Comments on: STEWART & COLBERT Return! WGA Screwed?

By: grumpyoldman

grumpyoldman — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 14:47:07 +0000

Bring on Big Brother!!!! Here in middle America we are sick of all the new shows that sound and look just like other shows. It’s 30 degrees with freezing rain here. At least the writers get to picket in the sun of LA.

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:30:29 +0000

The problem is … neither of the those shows Monday night were very funny. They’re clearly out of their element and not very adept at improvisation. Letterman, oddly enough, would be the best show on the air if he DIDN’T come back with his writers.

Looking forward to seeing the Kimmel/Leno crossover episode tonight…

By: Ike

Ike — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 05:15:36 +0000

I disagree — “A Daily Show” and “Colbert Report” don’t seem scripted at all. For the most part, IMO, they’re VERY off their game, and clearly doing a lot of improv. Clearly they’re working from a vague outline — which they’re allowed to do — and not a full script.

By: ewanspotter

ewanspotter — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 05:43:22 +0000

I’m not shocked people are gobbling up American Gladiators. There are STILL a ton of people who have no clue what’s even going on.

By: theTVaddict

theTVaddict — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 21:09:18 +0000

Great points Josh and David. Agreed the writer’s strike is more than just late night. But late night is a HUGE profit centre for the media conglomerates. Hollywood used to joke that NBC stood for ‘Nothing But Carson’ Having all the late night shows back on the air simply means that the networks can hold out longer. Oh, and America tuning into AMERICAN GLADIATORS isn’t helping either.

By: David Dean

David Dean — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 17:57:56 +0000

I also agree with Josh Emerson. Not that you need a run down…still…
The writer’s strike is more than just late-night talkshows, and such…. it’s about WRITTEN material in general…..
Award shows……Golden globes…..oscar…..acceptance speeches in somecases (not a big deal at all…but still part of it).
Scripted series……Lost, Scrubs, Smallville, The Office…..so on….

If Reality tv succeeds for 2008…which it very well could….and even if it survives till 2009….which it very well could……..it will NOT continue….tv is not that strong as to hang on through reality television…..it failed in the past and it will not succeed when ALL THERE IS IS REALITY TV!

people will stop watching tv REGULARLY!!!
which therefore diminishes the ratings system and sponsors will drop!

Once sponsors drop the network will HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!

This whole thing would be faster if the WGA had a better strike…..huge media coverage, slogans (that are catchy) and get the people who don’t care motivated……

all it takes is one real life lois lane, to tell some of the stories of these strikers….there are millions of stories….why not do a special on THIS, than another special on what Brittney did to a cash register….or what is the “New” new style for this year….

Bring back the important news….get rid of more fluff……

**Rant** lol sorry, BTW this is “David” from previous posts, just decided to write my last name from now on……

By: Josh Emerson

Josh Emerson — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 15:31:30 +0000

No, I don’t think so at all. Stewart and Colbert, no matter how great their shows are, are still a very small part of the WGA strike situation. We’re looking at a couple cable shows that get maybe a few million viewers. Combined, they still don’t reach the audience that Leno and Letterman do. Plus, you’ve gotta remember that the biggest effect the strike is having is on network scripted shows, and the talk shows returning aren’t going to change anything there.

I’d be MUCH more worried about the success of American Gladiators and other reality replacements. If these do well, it means the networks can hold out even longer without suffering all that much. We already know Fox will be fine.