The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike

2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike

The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....

, which began on November 5, 2007, was a labor conflict

Labor unrest

Labor unrest is a term used by employers or those generally in the business community to describe organizing and strike actions undertaken by labor unions, especially where labor disputes become violent or where industrial actions in which members of a workforce obstruct the normal process of...

 that affected a large number of television shows that were due to be broadcast in the United States during the 2007-08 television season. Negotiators for the striking writers reached a tentative agreement on February 8, 2008, and the boards of both guilds unanimously approved the deal on February 10, 2008.
Striking writers voted on February 12, 2008, to end the strike immediately, and on February 26, the WGA announced that the contract had been ratified with a 93.6% approval among WGA members.

Shows with increased number of episodes

Some shows, especially unscripted or reality shows, benefitted from the strike by providing the networks with new material.

Show	Network:	Notes
The Amazing Race The Amazing Race (U.S. TV series) The Amazing Race is an American reality game show in which teams of two or four race around the world against other teams, with the first-place team winning $1,000,000. As the original version of the Amazing Race franchise, the CBS program has been running since 2001 and is airing its nineteenth...	CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...	Originally only one season (The Amazing Race 12 The Amazing Race 12 The Amazing Race 12 is the twelfth installment of winning reality television show The Amazing Race.The 12th season premiered on November 4, 2007 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. It took the timeslot of the canceled CBS series Viva Laughlin. The finale aired on January 20, 2008 at 8 p.m... ) was planned for the 2007-2008 season. A second season of the show (The Amazing Race 13 The Amazing Race 13 The Amazing Race 13 is the 13th installment of the reality television competition series The Amazing Race. It featured 11 teams of two, each with a preexisting relationship, in a race around the world.... ) was greenlit shortly after the start of the strike, with the premiere aired on September 28, 2008. The season finale aired on December 7, 2008.
Big Brother	CBS	Originally only one season was planned for the summer of 2008. Due to the writer's strike a second season for 2008 was ordered. The ninth season Big Brother 9 (U.S.) Big Brother 9 is the ninth edition of the American reality television series...  premiered Tuesday, February 12, 2008 with three episodes per week. Big Brother 10 premiered Sunday, July 13, 2008 with three episodes per week, in place of Big Brother 9.
Eureka Eureka (TV series) Eureka is an American science fiction television series that premiered on Syfy on July 18, 2006. Since then four seasons have aired, and a fifth is currently being filmed. The second half of season 4 began on SyFy on July 11, 2011 and ended on September 19, 2011...	Sci Fi Sci Fi Channel (United States) Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...	Will be affected. All 13 episodes shown. To what extent this will be affected by the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike is unknown, although co-creator and Executive Producer Jaime Paglia has stated that it could in fact result in a larger order than the original 13 as a way to "help offset the financial impact of the production push." It was announced on May 16, 2008 that Eureka had been renewed for a third season of 21 episodes.
Good News Week Good News Week Good News Week is an Australian satirical panel game show hosted by Paul McDermott that initially aired from 19 April 1996 to 27 May 2000, and resumed on 11 February 2008 to 9 May 2011. The show aired first on ABC TV before it was bought by Network Ten in 1999...	Network Ten Network Ten Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...	New episodes made for the first time in 7 years.
The Price Is Right	CBS	Six episodes of the prime-time version were taped February 11–13, 2008 to help fill programming due to strike. Programs aired on Fridays until the start of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. After the shows aired, a second set of four episodes were ordered to air during the May sweeps. The regular daytime version was not affected, but the strike was the subject of the November 30, 2007 taping (airing December 25, 2007), where the Showcase script at the end of a showcase featuring elves on strike against Santa Claus was a parody of the WGA strike. The primetime series also debuted the show's switchover to 1080i 1080i 1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels...  high definition, as all ten episodes aired in high-definition; by the end of the season, the show switched entirely to high-definition.

Unaffected shows

Some shows were not affected by the strike, being unscripted, not using union writers, or completing their production before the strike began. Some shows made in Canada use mainly or solely Canadian writers and were thus unaffected by the US strike.

Show	Network	Notes
Jericho Jericho (TV series) Jericho is an American action/drama series that centers on the residents of the fictional town of Jericho, Kansas, in the aftermath of nuclear attacks on 23 major cities in the contiguous United States...	CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
All My Children All My Children All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...	ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...	Scripts were completed through January 2008.
Duel	ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...	Only Big Three network game show to premiere whole series during the strike. Second season as weekly series premiered on April 4, 2008 and ended on July 25, 2008 for 10 episodes.
The Bold and the Beautiful The Bold and the Beautiful The Bold and the Beautiful is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS Daytime. It premiered on March 23, 1987....	CBS	Scripts were completed through January 2008.
Days of our Lives Days of our Lives Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...	NBC	Scripts were completed through January 2008.
Guiding Light Guiding Light Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...	CBS	Scripts were completed through February 2008.
One Life to Live One Life to Live One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...	ABC	Scripts were completed through January 2008.
Passions Passions Passions is an American television soap opera which aired on NBC from July 5, 1999 to September 7, 2007 and on The 101 Network from September 17, 2007 to August 7, 2008....	The 101 Network	Scripts were completed through February 2008
The View	ABC	Continuing, with a statement by the network that "contingency plans have been made in the event of a strike."
Carpoolers Carpoolers Carpoolers is an American single-camera comedy series, which ran on ABC from October 2, 2007 to March 4, 2008. The show was created by Bruce McCulloch, who also executive produced alongside Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, David Miner, Marsh McCall, Joe Russo and Anthony Russo . Joe and Anthony Russo...	ABC	All 13 ordered episodes were completed.
The Closer The Closer The Closer is an American crime drama, starring Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Georgia police detective who often closes her cases using sometimes-questionable methods...	TNT Turner Network Television Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...	All 15 episodes episodes of season 3 made
Curb Your Enthusiasm Curb Your Enthusiasm Curb Your Enthusiasm is an American comedy television series produced and broadcast by HBO, which premiered on October 15, 2000. As of 2011, it has completed 80 episodes over eight seasons. The series was created by Seinfeld co-creator Larry David, who stars as a fictionalized version of himself...	HBO	had not been renewed for a seventh season until after the strike
Degrassi: The Next Generation Degrassi: The Next Generation Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian teen drama television series set in the Degrassi universe, which was created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood in 1979. Degrassi is the fourth fictional series in the Degrassi franchise, and follows The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, and...	CTV	Canadian program. Returned February 4.
Dexter Dexter (TV series) Dexter is an American television drama series, which debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006. The sixth season premiered on October 2, 2011. The series centers on Dexter Morgan , a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer...	Showtime	All episodes completed of Season 2 before strike. Production started early in anticipation. Season 1 re-purposed on CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...  due to lack of new content.
Eli Stone Eli Stone Eli Stone is an American TV series, and also the name of the title character.San Francisco lawyer Eli Stone begins to see things, which leads him to discover a brain aneurysm...	ABC	All 13 ordered episodes were completed. Premiered January 31, 2008.
Everybody Hates Chris Everybody Hates Chris Everybody Hates Chris is an African American television period sitcom inspired by the teenage experiences of comedian Chris Rock , while growing up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York . The show is set from 1982 to 1987; however, Rock himself was a teenager during years...	The CW	All 22 episodes completed, returned on March 3.
Kyle XY Kyle XY Kyle XY is an American television series with a science fiction premise and mystery-drama style. The central character is a teenage boy who awakens naked in a forest outside Seattle, Washington, with no more knowledge or abilities than a newborn. He is taken in by a family and given the name Kyle...	ABC Family ABC Family ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...	All 23 episodes completed. New episodes began January 14, 2008. 10 more episodes ordered in October, before the strike.
Lincoln Heights Lincoln Heights (TV series) Lincoln Heights is an American drama television series about Eddie Sutton, a Mission Vista police officer who moves his family back to his old neighborhood, Lincoln Heights, to start a new life and to help out his old neighborhood...	ABC Family	was not renewed for a third season until after the strike
Instant Star Instant Star Instant Star was a Canadian television program which aired from September 2004 to June 2008. The series starred Alexz Johnson as adolescent music competition winner Jude Harrison. The show chronicles Harrison's experience in the recording industry whilst focusing upon character development.Linda...	The N
Mad Men Mad Men Mad Men is an American dramatic television series created and produced by Matthew Weiner. The series premiered on Sunday evenings on the American cable network AMC and are produced by Lionsgate Television. It premiered on July 19, 2007, and completed its fourth season on October 17, 2010. Each...	AMC AMC (TV network) AMC is a cable television specialty channel that primarily airs movies, along with a limited amount of original programming. The letters originally stood for American Movie Classics; however since 2002, the full name has been deemphasized as a result of a major shift in programming...	Lionsgate Lions Gate Entertainment Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...  side deal made, production resumed on scripts for summer airing.
Monk Monk (TV series) Monk is an American comedy-drama detective mystery television series created by Andy Breckman and starring Tony Shalhoub as the titular character, Adrian Monk. It originally ran from 2002 to 2009 and is primarily a mystery series, although it has dark and comic touches.The series debuted on July...	USA	All 16 episodes completed.
New Amsterdam New Amsterdam (TV series) New Amsterdam is an American television drama, which premiered March 4, 2008 on Fox, and ended after its eighth episode.-Premise and plot:...	FOX	All 8 episodes completed. Premiered March 4, 2008.
October Road October Road (TV series) October Road is an American television drama that debuted on ABC on March 15, 2007 following Grey's Anatomy. It follows Nick Garrett , who after a decade returns to his hometown, the fictional Knights Ridge, Massachusetts.The series is produced by ABC Studios and GroupM Entertainment; the latter is...	ABC	All 13 ordered episodes were completed; no order given yet for additional episodes.
Psych Psych Psych is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks and broadcast on USA Network. It stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observational skills" and impressive detective instincts...	USA	All 16 episodes completed.
The Shield The Shield The Shield is an American television drama series starring Michael Chiklis which premiered on March 12, 2002 on FX in the United States and concluded on November 25, 2008 after seven seasons...	FX	All 13 ordered episodes were completed.
Stargate Atlantis Stargate Atlantis Stargate Atlantis is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate franchise. The show was created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper as a spin-off series of Stargate SG-1, which was created by Wright and Jonathan Glassner and was itself...	Sci Fi	Season 4 filmed, and in post production. Most writers are members of the Writers Guild of Canada Writers Guild of Canada The Writers Guild of Canada represents more than 1,800 professional writers working in film, television, radio, and multimedia production in Canada... . It was reported that the broadcast schedule would potentially be affected because of the broader effects of the strike.
The Wire The WIRE the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...	HBO	All 10 episodes were completed for final season.

