The writers strike. Three words that strike fear into the heart of television viewers, mostly because of the promise of more reality TV shows. Tonight, in case you've been on vacation on another planet, the WGA (Writers Guild of America) contract expires with a looming vote to strike if a new agreement does not address the issue of money being generated from, amongst other things, streaming episode releases. For fans of midseason shows like Lost, and Jericho, the prospect of a strike, and more appropriately the hyperbole surrounding it in the press, has them concerned if all their waiting is in vain. Here's what it means to you.

First of all, the good news is that the industry is worried. The last strike was costly, and with network television in particular in such a vicarious position, particularly in the world of new media, a sustained drought of material could be devastating. The industry must negotiate, for the very same reasons that we fear the strike. They need to air the programming as much as we want to watch it.

The upside is, midseason scripted shows have been in production for quite a while already. Lost, for instance, is in the processing of finishing episode six or seven. That means Lost would be running out of material about five months from NOW, if there was a strike tomorrow.

If there is a strike tomorrow, practically every regular season show would be out of material by the time midseason hit. Meaning the only place to get fresh scripted drama would be with the midseason shows. Lost fans would be all set, Jericho would have practically no competition, so it would soar, things would essentially be rosy for a while.

The good news for everybody is that the prevailing rumor is that the WGA has decided, internally, to hold off on a strike until January, giving fall programs a chance to amass 16-18 episodes, depending on if they adjusted production accordingly, and giving most midseason programs a chance to complete their runs. Either way, midseason programming wins.

- Jon Lachonis, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of the CW)