If There's A Writers Strike, Will It Affect The 3 CSI Shows?

Carolyn318

Carolyn318

Pathologist
On the news they've been talking about a potential writers strike involving both tv and movie writers. So far, the only tv shows I've heard them mention it affecting are LOST, ER, 24 and Grey's Anatomy. I say it'll affect all shows that are in production, use scripts and need writers to write those scripts. So, I say it will affect all 3 CSI shows as well as other CBS shows like Young and the Restless, Bold and the Beautiful, As The World Turns, Guiding Light, Moonlight, Without A Trace, Cold Case, Shark, NCIS etc. That's just some of the CBS shows. I didn't even list any ABC shows except for LOST or any other Fox shows besides 24 or any other NBC shows besides ER. I so hope I'm wrong about it affecting the 3 CSI shows but I doubt I will be. Although, in my opinion, the CSI: Miami writers went on strike all through season 4 of CSI: Miami. I personally think that's why season 4 of CSI: Miami was so crappy and forgettable. Now I wanna hear (ok read) your thoughts on this potential writers strike and its possible effects on the 3 CSI shows. I don't care if you're a fan of 1, 2 or all 3 CSI shows, I wanna hear from you. So...
Speak now or forever hold your peace.
 
Re: If There's A Writers Strike, Will It Affect The 3 CSI Sh

This makes four threads about the same topic, the others being one in CSI NY, one in General TV & Media, and one in CSI News. Since it will affect the songs in episodes or the possibility of making Fan Fiction into episodes maybe we can start threads there, too.
 
Re: If There's A Writers Strike, Will It Affect The 3 CSI Sh

In short: yes, it will affect all three CSI shows.

We have members that only frequent certain forums on the board, so I'll leave this thread open and link to others which have already been opened and which have provided excellent information about what is going on.

In the CSI:NY forum, Top41 made a great thread about the strike, so I'll copy-and-paste her opening post here for you to read. This post relates specifically to CSI:NY, but the situation will be similar for the other two shows.

Top41 said:
Since I've seen a lot of discussion about this pop up in recent days, I figured we should try to consolidate it to one thread and centralize discussion, since the writers' strike will potentially have a huge impact on CSI: NY--and all of network TV, really.

What is the writers' strike?
As of 12:01am on Monday morning, the writers in the Writers' Guild of America will officially be on strike. That means that no writers will go to work, and no new scripts will be produced. This will affect all writers in the WGA, meaning everyone working on CSI: NY.

Why are the writers doing this?
In short, because since the last time they signed a contract, the landscape of television has changed dramatically. DVDs and the internet are a huge part of how TV shows are seen, and also provide significant revenue (in sales and advertising respectively) for the studios. The writers, whose work is being aired in these new mediums, want a cut of that.

CSI: NY showrunner Anthony Zuiker put it really well in his latest CSI Files interview:

Zuiker:It's a very complicated topic. There's two sides to the argument. The one side is: if the networks pick up the risk, they should get the reward. If the networks get involved and an expensive TV show doesn't go, they don't go back and charge the writers. All the risk for the reward. The other side is: television is changing and content is being aired on different devices and being monetized and the writers are taking the position that if the network is making something from that, so should the writers. The writers are creating new content for one device but it's being used for multiple devices and being monetized and one can argue that the writers will be part of that also. There's a compelling argument on both sides.
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Can't they just hire other writers to do the show while the WGA writers are on strike?
They could, but generally that doesn't happen. Anyone who accepts a writing job during a strike is considered a 'scab' (someone who crosses the picket lines) and once the strike is settled, won't be able to get into the WGA, and therefore won't find work after the strike.

How far along is CSI: NY in their season?
Episode 406 just aired; as of last week, work had been completed on 411 and they were heading into 412. The last completed script that we know of is for 413.

Will those episodes that have already been written be filmed?
Unless the crew walks out, too, yes, they will. The SGA is still planning to work during the strike, meaning the actors will be reporting to film their scenes.

When will those episodes air?
That's up to the networks. They could keep to their regularly planned schedules--presumably, new eps in November, and a smattering here and there in December and January--or they could air new eps in November and hold the rest until February sweeps. Either way, it's likely new eps will dry out just before or in February.

What happens when the episodes run out?
Reruns and reality TV.

How long will the strike last?
There's really no way of knowing. It all depends on whether the two sides can reach an agreement or one side caves. Most reports seem to indicate it could last a while, but there are no guarantees.