Unscripted shows

Show	Network	Notes
Poker After Dark Poker After Dark Poker After Dark was an hour-long poker television program on NBC. The show made its debut on January 1, 2007, and was cancelled as another victim of the "Black Friday" criminal case due to the show's sponsorship by Full Tilt Poker, one of that case's defendants. on September 23, 2011 For its first...	NBC	Still in production and airing original episodes, unaffected.

Shows with writing completed before strike

Show	Network	Notes
10 Items or Less	TBS Turner Broadcasting System Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. is the Time Warner subsidiary managing the collection of cable networks and properties started and acquired by Robert Edward "Ted" Turner starting in the mid-1970s. The company has its headquarters in the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. TBS, Inc...	All 8 ordered episodes were completed.
About a Girl About A Girl (TV series) About a Girl is a Canadian comedy series which premiered on October 5, 2007 on The N in the U.S. and Global in Canada. It was the first scripted comedy for The N. The series ended with 13 episodes in its only season.-Plot:...	The N	All 13 episodes were completed.
American Dad! American Dad! American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...	FOX Fox Broadcasting Company Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...	All 22 ordered episodes have been written.
Cane Cane (TV series) Cane is an American television drama created by Cynthia Cidre, who also served as executive producer alongside Jonathan Prince, Jimmy Iovine and Polly Anthony. The pilot was directed by Christian Duguay...	CBS	All 13 ordered episodes were completed.
Jericho Jericho (TV series) Jericho is an American action/drama series that centers on the residents of the fictional town of Jericho, Kansas, in the aftermath of nuclear attacks on 23 major cities in the contiguous United States...	CBS	All 7 ordered episodes were completed. Premiered February 12.

Shows that switched to non-union writers

Show	Network	Notes
All My Children All My Children All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...	ABC	On January 15, 2008 the soap was written by Julie Hanan Carruthers Julie Hanan Carruthers Julie Hanan Carruthers is an American soap opera producer.-Positions held:All My Children*Executive Producer General Hospital...  and Brian Frons Brian Frons Brian Frons is an American television executive, and president of ABC Daytime.- Educational background :Frons holds a Master of Science degree in Communications from Syracuse University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the State University of New York at Fredonia.-Television...  replacing James Harmon Brown and Barbara Esensten James Harmon Brown and Barbara Esensten James Harmon Brown and Barbara Esensten are American television writers, primarily working on soap operas. The duo have worked together for over 20 years starting on the prime-time soap Dynasty...  who returned on January 31
As the World Turns As the World Turns As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...	CBS	Entire writing staff was on strike. Material written by non-union writers airing as of January 25, 2008 until the end of the strike.
General Hospital General Hospital General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....	ABC	Using financial core Financial core A 1963 United States Supreme Court ruling, NLRB v. General Motors, defined the term financial core as it applies to compulsory union membership. The term is frequently abbreviated to FiCore or Fi-Core.-Origin:...  and strikebreaker material as of January 4, 2008. Writing led by non-striking guild member Garin Wolf Garin Wolf -WGA Strike:During the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, Wolf chose Financial Core Status with the Writers Guild of America, stepping in for robert Guza Jr... . Head writer Head writer A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...  Robert Guza Jr. and his staff returned after the strike.
One Life to Live One Life to Live One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...	ABC	As of February 15, 2008, Gary Tomlin Gary Tomlin -Career:Tomlin's career on daytime serials began in 1973 when he was cast on NBC's Search for Tomorrow as Bruce Carson. He also made a guest appearance on "The Nightwalker" episode of the Waltons . He later appeared as Morgan Simpson on the NBC soap opera Another World in 1979...  took over as head writer for the soap replacing Ron Carlivati Ron Carlivati Ron Carlivati is an American soap opera writer born on November 25, 1968 .-Career:It was announced in the February 27 edition of Soap Opera Digest that Carlivati was promoted to Co-Head Writer of the ABC Daytime serial One Life to Live alongside Dena Higley. On June 4, 2007, Frank Valentini...  who returned on May 2.
Power Rangers Power Rangers Power Rangers is a long-running American entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live action children's television series featuring teams of costumed heroes...	ABC/Toon Disney	Despite the Yahoo! News Yahoo! News Yahoo! News is an Internet-based news aggregator provided by Yahoo!. It features Top Stories, U.S. National, World, Business, Entertainment, Science, Health, Weather, Most Popular, News Photos, Op/Ed, and Local news....  sighting of longtime series writer Jackie Marchand (dated November 2007), as well as rumors of the program being replaced with an animated version, it has now been recently confirmed that Power Rangers Power Rangers Power Rangers is a long-running American entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live action children's television series featuring teams of costumed heroes... has and will remain unaffected by the strike. Much of the remainder of Power Rangers: Jungle Fury Power Rangers: Jungle Fury Power Rangers Jungle Fury is the sixteenth installment in the American children's television series Power Rangers. Toy merchandising in the U.S. began in November 2007 and the show premiered on February 18, 2008, and uses footage from Juken Sentai Gekiranger, the thirty-first Japanese Super Sentai...  was written by strikebreakers working under pseudonyms. The final three episodes (plus a fourth episode, written out of order) were written by Marchand and John Tellegen upon the strike's end. A fifth episode, "Maryl and the Monkeys," was originally credited in released synopses to a writer named Sal N. Mitchell (which some fans pointed out was an anagram for "Still Can Helm") but when it aired, the episode was credited to executive producer Bruce Kalish.
The Young and the Restless The Young and the Restless The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...	CBS	Writing taken over by non-striking guild members. Josh Griffith Josh Griffith -Career:During the WGA strike, he took over as Head Writer of CBS Daytimes The Young and the Restless. To do this, he accepted Financial core status with the WGA. Maria Arena Bell, a former writer at The Bold and the Beautiful and daughter-in-law of Y&R creator William J...  and Maria Arena Bell (the daughter-in-law of the show's creator William J. Bell William J. Bell William J. Bell was the creator and executive producer of the soap operas The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful.-Personal life:... ), among others. Griffith/Bell material airing since 12/26/07. Lynn Marie Latham Lynn Marie Latham Lynn Marie Latham is an Emmy Award-winning television writer and producer. Her initial foray into writing for television was as a story editor for the short-lived series Berrenger's in 1985...  and three of her writers have been terminated as of February 13, 2008.

