They Did WHAT?!

Big events happen in the world. Some people are more globally-minded than others, but for the most part, it seems we don't really pay close attention to many "big" events unless they start to hit too close to home. This is true in the lesser things as well, naturally. I barely noticed the news flashes concerning the TV Writers' Strike. So what -- I don't watch TV that much anyway, and surely the ONE show I faithfully watch is "important" enough that its writers wouldn't diss it!
Boy, was I wrong. I like Heroes, and The Office, and Lost. Those are all good shows. I watch them when I can, but if I miss an episode, I manage to live through it.

But there is one show that I cannot miss, and this is my question to the writers: how many times does a person need to save the world (in a 24-hour period, no less) in order to convince you not to just walk off the set? 24 has been postponed "indefinitely". FOX is not planning to air a single episode until the writers come back to work. They can't do this. January through May, my Monday nights are built around the TV set and around friends gathering to watch Jack's heroic feats. Then, when the episode is over, there are the phone calls to other friends, and we espouse our theories on who is the bad guy and what will happen next. Now, one-seventh of my week is totally ruined.

I don't know much about contract negotiations, copyrights, advertising rates, or the surveys documenting viewership. However, as a consumer, I know that patience runs thin quite rapidly. If the viewers are given re-runs for months, networks will see their numbers take a nose-dive. I'm assuming that no viewers means lower ad revenues for the networks. Maybe it's all Economics 101, but doesn't this eventually translate to the writers, as well? When the networks lose profit, that can't be good for the writers.

When the holidays roll around, I'm not sure how concerned writers will still be about getting their 2 pennies from an iTunes download. It's my guess that the strike will not last much longer, maybe wrapping up just before Thanksgiving. Even the scare of a possible drop in profits make the stock prices of the networks' parent companies plummet. I would love to see the writers and producers just drop their weapons, hold hands, and run on the beach together in slow motion, smiling and dressed in white linen. The thought of world peace, doves, and swaying in harmony to "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" just gives me goosebumps. Snapping back to reality, however, I think the best way to predict what will happen is to follow the money. The executives are not going to let their wallets thin out, even though all the women in their shows do. Soon, when they see the numbers on the horizon, they'll be willing to give in to the writers' demands.

In the meantime, if my crystal ball is wrong, I'll take advantage of the break on Monday nights to pursue other activities. Perhaps I'll learn to quilt or take a ballroom dancing class. On second thought, no way. When a situation like this comes to an impasse, it calls for diplomacy. From what I've seen, Jack Bauer is quite the effective diplomat, if you allow diplomacy to be slightly more action-oriented than talking. Besides, he could straighten the whole thing out in 24 hours or less.