Strike TV Deadline Approaches

It’s been two months. We’re all sure our favorite shows are on their last reserves of scripts.

And now the Writers Guild of America finally means it. They’re bringing in the big guns. Er, pens.

Today is the came, so the writers definitely have some support that could crank out good video.

The WGA does acknowledge that some of the shows may be successful, in which case, the owners of the show (ie its writers) are free to take it wherever they need to, including to other online channels (but probably not back onto television until the strike’s over).

Ultimately, though, the WGA isn’t framing Strike TV as the potential straw to break the camel’s back. It describes the effort as “an Internet fundraiser.” The shows, which will be up to 40 minutes long, will be ad-supported, with revenue from the ads going toward others affected by the strike, “including IATSE [stage hands et al.] and Teamsters.” While I certainly appreciate this gesture, I think the WGA is selling themselves short here—or maybe just hedging their bets.