Shows airing off-season

Show	Network	Notes
Burn Notice Burn Notice (TV series) Burn Notice is an American television series created by Matt Nix. The show stars Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, Bruce Campbell, Sharon Gless, and, beginning in the fourth season, Coby Bell. The series premiered on June 28, 2007, on USA Network. On April 15, 2010, the show was renewed for its...	USA USA Network USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...	Season 2 premiered unaffected. The full season of 16 episodes were aired.
Miss Guided Miss Guided Miss Guided is an American situation comedy that premiered on March 18, 2008 as a mid-season replacement on ABC. The series follows the life of Becky Freeley, a guidance counselor at a high school that she attended when she was a teenager...	ABC	Writing was halted, but all 7 planned episodes aired.
Weeds Weeds (TV series) Weeds is an American television comedy created by Jenji Kohan and produced by Tilted Productions in association with Lionsgate Television. The central character is Nancy Botwin , a widowed mother of two boys who begins selling marijuana to support her family after her husband dies suddenly of a...	Showtime	Weeds was not scheduled to start filming until April 2008 for a summer debut, however, Lionsgate Lions Gate Entertainment Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...  made a side deal to avert a stop in production. The show was unaffected, and aired as planned in August.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is an American television sitcom that premiered on FX on August 4, 2005. New episodes continue to air on FX, with reruns playing on Comedy Central, general broadcast syndication, and WGN America—the first-ever cable-to-cable syndication deal for a sitcom...	FX	Renewed for a fourth season was composed of 13 episodes that aired in fall 2008.
Canterbury's Law Canterbury's Law Canterbury's Law is an American legal drama, which ran from March 10, 2008 to April 18, 2008 as a mid-season replacement on Fox. The show was created by Dave Erickson and executive produced by Denis Leary, Jim Serpico, Walon Green, John Kane, and Mike Figgis, who also directed the pilot...	Fox	All 6 ordered episodes were completed. Premiered on March 10, 2008.

Shows delayed or interrupted by the strike

Some shows ran out of episodes, but caught up to their ordered amount after the strike. Some other shows, such as talk shows, were interrupted, but made arrangements to return to screens early.

Show	Network	Date stopped	Date restarted	Episodes made before strike	Episodes made after strike	Notes
According to Jim According to Jim According to Jim is an American sitcom television series starring Jim Belushi in the title role as a suburban father of three children. It originally ran on ABC from October 3, 2001 to June 2, 2009.-Synopsis:Jim is an abrasive but lovable suburban father...	ABC	March 11, 2008		11 of 18	7	Most of the actors in this show, including James Belushi James Belushi James Adam "Jim" Belushi is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is the younger brother of comic actor John Belushi.-Early life:Belushi was born in Chicago... , struck with the writers.
South of Nowhere South of Nowhere South of Nowhere is an American teen drama television series created by Thomas W. Lynch. Aimed primarily at teenagers, it first aired on November 4, 2005 and was one of six original series on The N. The second half of the third and final season aired October 10, 2008 and the final episode aired on...	The N	September 8, 2008.	September 2008.	16 of 16		Initial set to air final episodes starting in February. The April 2008 airing of the remaining episodes from the third season have been pushed back to September.
Women's Murder Club Women's Murder Club Women's Murder Club is an American police procedural and legal drama, which ran on ABC from October 12, 2007, to May 13, 2008. The series is set in San Francisco, California and is based on the 'Women's Murder Club' series of novels written by James Patterson...	ABC	January 4, 2008	April 2008	10 of 13	3
Scrubs Scrubs (TV series) Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...	NBC	December 6, 2007	April 10, 2008	12 of 18	6	The season's final episodes were produced.
The Colbert Report	Comedy Central Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....	Reruns began on November 5, 2007.	January 7, 2008 (without writers).	N/A	N/A	Pronunciation of show title changed for the length of the strike.
			February 13, 2008 (with writers)
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart The Daily Show The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...	Comedy Central	Reruns began on November 5, 2007.	January 7, 2008 (without writers)	N/A	N/A	The show was briefly renamed A Daily Show with Jon Stewart in honor of the strike.
			February 13, 2008 (with writers)
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is a Peabody Award-winning American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish American comedian Craig Ferguson. Ferguson, the third regular host of the Late Late Show franchise, follows Late Show with David Letterman in the CBS late-night lineup...	CBS	Reruns began on November 5, 2007.	New episodes began on January 2, 2008.	N/A	N/A	David Letterman David Letterman David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC... 's production company, Worldwide Pants, successfully negotiated a new collective bargaining agreement, so the show returned with its full complement of writing staff.
Late Night with Conan O'Brien Late Night with Conan O'Brien Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...	NBC	Reruns began on November 5, 2007.	New episodes began without writers on January 2, 2008.	N/A	N/A
			February 15, 2008 with writers.
Late Show with David Letterman Late Show with David Letterman Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...	CBS	Reruns began on November 5, 2007.	New shows began on January 2, 2008.	N/A	N/A	Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants, successfully negotiated a new collective bargaining agreement, so the show returned with its full complement of writing staff.
Real Time with Bill Maher Real Time with Bill Maher Real Time with Bill Maher is a talk show that airs weekly on HBO, hosted by comedian and political satirist Bill Maher. Much like his previous show, Politically Incorrect on ABC , Real Time features a panel of guests that discuss current events in politics and the media...	HBO	Reruns began on November 9, 2007.	The sixth season premiered without writers on January 11, 2008.	N/A	N/A
			February 15, 2008 with writers.
Saturday Night Live Saturday Night Live Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...	NBC	Reruns began November 10, 2007.	February 23, 2008.	N/A	N/A	In mid-November, most of the production staff was laid off.
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno	NBC	Reruns began on November 5, 2007.	January 2, 2008 (no writers).	N/A	N/A
			February 15, 2008 with writers.

Shows with shortened seasons

Even though production began again on some shows, they were unable to complete the full season originally ordered.

