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WGA and AMPTP to go back to the table… Could this season be saved ?

By fred | January 19, 2008

Now that the Directors Guild of America (DGA) signed a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP), it looks like the first thing that we all hoped would follow might indeed take place, as the Writers Guild of America should begin informal talks with studios’ CEOs as soon as Monday.

WGA leaders plan to meet with News Corporation President Peter Chernin and possibly other studio chiefs, in an effort to get the AMPTP to resume their negotiations with the WGA.

In a recent interview WGA President Patric M. Verrone declared that “everyone wants us to get back into negotiations, and that’s what we intend to do“. And while he declined to comment on the DGA deal, as guild officials are still studying it, and the guild’s negotiating committee should meet Saturday to discuss said contract and make recommendations to Verrone on how to proceed in their upcoming negotiations.

While the deal actually falls short on what writers were asking for on a few issue, it is still generally received as positive by many people, including negotiating committee member and writers, acknowledging that the DGA did knew that their deal would have major consequences and had that in mind while negotiating.

So, it would look like there is hope… but is there?

Because while some believe that with a quick resolution of the strike many shows could get back on the air, and have their season saved, especially if networks were willing to keep airing new episodes into June and July, that doesn’t seem to be what networks have in mind, as it would look like not only have they already said goodbye to the current season, but they’re also not envisioning the next one as unaffected.

And while Bryan Fuller, creator of Pushing Daisies, told E! Online that “if the strike is resolved in the next three weeks, there is a slim chance that shows could come back and produce four or five additional episodes to wrap up their seasons. If it isn’t resolved by mid-February, then, yes, that’s pretty much it for the 2007-08 season“, that may be wishful thinking of his part, that networks would go that way.

Of course, some shows could be back to work sooner than others, since serialized shows like Lost or even 24 usually already have their main stories written down, and some could find their way back on the air faster, since The Office or Dirty Sexy Money needs less post-production work than say, Pushing Daisies or Lost.

But it seems many studios have already made their peace with the current season, which they’re now devoting to unscripted programs. Should the strike be over soon, they might even simply pick three or four new series for next year and order them, instead of first shooting a dozen pilots or so as they usually do.

According to E! Online’s Kristen, “crew members who work on to [sic] two mainstream, fan-favorite TV shows tell me they were informed this week that it is “extremely unlikely” they will be producing any more episodes this season whether the strike ended soon or not” ; and one below-the-line crew member added that “[They] were told that even if the strike ends soon, we won’t be doing any more episodes until next season, because it just won’t work“.

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