The Writers Guild of America announced last week that its members were striking, claiming that profits made from subsequent airings or purchases of a television program is a necessary part of a writer’s income. Maybe these writers have a point in saying they deserve profit from programs being streamed on the Internet, but that’s not the point. These writers are taking away my favorite television shows and it’s pissing me off.
As a result of the strike, all late-night comedy shows, such as “Late Show with David Letterman,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “The Colbert Report” have gone on hiatus. Along with the late-night shows, primetime dramas, such as “Prison Break,” have also taken a siesta. Mid-season television show “24” has halted production and may not air this year due to the strike.
If there is one television show I truly love, it’s “Lost.” Nothing comes between me and my “Lost.” If a new episode of “Lost” is on and I have a philosophy final the next morning, I’ll accept a failing grade on that test so that I can watch the show. Hell, if it’s a re-run of “Lost,” I’d still accept the failing grade. Maybe I’m too involved with this TV show, but that’s not the point. It’s something I look forward to on Wednesday nights, and if someone is going to get in the way of that, I will take them down.
Another thing bothering me is the strike’s effect on late-night comedy series. The first shock that came to me was that Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno and David Letterman don’t write their own material. That’s pretty bad, but the worst is that these so-called comedians are so dependent on their writers that they can’t even write their own 2-minute monologues. This is disappointing, to say the least. I always thought Leno’s and Letterman’s humor were dry and unfunny, but I guess I should blame their terrible writers instead.
I don’t know much about the strike and I don’t care. All I know is that they better end it soon. Without television, I’m just going to have to find another excuse not to do my homework.
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