Show	Network	Date stopped	Restart	Episodes made before strike	Episodes made after strike	Notes
30 Rock 30 Rock 30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...	NBC	January 10, 2008	April 10, 2008.	10 of 22	5	The cast performed a live show at the Upright Citizens Brigade Upright Citizens Brigade The Upright Citizens Brigade is an improvisational comedy and sketch comedy group that emerged from Chicago's ImprovOlympic in 1990. The most recent incarnation consists of Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh...  theater in New York City which later resulted in the airing of a live broadcast episode entitled "Live Show Live Show "Live Show" is the fourth episode of the fifth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 84th overall episode of the series. It was directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller, and co-written by series creator Tina Fey and co-showrunner and executive producer Robert Carlock... " in 2010.
Back to You Back to You Back to You is an American situation comedy series, which aired on Fox from September 19, 2007 to May 14, 2008. The creators and executive producers were Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, and the director was James Burrows. The series starred Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton as squabbling...	FOX	February 27, 2008	April 16, 2008.	9 of 24.	5
Boston Legal Boston Legal Boston Legal is an American legal dramedy created by David E. Kelley, which was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for the ABC...	ABC	February 19, 2008	April 8, 2008	14 of 22	6
Bones Bones (TV series) Bones is an American crime drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent...	Fox	December 11, 2007	April 14, 2008	13 of 23	2
The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom serve as executive producers on the show, along with Steven Molaro. All three also serve as head writers...	CBS	November 12, 2007	March 17, 2008	8 of 22	9
Brothers & Sisters	ABC	February 17, 2008	April 20, 2008	12 of 23	4
Cold Case	CBS	February 17, 2008	March 30, 2008	13 of 24.	5
Criminal Minds Criminal Minds Criminal Minds is an American police procedural drama that premiered September 22, 2005, on CBS. The series follows a team of profilers from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit based in Quantico, Virginia. The BAU is part of the FBI National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime...	CBS	January 23, 2008	April 2, 2008.	13 of 25	7
CSI CSI: Crime Scene Investigation CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...	CBS	January 10, 2008	April 3, 2008	11 of 24	6
CSI: Miami CSI: Miami CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....	CBS	January 14, 2008	March 24, 2008	13 of 24.	8
CSI: NY CSI: NY CSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes...	CBS	February 6, 2008	April 2, 2008	14 of 24.	7
Desperate Housewives Desperate Housewives Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...	ABC	January 6, 2008	April 13, 2008	10 of 23	7
ER ER (TV series) ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...	NBC	January 17, 2008	April 10, 2008	13 of 22	6
Family Guy Family Guy Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...	Fox	February 17, 2008	April 27, 2008	9 of 22	3	Show runner Seth MacFarlane Seth MacFarlane Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,...  said (Lois Kills Stewie) was the last episode produced under his watch and no more new episodes were ready after that. However, Fox completed the three episodes written, voiced and animated for the production cycle without MacFarlane's final approval.
The Game	The CW	February 4, 2008	March 23, 2008	11 of 22.	9.
Ghost Whisperer Ghost Whisperer Ghost Whisperer is an American television supernatural drama, which ran on CBS from September 23, 2005 to May 21, 2010.The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon , who has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts...	CBS	January 18, 2008	April 4, 2008	12 of 22.	6
Gossip Girl Gossip Girl (TV series) Gossip Girl is an American teen drama television series based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, and premiered on The CW on September 19, 2007...	The CW	January 9, 2008	April 21, 2008	13 of 22	5
Greek Greek (TV series) Greek is an American comedy-drama television series, which follows students of the fictional Cyprus-Rhodes University , located in Ohio, who participate in the school's Greek system...	ABC Family ABC Family ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...			18 of 20	8
Grey's Anatomy Grey's Anatomy Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...	ABC	January 10, 2008	April 24, 2008	11 of 23	5
House House (TV series) House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...	Fox	February 5, 2008	April 28, 2008	12 of 24	4
How I Met Your Mother How I Met Your Mother How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.As a framing device, the main character, Ted Mosby with narration by Bob Saget, in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting...	CBS	December 10, 2007	March 17, 2008	11 of 22.	9
iCarly ICarly iCarly is an American sitcom that focuses on a girl named Carly Shay who creates her own web show called iCarly with her best friends Sam and Freddie. The series was created by Dan Schneider, who also serves as executive producer. It stars Miranda Cosgrove as Carly, Jennette McCurdy as Sam, Nathan...	Nick			26 of 45	19	The first 25 episodes produced before the strike aired as Season 2, and the last episode made before the strike, along with the 19 episodes made after the strike became Season 3.
King of the Hill King of the Hill King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...	Fox			21 of 22
Law & Order Law & Order Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...	NBC	March 19, 2008	April 23, 2008.,.	13 of 22	5
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...	NBC	January 22, 2008	April 15, 2008	14 of 22	5
Lost Lost (TV series) Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...	ABC	March 20, 2008	April 24, 2008	8 of 16	6	Two episodes lost to the strike added to season 5 and 6 respectively.
Medium Medium (TV series) Medium is an American television drama series that premiered on NBC on January 3, 2005, and ended on CBS on January 21, 2011. Themed on supernatural gifts, its lead character, Allison DuBois , is a medium employed as a consultant for the Phoenix, Arizona district attorney's office...	NBC			9 of 22	7
NCIS NCIS (TV series) NCIS, formerly known as NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is an American police procedural drama television series revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal investigations involving the U.S...	CBS	January 15, 2008	April 8, 2008	11 of 24.	7
The New Adventures of Old Christine The New Adventures of Old Christine The New Adventures of Old Christine is an American comedy series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus which ran for five seasons on CBS from March 13, 2006, to May 12, 2010...	CBS	March 17, 2008	March 24, 2008	8 of 13	2
Numb3rs NUMB3RS Numb3rs is an American television drama which premiered on CBS on January 23, 2005, and concluded on March 12, 2010. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, and follows FBI Special Agent Don Eppes and his mathematical genius brother, Charlie Eppes , who helps Don solve crimes...	CBS	January 18, 2008	April 4, 2008.	12 of 24.	6
The Office The Office (US TV series) The Office is an American comedy television series broadcast by NBC. An adaptation of the original BBC series of the same name, it depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company...	NBC	November 15, 2007	April 10, 2008	8 of 25.	6
Reaper Reaper (TV series) Reaper is an American television series that focuses on Sam Oliver, a "reaper" who works for the Devil by retrieving souls that have escaped from Hell.The series originally ran on the CW from September 25, 2007 to May 26, 2009....	The CW	December 4, 2007	March 13, 2008	13 of 22.	5.
Rules of Engagement Rules of Engagement (TV series) Rules of Engagement is a sitcom that debuted on CBS on February 5, 2007, as a midseason replacement, immediately following Two and a Half Men, in the time slot that was occupied by now-cancelled The New Adventures of Old Christine...	CBS	November 19, 2007	April 24, 2008	9 of 22.	4
Samantha Who? Samantha Who? Samantha Who? is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from October 15, 2007 to July 23, 2009. The series was created by Cecelia Ahern and Don Todd, who also served as producers...	ABC	December 10, 2007	April 7, 2008	12 of 22.	3
Shark Shark (TV series) Shark is an American legal drama created by Ian Biederman that originally aired on CBS from September 21, 2006 to May 20, 2008. The series stars James Woods.-Synopsis:...	CBS	January 22, 2007	April 29, 2008	12 of 22.	4
The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...	Fox			22 of 23
One Tree Hill One Tree Hill (TV series) One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...	The CW	March 18, 2008	April 14, 2008	12 of 22.	6
Smallville Smallville Smallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross...	The CW	March 27, 2008	April 17, 2008	15 of 22.	5
Supernatural Supernatural (TV series) Supernatural is an American supernatural and horror television series created by Eric Kripke, which debuted on September 13, 2005 on The WB, and is now part of The CW's lineup. Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, the series follows the brothers as they...	The CW	February 21, 2008	April 24, 2008	12 of 22.	4.
'Til Death 'Til Death ’Til Death is an American sitcom which aired on the Fox network from September 7, 2006, to June 20, 2010. The series was created by husband-and-wife team Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa, who were also the writers and executive-producers...	FOX	November 28, 2007	March 25, 2008.	12 of 22.	3
Two and a Half Men Two and a Half Men Two and a Half Men is an American television sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003. Starring Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones, the show was originally about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper; his uptight brother, Alan; and Alan's growing son, Jake...	CBS	November 26, 2008	March 17, 2008	10 of 24.	9
Ugly Betty Ugly Betty Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...	ABC	January 24, 2008	April 24, 2008	13 of 23.	5
Without a Trace Without a Trace Without a Trace is an American television drama which originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series was set in New York City and concerned a fictitious FBI Missing Persons Unit.-Premise:...	CBS	January 17, 2008	April 3, 2008	12 of 24.	6
Aliens in America	The CW			18 of 22	4
Dirt Dirt (TV series) Dirt is an American television serial broadcast on the FX network. It premiered on January 2, 2007 and starred Courteney Cox as Lucy Spiller, the editor-in-chief of the first-of-its-kind "glossy tabloid" magazine DirtNow, which was previously two separate publications: drrt and Now Dirt (styled...	FX			7 of 13	2
Frank TV Frank TV Frank TV was a sketch comedy show starring Frank Caliendo, Mike MacRae, and Freddy Lockhart. Frank was the host of the show and performed in sketches in full makeup as characters he impersonated. Frank joked he "wanted the show to be called The Chappelle Show, but the lawyers wouldn't allow it"...	TBS	December 18, 2007		5 of 8	0
Friday Night Lights Friday Night Lights (TV series) Friday Night Lights is an American sports drama television series adapted by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer and David Nevins from a book and film of the same name. The series details events surrounding a high school football team based in fictional Dillon, Texas, with particular focus given to team...	NBC	February 8, 2008		15 of 22	0
Las Vegas Las Vegas (TV series) Las Vegas was an American television series broadcast by NBC from September 22, 2003 to February 15, 2008. The show focuses on a team of people working at the ficticional Montecito Resort & Casino dealing with issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from valet parking and...	NBC	February 15, 2008		19 of 22	0	Fan campaign underway to get a proper resolution.
Lipstick Jungle Lipstick Jungle (TV series) Lipstick Jungle is an American comedy-drama television series created by DeAnn Heline and Eileen Heisler for NBC Universal Television Studio . The hour-long series was based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Candace Bushnell, who also served as executive producer alongside...	NBC	March 20, 2008		7 of 13	0
Nip/Tuck Nip/Tuck Nip/Tuck is an American drama series created by Ryan Murphy, which aired on FX in the United States. The series focuses on McNamara/Troy, a plastic surgery practice, and follows its founders, Sean McNamara and Christian Troy...	FX			14 of 22.
Prison Break Prison Break Prison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an...	FOX	February 18, 2008		13 of 22.	0	Will return for the fourth season.
The Riches The Riches The Riches is an FX television series, which originally ran from March 15, 2007 to April 29, 2008, and starred Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver.-History:...	FX			7 of 13	4
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles	Fox	March 3, 2008	Fall 2008	9 of 13.	0	The second season was announced on April 22 and is due to be shown in the Fall.
The Unit The Unit The Unit is an American action-drama television series that focuses on a top-secret military unit modeled after the real-life U.S. Army special operations unit commonly known as Delta Force...	CBS	December 18, 2007		11 of 22.	0

