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Throwback: As the Writer’s Strike of 2007 begins, prepare for reruns and reality TV to takeover primetime

By Cody Schultz

BURBANK, CA - NOVEMBER 12: Hollywood writers walk the picket line outside the gates of Walt Disney Studios November 12, 2007 in Burbank, California. Many members of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) are also supporting the Writers Guild of America (WGA) on the eighth day of the strike against producers of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The writers especially want to be paid for their work that is increasingly sold through new media and over the internet. Talks have stalled and no new talks are scheduled. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
BURBANK, CA - NOVEMBER 12: Hollywood writers walk the picket line outside the gates of Walt Disney Studios November 12, 2007 in Burbank, California. Many members of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) are also supporting the Writers Guild of America (WGA) on the eighth day of the strike against producers of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The writers especially want to be paid for their work that is increasingly sold through new media and over the internet. Talks have stalled and no new talks are scheduled. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) /
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TV viewers might want to begin bracing themselves for a television landscape filled with reruns and reality TV programs as a writer’s strike has officially begun sending the members of the Writers Guild of America to the picket lines.

On Oct. 25, 2007, negotiations broke down between the Writers Guild of America and studios and production companies leading to the first major strike since 1988 — a strike that ended up lasting for 22 weeks. The strike comes as the Writers Guild of America looks to secure proper pay for work distributed via the internet, iPods, cellphones and other media platforms.

As the threat of a strike began looming, some studios began tucking away scripts for certain projects in hopes of banking some scripted fair. However, the strike is about to change the landscape of television.

Late-night series such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O’Brien are already heading into reruns and scripted titles will likely follow suit. Primetime staples are sure to run out of episodes sometime around January with daytime dramas are likely to run out of episodes even sooner.

As a result, networks are about to be forced to turn to reruns and reality series to help fill their schedules should the strike persist. In other words, we’re about to enter some dark days in the world of television.

Editor’s Note: As you might have noticed, this throwback piece transports you back to 2007 with a look back at one of the biggest entertainment events of the year. The piece is part of Hidden Remote’s specially curated April 1 collection celebrating the 15-year Anniversary of FanSided by revisiting the biggest TV and movie topics of 2007.

How long was the Writer’s Strike of 2007?

The Writer’s Strike of 2007 began on Nov. 2, 2007, and ended on Feb. 12, 2008, lasting a total of 100 days. It remains the second-longest strike in the Writers Guild of America’s history, behind only the 1988 Writer’s Strike which lasted a whopping 153 days.

2007’s Writer’s Strike is estimated to have cost the L.A. economy alone $2.1 billion and is credited for helping to set a precedent for the industry that helped to establish the groundwork for bargaining in regards to the use of streaming content.

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