At Boston College, Oct. 31 is a night of excess and indulgence. Look to one side and you'll see a group of guys generically dressed as doctors and Red Sox fans; look to the other and there will be an assortment of girls passing lingerie off as costumes by wearing various tails and wings. Hollywood, surprisingly, is going to look quite different. The decadence that these two places would normally have in common will be gone. Instead, worried grimaces will plaster the plastic faces of the entertainment industry - and the hardest-hit sector will be television. The source of unrest? Money. More specifically, it is a contract dispute between the Writers Guild of America and TV executives.
Halloween in Hollywood means that things are going to hit the fan. The most unappreciated talent in entertainment is going on strike. Although you may not know their names, writers are what make television shows great. Think about the world without phrases like Seinfeld's "master of my domain" and Joey Tribiani's "How you doin'?" Inconceivable! Without witty dialogue and biting one-liners, traditional television as we know it is dead.
What does this strike mean for your favorite TV programs? Unless either party concedes something that was obviously worth fighting for in the first place, it does not mean anything good. Negotiations between the two parties have been ongoing for at least a year, and there is no end in sight. According to Entertainment Weekly, the three major networks should get their scripted shows into February sweeps week. Shows such as Lost and 24 that open their seasons in January will last longer - at least six episodes - as will new shows that are introduced midseason. Otherwise, predictions say that reality television will reign supreme. Just what we need, right? Another show about 64 models competing for one man's affections on a deserted island. Or are those five separate reality shows…?
I believe that if the leaders of network television knows what's good for them, they will end this strike as quickly and efficiently as they can. The future of our favorite dramas and sitcoms hang in the balance. For example, Heroes has consistently lost viewership since the first hiatus of its freshman year. Lost faced the same problem after its mysterious airing schedule. Hot new shows like Dirty Sexy Money and Bionic Woman could be lost in the shuffle altogether because of the lack of bonding time between program and audience. So maybe - just maybe - you should postpone Halloween until after television has hit the doldrums. Because once February hits, you're going to need some kind of entertainment to get you through the spring semester.
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