Shows postponed

The production on some shows was halted completely, to be restarted, most likely in the 2008-2009 season.

Show	Network	Date stopped	Expected restart	Episodes made and ordered	Notes
24 24 (TV series) 24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...	FOX	N/A	January 2009.	8 of 24.	Delayed until January 2009. FOX announced a two-hour movie, 24: Redemption, that was shown on November 23, 2008 to bridge the year and a half gap between season 6 24 (season 6) Season Six, also known as Day 6, of the television series 24 premiered in the United States on Sunday, January 14, 2007, the UK on January 21, 2007 and in Australia on January 30, 2007.The season's storyline began and ended at 6:00 a.m...  and season 7 24 (season 7) Season Seven, also known as Day 7 of the American serial television series 24, was to premiere on January 13, 2008, but was delayed for one year due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. On November 23, 2008, Fox aired 24: Redemption, a two-hour TV movie set between seasons. Season... .
Battlestar Galactica Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series) Battlestar Galactica is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore as a re-imagining of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series created by Glen A. Larson...	Sci-Fi	N/A		11 of 20.	Only the front half (first ten) were planned to be aired in Spring 2008 season with an indefinite time (now more so) for the back half.
Chuck Chuck (TV series) Chuck is an action-comedy/spy-drama television program from the United States created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The series is about an "average computer-whiz-next-door" named Chuck, played by Zachary Levi, who receives an encoded e-mail from an old college friend now working for the Central...	NBC	January 24, 2007	Fall of 2008.	13 of 22.	NBC has stated there will be no more episodes this season
Damages Damages (TV series) Damages is an American television drama series created by the writing and production trio of Daniel Zelman and brothers Glenn and Todd A. Kessler . It is broadcast in the United States on the DirecTV channel Audience Network after originally airing on FX and is produced by the creators' own...	FX	October 23, 2007	January 2009.	13 of 13	No episodes have been written because the show was renewed the day after the strike began.
Dirty Sexy Money Dirty Sexy Money Dirty Sexy Money is an American prime time drama series created by Craig Wright, which ran on the ABC from September 26, 2007 to August 8, 2009. The series was produced by ABC Studios, Bad Hat Harry Productions, Berlanti Television and Gross Entertainment...	ABC	December 5, 2007	Fall of 2008	13 of 22.	It was renewed for 2008-09 season with no new episodes set to air until then. Last three episodes pushed to beginning of next season.
Entourage Entourage (TV series) Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons...	HBO	Start delayed from June to Sept 2008.
Hannah Montana Hannah Montana Hannah Montana is an American television series, which debuted on March 24, 2006 on the Disney Channel. The series focuses on a girl who lives a double life as an average teenage school girl named Miley Stewart by day and a famous pop singer named Hannah Montana by night, concealing her real...	Disney			Season 2: 5 episodes remained.	Season 3 is currently in production hiatus, although there is no known number of how many episodes were produced before that announcement and as a result the show is on hiatus. Production on the show should resume in June and new episodes should return sometime between September 2008 and May 2009.
				Season 3: 4(Unknown how many remain to be produced)
Heroes Heroes (TV series) Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the...	NBC	December 3, 2007	Fall of 2008	11 of 24	NBC has stated that there will be no more episodes this season and the show will return in the fall of 2008.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent Law & Order: Criminal Intent Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...	USA	December 13, 2007	Summer of 2008	10 of 24	Currently repurposed on NBC. Originally scheduled for April, second half (12 episodes) delayed until summer.
Life	NBC	December 5, 2007	Fall of 2008.	11 of 22.	NBC has stated that there will be no more episodes this season
Prison Break: Cherry Hill	FOX	N/A		N/A	The status of the upcoming spin-off, is unknown.
Private Practice	ABC	December 5, 2007	Fall of 2008	9 of 22.	ABC has stated that there will be no more episodes this season
Pushing Daisies Pushing Daisies Pushing Daisies is an American comedy-drama television series created by Bryan Fuller that aired on ABC from October 3, 2007 to June 13, 2009. The series stars Lee Pace as Ned, a pie-maker with the ability to bring dead things back to life with his touch, an ability that comes with stipulations...	ABC	December 12, 2007	Fall of 2008.	9 of 22.	ABC has stated that there will be no more episodes this season
Rescue Me Rescue Me (TV series) Rescue Me is an American television drama series that premiered on the FX Network on July 21, 2004, and concluded on September 7, 2011. The series focuses on the professional and personal lives of a group of New York City firefighters in the fictitious Ladder 62 / Engine 99 firehouse.The show...	FX		July 1, 2008		No episodes have been written because the show was renewed the day after the strike began.

Shows cancelled during strike

Shows cancelled during the strike may have been under threat of cancellation anyway, some seasons may have been shortened and some may have been cancelled because of the financial damage of the strike. Several television shows, including Journeyman

Journeyman (TV series)

Journeyman is a 2007 American science fiction television drama created by Kevin Falls for 20th Century Fox Television which aired on the NBC television network. It starred Kevin McKidd as Dan Vasser, a San Francisco reporter who involuntarily travels through time...

, K-Ville

K-Ville (TV series)

K-Ville is an American television drama created and executive produced by Jonathan Lisco, centering on policing New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina...

, Big Shots

Big Shots (TV series)

Big Shots is an American television drama created and executive produced by Jon Harmon Feldman. The pilot was directed by Charles McDougall.-History:...

, and Cavemen

Cavemen (TV series)

Cavemen is an American comedy-drama show which ran on ABC from October 2, 2007 to November 13, 2007. The show was created by Joe Lawson and set in San Diego, California...

