For TV viewers, three months of purgatory have ended.
Members of the Writers Guild of America, who went on strike in November, are to return to work this week, according to a contract agreement reached over the weekend.
The change will first be evident today on late-night TV shows. The absence of the writers for the late-night programs showed how many creative people it takes to produce a show that’s smart and funny on a consistent basis and this was demonstrated by the fact that the shows fell far short of their usual high standards during the strike.
And, at last, we will be released from the mind-numbing bonds of reruns and reality TV. Some popular prime-time shows, such as ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” are expected to return with new episodes in the spring. CBS’ various incarnations of “CSI” will also be shooting new episodes, but it remained unclear earlier this week when those might air.
ABC’s “Men in Trees” returns with new episodes Feb. 27 installments that were stockpiled before the strike began. It will be a relief for “Trees” fans because one of the show’s main characters was hopelessly adrift in a life raft in the Bering Sea when the series took a hiatus in December.
For other series, such as NBC’s “Heroes” and Fox’s “24,” evidence that the writers are back at work will not be visible until fall’s new season.
Alas, the strike proved fatal for some shows. The New York Times reports that ABC’s “Boston Legal,” CBS’ “Cane” and NBC’s “Bionic Woman” likely will not return at all.
Still, at least there will be a new season for many of America’s favorite shows, putting reruns back in the summer, where they belong, and giving viewers something other than reality shows in which people swap wives, compete gladiator-style with other muscle-bound contestants or learn to control unruly children.
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