Hope that helps answer some questions--if you have any further ones, please ask them here! However, as upsetting as this all is to TV fans, please try to avoid flaming either side (the writers or the studios). I think we can have a civil discussion of the issue here. :)
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There is also a thread in the General TV and Media forum (for discussing shows outside of the CSI franchise) about the strike, as well as an article in the News forum (written before the strike was confirmed) that links to external sources which will contain even more information.

If you have other helpful links or articles to share that will help explain the situation or let us know how things are progressing, feel free to post them. :)
 
Although, in my opinion, the CSI: Miami writers went on strike all through season 4 of CSI: Miami. I personally think that's why season 4 of CSI: Miami was so crappy and forgettable.
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So that's what happened, lol! That explains an awful lot. I think you may have a point Carolyn. ;)
 
Re: If There's A Writers Strike, Will It Affect The 3 CSI Sh

Well they are on a strike right now and CSI will also be effected by it if I can believe the newssites. Hopefully we will have more than just the November sweeps! And I hope they can resolve everything fast enough! last strike in hollywood was in 1988 and lasted 5 months!
 
Re: If There's A Writers Strike, Will It Affect The 3 CSI Sh

I really don't think the strike will affect the shows. All they want is more money. I think. If they want more money, it's not too smart to affect the shows. They'll only lose money.
 
Re: If There's A Writers Strike, Will It Affect The 3 CSI Sh

both sides aren;t happy with each others propasals and that also means the CSI writers. Carol Mendenshon was also in the front line of the strike so that surely means no epi's out of his pen/typewriter/computer I guess. I hope it won;t effect the shows much and that the whole situation gets resolved quickly but it doesnt look like it right now!

Hopefully we get more than 11 epi's for this year! for all three shows!
 
Re: If There's A Writers Strike, Will It Affect The 3 CSI Sh

It's obvious that the longer the strike lasts, the higher the chances are that the three shows will feel the effect. Like any show that is one television.

Although, if this was a threat for several months now, like any union, they had or should have followed the proper protocols and procedures to get to a legal strike. What I mean is, the executives, if smart, had time and should have prepared for the worst case scenario, a lengthy strike, and taken the proper actions in getting ideas and possible story lines written up. At least a few rough drafts anyway.

Well, that is my thought anyway. :)
 
Re: If There's A Writers Strike, Will It Affect The 3 CSI Sh

I think they will feel it and looking at the poor story line CSI LV has known so far in season 8, I do not regret it at all! But that's my opinion...

I guess when they run out of fresh episodes they will just give us old ones. They are written anyway ;)
 
Re: If There's A Writers Strike, Will It Affect The 3 CSI Sh

Oh I hope they get this settled soon. I have a hard enough time getting through a week where theres a re-run. Let alone if this effects upcomming episodes! And I hope they dont get new writers for now... they'll just ruin everything!!
 
Re: If There's A Writers Strike, Will It Affect The 3 CSI Sh

There won't be new writers during the strike--there just won't be any episodes written, re-written, etc. Once the scripts that have been finished are used up, production will have to stop on the shows until the strike is over or they come to some sort of agreement. And at this point, it's looking like it'll be a long process--so I'm expecting this to feel a bit like a second hiatus. If it goes on too long, the seasons could be cut short. But there's really no telling how things will work out.

DJRideout, I'm sure that they tried to get as many scripts as possible done before the strike started. But rough drafts wouldn't work because with the WGA on strike, nobody could re-write the scripts or finish them or anything like that.
 
Re: If There's A Writers Strike, Will It Affect The 3 CSI Sh

According to Digital Spy:

CSI: 9 episodes of 24 episode order taped. Episode 9 currently scheduled for December 6.
CSI: Miami: 13 episodes of 24 episode order taped. Episode 10 scheduled for November 26.
CSI: New York: 14 episodes of 24 episode order taped. Episode 10 scheduled for November 28.
 
Re: If There's A Writers Strike, Will It Affect The 3 CSI Sh

I just happened to stumble across this earlier tonight and thought to share...perhaps its a little silver lining...who knows

back to bargaining table
 
Re: If There's A Writers Strike, Will It Affect The 3 CSI Sh

Here is something that may be worth checking out. In short it's an effort to force the execs hands by bombarding them with pencils the way they were for Jericho with peanuts

Arise and Seize the Pencils... Our Evil(it's not evil) Master(we're not masters) Plan is ready to unleash(it's not a dog).(!)