, were all "quietly" cancelled, in part due to the writer's strike, and in part due to low ratings.

Show	Network	Unaired Episodes Left	Episodes made and ordered	Notes
Men in Trees Men in Trees Men in Trees is an American romantic television dramedy series which premiered on September 12, 2006 on ABC and starred Anne Heche who played relationship coach Marin Frist. The series was set in the fictional town of Elmo, Alaska and concerned Marin Frist's misadventures in relationships...	ABC	6	19 of 27 ordered episodes were completed (5 leftover from Season 1 and 14 from Season 2).
Big Shots Big Shots (TV series) Big Shots is an American television drama created and executive produced by Jon Harmon Feldman. The pilot was directed by Charles McDougall.-History:...	ABC	11 of 13.	First cancelled in December 2007, the series was later announced on the mid-season schedule, but was ultimately cancelled for good on May 13, 2008.
Bionic Woman Bionic Woman (2007 TV series) Bionic Woman is an American science fiction television drama created by David Eick, under NBC Universal Television Group, GEP Productions and David Eick Productions that aired in 2007...	NBC	8 of 13.	Although rumored to have been cancelled following its eighth episode, media reports suggested that NBC-Universal intended to produce the remaining episodes of the 13-episode order. In March 2008, producer David Eick David Eick David Eick is an American producer and writer, best known as the Executive Producer of Battlestar Galactica, of which he also wrote several episodes with Ronald D. Moore, as well as the re-imagined version of Bionic Woman...  announced the series had been cancelled.
Cavemen Cavemen (TV series) Cavemen is an American comedy-drama show which ran on ABC from October 2, 2007 to November 13, 2007. The show was created by Joe Lawson and set in San Diego, California...	ABC	13 of 13	Currently off the schedule and only 6 episodes aired.
Girlfriends Girlfriends Girlfriends is an American comedy-drama sitcom that premiered on September 11, 2000, on UPN and aired on UPN's successor network, The CW, before being cancelled in 2008...	The CW	13 of 22	Season 8 was announced as final before strike, no proper final episode to be produced.
Journeyman Journeyman (TV series) Journeyman is a 2007 American science fiction television drama created by Kevin Falls for 20th Century Fox Television which aired on the NBC television network. It starred Kevin McKidd as Dan Vasser, a San Francisco reporter who involuntarily travels through time...	NBC	All 13 episodes completed.	The series was not renewed by NBC.
K-Ville K-Ville (TV series) K-Ville is an American television drama created and executive produced by Jonathan Lisco, centering on policing New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina...	Fox	11 out of 13	Production shut down and not present on Fox's spring schedule.
Life is Wild Life Is Wild Life Is Wild is an American television serial drama adapted by Michael Rauch, George Faber and Charlie Pattinson from the popular British drama Wild at Heart. The show is about a New York veterinarian who moves his second wife and their two sets of children to a South African game reserve run by...	The CW	13 of 13	The CW The CW Television Network The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...  did not renew it.
The Return of Jezebel James The Return of Jezebel James The Return of Jezebel James is an American situation comedy television series, starring Parker Posey as a successful children's book editor who, unable to have children herself, asks her estranged younger sister to carry her baby...	Fox	7 of 13.	Due to low ratings, cancelled after 3 episodes
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody The Suite Life of Zack and Cody The Suite Life of Zack & Cody is an American sitcom created by Danny Kallis and Jim Geoghan. The series premiered on Disney Channel on March 18, 2005 with 4 million viewers, making it the most successful premiere for Disney Channel in 2005. It was one of their first five shows available on the...	Disney	writing halted	The most likely answer to the show's cancellation is due to the creation of its spin-off Spin-off (media) In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work... , The Suite Life on Deck The Suite Life on Deck The Suite Life on Deck is an American sitcom that aired on Disney Channel from September 26, 2008 to May 6, 2011. It is a sequel/spin-off of the Disney Channel Original Series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody... .
Welcome to The Captain Welcome to The Captain Welcome to The Captain is an American television comedy created, executive produced and directed by John Hamburg. Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen also serve as executive producers...	CBS	6 of 6	Only 5 episodes aired.

Unknown post-strike effects

There is still not enough known information about the following shows to categorize the effects on them.

Network	Show	Unaired Episodes Left	Notes
ABC	Notes From the Underbelly Notes from the Underbelly Notes from the Underbelly was an American sitcom that debuted on ABC as a midseason replacement. The series is based upon the novel of the same name by Risa Green, and is produced by Eric and Kim Tannenbaum for Warner Bros. Television...	N/A	5 episodes (from the first season) have been shot, it is unknown how many second season episodes have been completed.
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (United States) Cartoon Network is an American cable television network owned by Turner Broadcasting which primarily airs animated programming. The channel was launched on October 1, 1992 after Turner purchased the animation studio Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1991...	Out of Jimmy's Head Out of Jimmy's Head Out of Jimmy's Head was Cartoon Network's second live-action/animated television series. It is based on the live-action/animated telefilm Re-Animated that aired on December 8, 2006...	N/A	Writing halted. Unknown how many episodes have been written.
Disney Channel Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...	Cory in the House Cory in the House Cory in the House is an American television sitcom, which aired on the Disney Channel from January 12, 2007 to September 12, 2008 and was a spin-off from the Disney show That's So Raven. The show focuses on Cory Baxter, who moved from San Francisco, California to Washington, D.C., after Victor...	N/A	Writing halted. Unknown how many episodes have been written.
	Wizards of Waverly Place Wizards of Waverly Place Wizards of Waverly Place is a Disney Channel Original Series that premiered on October 12, 2007. It won "Outstanding Children's Program" at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards in 2009...	N/A	Writing halted. Unknown how many episodes have been written.
HBO	Big Love Big Love Big Love is an American television drama that aired on HBO between March 2006 and March 2011. The show is about a fictional fundamentalist Mormon family in Utah that practices polygamy...	N/A	Writing halted. Unknown how many episodes have been written.
	Tell Me You Love Me Tell Me You Love Me Tell Me You Love Me is an American cable television drama series that premiered on HBO and on The Movie Network on September 9, 2007.The series was created by Cynthia Mort and originally conceived as sexlife. The pilot episode was produced and directed by Patricia Rozema and shot in Winnipeg,...	N/A	Season one complete, DVD releasing February 12, 2008, second season renewed, but renewal was after strike began.
	True Blood True Blood True Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...	N/A	Started airing first season on September 7, 2008
Lifetime Lifetime Television Lifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks...	Army Wives Army Wives Army Wives is an American drama series that follows the lives of four army wives, their families, and an army husband whose wife is in the army. The series, shot at ABC Studios, premiered on Lifetime on June 3, 2007...	N/A	Writing halted. Unknown how many episodes have been written.
	Blood Ties Blood Ties (TV series) Blood Ties is a Canadian television series based on the Blood Books by Tanya Huff; the show was created by Peter Mohan. It is set in Toronto, Canada and has a similar premise to an earlier series also set in Toronto, Forever Knight, in which a Vampire assists Police in dealing with crime...	N/A	Writing halted. Unknown how many episodes have been written.
	Cheerleader Nation Cheerleader Nation Cheerleader Nation is a US television series based on the Paul Laurence Dunbar High School cheerleading team's ups and downs on the way to Nationals, of which they are the three time champions. The show also explains how cheerleading is a tough sport. It takes place in Lexington, Kentucky. The team...	N/A	Status is currently unknown.
	Side Order of Life	N/A	Writing halted. Unknown how many episodes have been written.
	State of Mind State of Mind (TV series) State of Mind is a one-hour drama series created by novelist Amy Bloom. The series starred Lili Taylor as psychiatrist Anne Bellowes, who unexpectedly finds her husband cheating on her with their marriage counselor. The series deals with Bellowes and her relationship with her patients as well as...	N/A	Writing halted. Unknown how many episodes have been written.
The N	The Best Years The Best Years (TV series) The Best Years is a Canadian teen drama series set in Boston, Massachusetts. The series was created by producer and writer of Degrassi: The Next Generation, Aaron Martin...	0	Season one completed its run during the summer. No word on season two.
	Beyond the Break Beyond the Break (TV series) Beyond the Break is an American drama series set in Hawaii, that debuted on The N in June 2006.-Synopsis:The series focuses on four women in the sport of professional surfing. Birdie Scott , Lacey Farmer , Dawn Preston , and Kai Kealoha must overcome their differences in order to capture surf...	N/A	Season 3 has been confirmed, but unknown how many episodes have been written.
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (TV channel) Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...	Just Jordan Just Jordan Just Jordan is an American television sitcom that aired on Nickelodeon as a part of the network's TEENick lineup. The series debuted on January 7, 2007 and was cancelled on April 5, 2008 with 29 episodes produced.-Premise:...	N/A	Writing halted. Unknown how many episodes have been written.
	SpongeBob SquarePants SpongeBob SquarePants SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...	N/A	Several writers fired. Speed of scripting slowed.
TBS	The Bill Engvall Show The Bill Engvall Show The Bill Engvall Show is a sitcom which ran on TBS from July 17, 2007 to September 5, 2009. The series starred comedian Bill Engvall and was written and created by Engvall and Michael Leeson...	N/A	10 episodes are to be produced, unknown how many are written.
	My Boys My Boys My Boys is an American television sitcom that debuted on November 28, 2006, on TBS. The show deals with a female sports columnist in Chicago, Illinois and the men in her life including her brother and her best friend...	N/A	8 episodes are to be produced, unknown how many are written.

