, and and sci-fi takes longer than regular dramas because of the addition of special effects. Ergo, the science fiction series have faired pretty well so far since scripts had to be finalized farther out in order for final production to be on time. As such, Smallville is still running, as is Stargate Atlantis. Battlestar Galactica hasn't even tapped its reserves yet thanks to that much-hated hiatus they took. Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles was also blessed with a late start.
In fact, the strike has forced us to give a few series second looks. Both me and my husband have actually upped our opinions of Sci-Fi Channel's Flash Gordon as we slowly sift through previously ignored episodes on the DVR. Not great, but its at least entertaining, and the characters are starting to actually develop personalities, which is always nice.
We are not so far starved of TV yet as to watch our hoarded episodes of Moonlight, however. An actual discussion went something like this:
"Hun, is there a reason we're still recording Moonlight?"
"Because in another month we may be desperate."
"Not that desperate."
And yet, we're still recording it.
And we've re-remembered another source of entertainment: British TV. They aren't on strike, after all. And with the second season of Torchwood starting up, and Doctor Who's fourth season schedule for March, I predict Moonlight can ignored on the DVR a while longer.
I have to admit to some private ambivalence about the writer's strike. I think the WGA is doing the right thing, I think they're justified and I hope they "win." But I also think the WGA is one of those "pull up the ladders" groups that is as much about protecting the membership from competition from emerging writers as it is about getting good contracts from producers.
But anyway: Is this blessing going to turn into a curse some months from now? Will there be a dead patch because none of these shows you like can get new scripts finished fast enough to get back into production in time to put new episodes out on schedule?
Posted by: Daniel | Thursday, February 07, 2008 at 08:36
I've been worrying about that as well, especially for the new series. While old favorites will probably be able to come back in full force, will they give something like Journeyman a second chance, or will they fill the slot something new?
Posted by: Nightwind | Saturday, February 09, 2008 at 16:06
Looks like the strike is over and it's a win for labor. I haven't looked at the terms yet, so I can't vouch for that. Break out the Moonlight!
Posted by: Daniel | Sunday, February 10, 2008 at 10:56