Well, United Hollywood has fine-tuned the pencil concept into an organized and potentially awesomely visual penstravaganza! Witness the electronic mail messed forth to showrunner types:

Pencils2MediaMoguls

This week, United Hollywood (the blog) met with a group of showrunners who have particularly vocal fan bases. We discussed the fans’ eagerness to put their energy to use in a unified campaign, and this is what we came up with:

Several fan sites have suggested sending pencils into the networks and studios, and some of them are already doing it. It’s a great idea, and we’d like to take it a step further – get everyone buying pencils at the same time, from the same vendor, to be delivered in masses (like the peanuts were for Jericho.) All the fandoms working together, in concert. It seems that the conglomerates take it for granted that the fans will always be there to purchase content, that their concerns about the strike don’t matter. This is a chance for the fans to show that they do matter.


The campaign itself is fairly simple. We’d like to start it right away, and it goes like this:

Point the fans to http://unitedhollywood.blogspot.com/ , where there will be a banner or button allowing them to click through to buy boxes of pencils. The pencils are plain wooden #2’s, and the company uses sustainable farming for the wood (seriously. They do.) The pricing will be “a buck a box.” (Sustainably harvested wood pencils + PayPal cost per transaction puts us a little higher than the cost of a box if you buy at Office Depot, sorry.) If there’s any money left over, it will be donated to the Union Solidarity Fund, which is a nonprofit for non-WGA members affected by the strike.

When fans click to buy the pencils, they can choose to identify the show they are supporting if they want. (This will generate a database of fans by show – among other things, allowing showrunners to thank fans by group if they want to.)

The pencils will be delivered in bulk, by trucks, like the peanuts were. The deliveries will be to the 6 CEOs of the 6 congloms (Disney, News Corp, Viacom, Time Warner, CBS, GE) one by one – we’ll probably start with GE. If we get enough to pencils to do all 6, then we will. If we don’t, we’ll concentrate on one or two.

If the logistics can be worked out, showrunners who choose to can take part in a “load the pencils” photo op – unpacking the boxes of pencils and shoveling them into bins or boxes for transport to the CEO’s. The visual has the potential to be worth a thousand words – for the fans as well as the general public.

We will suggest that the fans send a message similar to this: “We’re all on the same page. Make a fair deal.”

This has the potential to be a historic moment in fan history – the first time that all fandoms band together to show that they are a force to be reckoned with to the corporate world. Given the passion and commitment the fans are already showing, this seems a good way to both show our appreciation and respect, as well as giving them the direction they’ve been requesting.

We hope you’ll be willing to join us in this effort. It won’t be our last.


Carol Barbee Jericho
John Aboud
United Hollywood

Jane Espenson
Buffy, Battlestar Galactica
Jeffrey Berman
United Hollywood

Rob McElhenney
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Laeta Kalogridis
United Hollywood

Ron Moore
Battlestar Galactica

Marti Noxon
Buffy, Private Practice

Jaime Paglia
Eureka

Bill Prady
Two and a Half Men

Shonda Rhimes
Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice

Stephanie Savage
Gossip Girl

Joss Whedon
Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse


Pretty offical sounding, huh? Like grown-ups would do. Well, I, as a showrunner... (but with no show... If I have no show, am I a showrunner? What would Jubal Early say?) Anyhoo I'm a tirribly impahtant Hollyville muckity so my opinion counts oodles. And I think this will be very cool. Let's make our (unsharpened) point. I seriously want to spend a day wading in actual pencils with a big ol' snowshovel. And I want the Execs to understand that forcing one show off the air can rouse the public to make themselves heard in a fairly dramatic fashion, but forcing ALL of them off the air... well, might just be a tetch more dramatical-er. Now you all kinda got your own Union. And it's time to strike.

"CBS and Fox, they think were nothin'!
Are we nothin'? NO!
CBS and Fox they think they got us,
Do they got us? NO!
Even though we all wear scarves and glasses,
We're a union, just by sayin' so...
And the world will know!"

So here goes.

Yours ever, -j.
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Again, the link to send pencils to media moguls in honor of you favorite show(s) or writer(s) is: http://unitedhollywood.bl.../pencils2mediamoguls.html
 
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