Prime-time series

• Mid-season shows, such as Dirt
  Dirt (TV series)
  Dirt is an American television serial broadcast on the FX network. It premiered on January 2, 2007 and starred Courteney Cox as Lucy Spiller, the editor-in-chief of the first-of-its-kind "glossy tabloid" magazine DirtNow, which was previously two separate publications: drrt and Now Dirt (styled...
  
  and The Riches
  The Riches
  The Riches is an FX television series, which originally ran from March 15, 2007 to April 29, 2008, and starred Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver.-History:...
  
  , began production after most other TV shows, so they have completed fewer episodes to date. As a result, there will be fewer episodes to air for each of these shows, although some were produced early knowing the strike may happen. 24
  24 (TV series)
  24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
  
  , also airing mid-season, will be postponed due to the serial nature of the show.

• For some shows without full-season pickups such as Moonlight
  Moonlight (TV series)
  Moonlight was an American paranormal romance television drama created by Ron Koslow and Trevor Munson, who was also executive producer for all episodes with Joel Silver, Gerard Bocaccio, Gabrielle Stanton and Harry Werksman. The series follows private investigator Mick St...
  
  , production on the first batch of shows has been completed.

• Scrubs
  Scrubs (TV series)
  Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
  
  creator Bill Lawrence
  Bill Lawrence (producer)
  William Van Duzer Lawrence IV is an American screenwriter, producer, and director best known as the creator of Scrubs and co-creator of Cougar Town. Lawrence is married to the actress Christa Miller whom he cast in both television series; they have three children together...
  
   responded to concerns that a proper series finale may not air, as only 12 of its 18 ordered episodes were filmed at the time. Lawrence stated he would either release the finale on DVD or will post what would have happened in episodes 13 through 18 on the internet
  Internet
  The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
  
  . However, it was announced in May 2008 that ABC picked up Scrubs for an eighth season for 2008-2009.

• During the strike, ABC's Dirty Sexy Money
  Dirty Sexy Money
  Dirty Sexy Money is an American prime time drama series created by Craig Wright, which ran on the ABC from September 26, 2007 to August 8, 2009. The series was produced by ABC Studios, Bad Hat Harry Productions, Berlanti Television and Gross Entertainment...
  
  was given a full season order. NBC also gave full season orders to Life, and Chuck
  Chuck (TV series)
  Chuck is an action-comedy/spy-drama television program from the United States created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The series is about an "average computer-whiz-next-door" named Chuck, played by Zachary Levi, who receives an encoded e-mail from an old college friend now working for the Central...
  
  and also announced that, contrary to recurring rumor, Bionic Woman
  Bionic Woman (2007 TV series)
  Bionic Woman is an American science fiction television drama created by David Eick, under NBC Universal Television Group, GEP Productions and David Eick Productions that aired in 2007...
  
  would also continue production after the strike.

• FX Network's The Shield
  The Shield
  The Shield is an American television drama series starring Michael Chiklis which premiered on March 12, 2002 on FX in the United States and concluded on November 25, 2008 after seven seasons...
  
  is one of the few shows that will actually be able to air the entire season, as it was mostly wrapped before the strike started. Similarly, CBS's returning series, Jericho
  Jericho (TV series)
  Jericho is an American action/drama series that centers on the residents of the fictional town of Jericho, Kansas, in the aftermath of nuclear attacks on 23 major cities in the contiguous United States...
  
  is scheduled to air midseason. Production of the full season was completed prior to the strike and it will not be affected by the work stoppage.

• Some networks such as CBS have, due to the financial effects of the strike, ordered a reduced number of pilots.

• CBS also bought an option on a Canadian
  Canada
  Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
  
   series, Flashpoint
  Flashpoint (TV series)
  Flashpoint is a Canadian police drama television series that debuted on July 11, 2008, on CTV in Canada and ran on CBS in the United States for its first three and a half seasons. In 2011, Ion Television began airing new episodes of the series in the United States...
  
  , which is in production to debut in the fall of 2008. Similarly, NBC purchased rights to another upcoming Canadian series, The Listener
  The Listener (TV series)
  The Listener is a Canadian science fiction drama set in Toronto about a young paramedic named Toby Logan with the ability to listen to people's minds. The series premiered on Fox International Channels beginning with the Arabic-speaking area of northern Africa and south-western Asia on March 1, 2009...
  
  .

Talk shows

Late night comedy shows such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O'Brien

Late Night with Conan O'Brien

Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...

, Jimmy Kimmel Live

Jimmy Kimmel Live

Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on ABC.The nightly hour-long show made its debut on January 26, 2003, following Super Bowl XXXVII. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is produced by Jackhole Productions in association with ABC Studios...

, Late Show with David Letterman

Late Show with David Letterman

Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...

, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

The Late Late Show (CBS TV series)

The Late Late Show is an American late-night television talk and variety show on CBS hosted by Craig Ferguson since 2005. It immediately follows Late Show with David Letterman and is produced by Letterman's Worldwide Pants Incorporated...

, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...

began airing reruns immediately. Last Call resumed airing on December 3, with host Carson Daly

Carson Daly

Carson Jones Daly is an American television host. He is the host of NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly, a late-night talk show that began airing on January 7, 2002. Before his role as host of that program, Daly was a VJ on MTV's TRL, and a DJ for the Southern California based radio station KROQ-FM...

 explaining that if he did not do so, his staff would have been fired. As of January 2, 2008, the Tonight Show and Late Night have returned on NBC with new episodes. Conan O'Brien has stated "An unwritten version of 'Late Night,' though not desirable, is possible -- and no one has to be fired."
On November 12, 2007, instead of a recent episode, NBC aired an episode of The Tonight Show from November 17, 2003. Beginning the week of November 26, The Tonight Show began continuously airing "vintage" episodes. The Tonight Show

The Tonight Show

The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...

was reportedly planning to air new episodes beginning November 19, having guest hosts to fill in for Jay Leno

Jay Leno

James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...

. This did not occur, however.

Several talk show hosts who have refused to do their shows have announced that they will pay non-striking staff members out of their own pockets through the end of the year, including David Letterman

David Letterman

David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...

 and Conan O'Brien

Conan O'Brien

Conan Christopher O'Brien is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer and performer. Since November 2010 he has hosted Conan, a late-night talk show that airs on the American cable television station TBS....

. Jay Leno was chided when NBC fired his non-striking staff, after he promised them they would not have to worry about their jobs. Leno has since announced that he will also pay his staff for the next 2 weeks starting December 2, 2007.

