The outcome of the plot in some of the most popular American television series and shows has become uncertain as their writers have gone on strike. About 12,000 members of the American Writers Guild have revolted against the largest film and television studios.
Hollywood screenwriters, reports Reuters, are outraged by the way the internet and new media are changing the face of show business. For the first time in 20 years, Hollywood production could be blocked. The writers’ strike will most threaten comedy series that air in prime time and late-night guest shows such as NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and CBS’s Late Show with David Letterman.
The head writer for Jay Leno’s talk show – Joe Medeiros – announced that his ‘today’s show’ will not air today. – None of us wanted the strike. We are forced into it. I am fighting for the future of all writers – Joe Medeiros stated to Reuters. Production has also been halted by the creators of the popular series The New Adventures of Old Christine, and the main actress, former Seinfeld star Julia Louis-Dreyfus, has joined the strike. Producers of the most-watched television series have been trying to film quickly in recent months, believing that the writers’ strike could be postponed until January.
They hoped that the screenwriters would abandon their demands for increased fees that their films, series, and shows earned due to airing on the internet, mobile phones, and other digital formats. The American Writers Guild last suspended work in 1988, and the strike lasted 22 weeks. According to estimates, the film and TV industry lost about 500 million US dollars at that time. Los Angeles economist Jack Kyser estimated that a similar strike today could cause damage of at least one billion dollars.
(T. V.)
