The Writers' Strike: Still in Reruns

Is the Hollywood writers' strike finally coming to an end now that Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien are back? Not likely. Come January, viewers will still be stuck with reruns of "House" and "The Closer." But night owls will once again have a reason to stay tuned as comedians Leno and O'Brien will be back on the air live Jan. 2 with new episodes of their NBC shows. While they're crossing the picket line, neither host will actually write new material, even their opening monologues. Instead, they'll be improvising their respective shticks and winging their interviews. But at least viewers will no longer have to put up with Leno's puffy 1990s hairstyle and the ups and downs of his weight-loss regimen, so evident in old reruns.

Although comedians like Comedy Central's Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have yet to signal their intentions, few in Hollywood believe that other variety hosts will follow suit or that Leno and O'Brien's decision marked a blow to the Writers Guild of America, which struck on Nov. 5. "They are going back without writers," says veteran television writer and producer Saul Turteltaub, writer and producer of "Kate and Allie" and "Love, American Style" and has been through several strikes during his nearly five-decade career. "Everyone is still supporting the guild's policy. I'm picketing every day, and I have not heard one word of complaint. The coffee and doughnuts are still good."

In fact, Leno and O'Brien's move may end up bolstering the position of striking entertainment writers rather than hastening an end to their nearly two-month-old strike. Both are guild members, and both indicated they intend to use their shows to vocally support the WGA, which is locked in a dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). At issue: how to divvy up lucrative profits from future online distribution of television and movies. Talks between the writers and the producers broke down Dec. 7 and haven't resumed. Picketing will break over the Christmas period but is set to resume in the new year.

Meanwhile, fellow writers express a good deal of understanding for the late-night stars' desire to save the nonwriting jobs on their two shows--about 100 for Leno and 80 for O'Brien. "They are doing the menschy thing, helping their people pay the rent," says Los Angeles comedy writer Cary Odes, who has a script optioned by Steven Spielberg. "It's no different than what Johnny Carson did in 1988 except that Carson wasn't a Writers' Guild member." Member reaction was harder on Ellen DeGeneres and Carson Daly, who resumed their talk shows within the first few weeks of the strike. The WGA East issued a tough statement saying DeGeneres was "not welcome" in New York when she went back on the air after a brief blackout. Union officials said they were "appalled" when Daly returned a few weeks later.

Leno and O'Brien both admit they may have a hard time keeping up the quality of their shows without writers--a reminder to the public about the crucial backstage role the joke writers play. "Of course, my show will not be as good," O'Brien said in a written statement. "In fact, in moments, it may well be terrible."

At the same time, direct competitors like "The Late Show with David Letterman" and "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" could make it back onto the air with their professional writing staffs intact. Letterman's company, Wordwide Pants, which owns both shows, has said it hopes to reach its own separate contract with the writers' union.