The striking writers of The Late Show have opened their own weblog, lateshowwritersonstrike.com, dealing with the strike and other events. In addition, the writers of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart scripted their own four-minute version of the show that dealt with the strike (they filmed it in front of one such demonstration) and posted it on YouTube

YouTube

YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....

. The video also references the current Viacom vs. Google Inc. lawsuit.

David Letterman and his Worldwide Pants, Inc. production company broke ranks with the networks and negotiated its own independent contract with the WGA in late 2007. The deal is independent and only between the production company and the union, and allowed the company to start new shows in 2008.

Other

Although many animated series employ union writers, there is no requirement to do so. For instance, the writers of South Park

South Park

South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...

, Trey Parker

Trey Parker

Trey Parker is an American animator, screenwriter, director, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of the television series South Park along with his creative partner and best friend Matt Stone.Parker started his film career in 1992, making a holiday short...

 and Matt Stone

Matt Stone

Matthew Richard "Matt" Stone is an American screenwriter, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of South Park along with creative partner and best friend, Trey Parker....

, are not union members, and the show remained in production during the strike.

Movies, such as High School Musical 3: Senior Year

High School Musical 3: Senior Year

High School Musical 3: Senior Year is a 2008 American romantic musical film and the third and final installment in the High School Musical trilogy. Its theatrical release in the United States began on October 24, 2008...

, are directly affected by the strike, including those filmed on location. However, the strike does not affect reality shows

Reality television

Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...

 such as American Idol

American Idol

American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...

, whose episodes are unscripted, or news programs, whose writers belong to a different guild. Nevertheless, newswriters at CBS News

CBS News

CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...

 and at local CBS owned-and-operated television stations (as well as CBS Radio

CBS Radio

CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...

 news entities) were subject to the threat of a different strike action by the WGA. CBS News writers under the WGA had been without a contract with the network since April 2005 until a contract was agreed to on January 9, 2008.

Similarly, some game shows, such as Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? is a television game show format based on asking grade-school level questions to adults, hosted by Jeff Foxworthy...

and The Price Is Right

The Price Is Right

The Price Is Right is a television game show franchise originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, and created by Bob Stewart, and is currently produced and owned by FremantleMedia. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also includes merchandise such as video games, printed...

, are not affected because they are unscripted, other than the questions and the prize descriptions; by contrast, Sony Pictures' Jeopardy!

Jeopardy!

Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...

and Wheel of Fortune

Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)

Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...

, and Disney's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (US game show)

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is an American television quiz show which offers a maximum prize of $1,000,000 for correctly answering 14 consecutive multiple-choice questions of random difficulty. Until 2010, the format required contestants to correctly answer 15 consecutive questions of increasing...

have their quiz questions researched and written by WGA writers under deals with their producers.
The first season of the game show Duel premiered on December 17, 2007 and ended on December 23, 2008, the first season of the show was the only game show affected by the strike. The second season premiered on April 4, 2008 and ended on July 25, 2008 with an 8 week break between May 2 and June 27. A revival of American Gladiators

American Gladiators (2008 TV series)

American Gladiators is an American competition TV show that aired on NBC and Citytv in Canada. Hosted by Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali, the show matches amateur athletes against each other and the show's own "gladiators" in contests of strength, agility, and endurance...

was launched sooner than originally scheduled, with taping in November 2007 that aired in January 2008. Other game, contest and reality shows launched sooner than originally scheduled in order to minimize the amount of scripted-program reruns, and CBS commissioned an order of six episodes of The Price Is Right $1,000,000 Spectacular, the first in the primetime series with host Drew Carey

Drew Carey

Drew Allison Carey is an American actor, singer, comedian, photographer, sports executive, and game show host. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, Carey eventually gained popularity starring on his own sitcom, The Drew Carey Show, and serving as...

, which later resulted in four additional episodes later ini the season.

While the strike would obviously have no effect on sporting events (which are unscripted), the strike has no effect on scripted professional wrestling

Professional wrestling

Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...

, as both World Wrestling Entertainment

World Wrestling Entertainment

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...

 and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...

 have in-house ununionized writers. WWE, which has a contract with NBC Universal and airs the biennial WWE Saturday Night's Main Event

WWE Saturday Night's Main Event

Saturday Night's Main Event is a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It aired occasionally from 1985 to 1992, under the World Wrestling Federation banner on NBC in place of Saturday Night Live. It returned to the air on March 18, 2006, in an 8 EST time slot...

on the parent network, offered up additional wrestling shows for NBC if needed.

Nightline

Nightline

Nightline, or ABC News Nightline is a late-night news program broadcast by ABC in the United States, and has a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. It airs weeknights, usually for 31 minutes. Created by Roone Arledge, the program featured Ted Koppel as its main...

was the only late-night network program to benefit in the Nielsen ratings from the writers strike. As well, many ABC, and some Fox, affiliates won their late news timeslots as a result of the strike, with most ending winning streaks of the local CBS or NBC affiliates. Among these ABC and Fox affiliates were KABC-TV

KABC-TV

KABC-TV, channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, licensed to Los Angeles, California. KABC-TV's studios are located in Glendale, California...

 in Los Angeles, WCVB in Boston, WFAA in Dallas, WTTG

WTTG

WTTG, channel 5, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Fox Broadcasting Company, located in the American capital city of Washington, D.C...

 in Washington, KSTU

KSTU

KSTU, channel 13, is the Fox-affiliated television station serving the Salt Lake City designated market area. The station is owned by Local TV LLC, the media arm of private equity firm Oak Hill Capital Partners, and its transmitter located on Farnsworth Peak, southwest of Salt Lake City...

 in Salt Lake City, KMSP

KMSP-TV

KMSP-TV, channel 9, is the Fox-owned-and-operated television station serving the Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota designated market area, owned in a duopoly with MyNetworkTV affiliate WFTC...

 in Minneapolis, KTVI

KTVI

KTVI, virtual channel 2, is the Fox-affiliated television station serving the St. Louis, Missouri, designated market area. The station is owned by Local TV LLC, the media arm of private equity firm Oak Hill Capital Partners, under a local marketing agreement with Tribune-owned CW affiliate KPLR...

 in St. Louis, KOMO-TV

KOMO-TV

KOMO-TV, virtual channel 4, is a television station in Seattle, Washington. It is an affiliate of ABC and broadcasts on digital channel 38. KOMO-TV is the flagship station of Fisher Communications, and its studios and offices are co-located with sister radio stations KOMO , KVI , and KPLZ-FM ...

 in Seattle and WXYZ-TV

WXYZ-TV

WXYZ-TV, channel 7, is an ABC-affiliated television station in Detroit, Michigan, USA. WXYZ-TV is owned by the E.W. Scripps Company, and is the media company's largest-market TV station property...

 in Detroit.

See also

• 1988 Writers Guild of America strike
  1988 Writers Guild of America strike
  The 1988 Writers Guild of America strike was a strike action taken by members of both the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West against major United States television and film studios represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers...
  
  
• 1960 Writers Guild of America strike
  1960 Writers Guild of America strike
  The 1960 Writers Guild of America strike was the second longest writers strike in history. It lasted , and just one week less than the 1988 writers strike. The strike against the producers lasted from January 16, 1960 until June 10, 1960 . The strike against the networks began on March 19...
  
  
• Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers
  Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers
  The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers is a trade association based in Encino, California that represents over 350 American film production companies and studios in negotiations with entertainment industry trade unions in collective bargaining...
  
  
• Reaction by actors to the 2007-08 Writers Guild of America strike
• Writers Guild of America, East
  Writers Guild of America, East
  Writers Guild of America, East is a labor union representing writers of television and film and employees of television and radio news. The 2006 membership of the guild was 3,770....
  
   (WGAE)
• Writers Guild of America, west
  Writers Guild of America, west
  Writers Guild of America, West is a labor union representing film, television, radio, and new media writers. The Guild was formed in 1954 from five organizations representing writers, which include the Screen Writers Guild...
  
  (WGAW)