A Tentative Deal Is Reached; WGA East Prez Gives it a Thumbs-up - Xiist: Community for Gaming, Graphics, Technology, and More

Chris P · 02-09-2008, 05:43 PM

The WGA has reached a tentative deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. (Have you ever heard 16 such wonderful words?) At 3 am Saturday morning — following all-night talks — the union's East and West Coast presidents zapped off emails (cited here by United Hollywood) to their membership stating that a deal has been made through 2011 that "protects a future in which the Internet becomes the primary means of both content creation and delivery."

Said offer (summarized here at WGA.org) is being detailed to WGA East members Saturday in New York, with their West Coast brethren to get the lowdown this evening. If all goes well, each coast's board of directors will confab Sunday to formally endorse the contract. In that scenario, scribes could be back at their keyboards as early as Monday, though WGA East president Michael Winship told reporters on Saturday, "There are several different alternative ways that the board and council could determine how this should be dealt with."

Will the "final" terms fly with the guild at large? According to DeadlineHollywoodDaily, one insider described Friday's briefing of WGA strike captains as "quite a vocal meeting," claiming that "support was way less than unanimous." Another source, however, counters that "there was not all this dissention," and calls the proposal "a good deal."

Winship himself said prior to the WGA East's New York gathering, "It's a good deal" though not a "done" one. Still, he added, "I will be recommending it to our membership."

Key among the new pact's points of interest:

• In the third year of the contract, writers would receive two percent of the distributor's gross on streamed content (a hike from the $1,200-ish payment scribes will get in the first two years). However, as the DGA does, the WGA has a 17-day window on all streamed content, meaning that studios can stream for free during that period.

• With regard to Internet sales, writers will get 0.36 percent of the distributor's gross receipts for the first 100,000 downloads of a television program and the first 50,000 downloads of a feature. After that, they'll bank 0.7 percent of distributor's gross receipts for TV shows and 0.65 percent for feature films.

• Ad-supported streaming of TV shows will net the writers two percent of distributors' gross receipts a year after the initial streaming window is closed.

Until the ink dries, I won't say it outloud, but I will quietly type it: "Yippee!"

Check back later and throughout the weekend for updates. Believe us, once the strike is truly over, the TVGuide.com homepage will make sure that you know it!

After the Strike: When Your Favorites Will Return!

At long last, a strike chart you can get excited about!

With an end to the three-month-old WGA strike imminent (yay!), the networks have quietly begun outlining plans to salvage what's left of the current TV season. At the same time, I've been quietly picking at my moles to get a preview of those plans — the results of which appear in chart form below.

Keep in mind that the following information remains extremely tentative and is subject to change (and probably will). In other words, I strongly suggest you refresh your browser at least once an hour to ensure that you're getting the most up-to-date scoop possible.

24

Expected to return this fall or January '09.

30 Rock

Expected to shoot 5 to 10 new episodes to air in April/May.

Back to You

Two pre-strike episodes remain. Future TBD*.

Bionic Woman

No new episodes expected. Ever.

The Big Bang Theory

Expected to shoot 5 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.

Big Love

Expected to go into production on Season 3 in March. Airdate info is TBD.

Bones

Four pre-strike episodes left. Unclear whether additional episodes will be produced for this season.

Brothers & Sisters

Expected to shoot 4 or 5 new episodes to air in April/May.

Chuck

No new episodes until fall.

Cold Case

Expected to shoot 4 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.

Criminal Minds

Expected to shoot 4 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.

CSI

Expected to shoot 4 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.

CSI: Miami

Expected to shoot 4 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.

CSI: NY

Expected to shoot 4 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.

Desperate Housewives

Expected to shoot 4 or 5 new episodes to air in April/May.

Dirty Sexy Money

No new episodes planned until fall; three remaining pre-strike episodes will undergo some tweaking and kick off fall run.

ER

TBD.

Everybody Hates Chris

Twelve pre-strike episodes remain. No additional episodes expected for this season.

Friday Night Lights

No new episodes expected for this season. Future TBD.

Gossip Girl

Expected to shoot up to 9 new episodes to air in April/May/June.

Grey's Anatomy

Expected to shoot 4 or 5 new episodes to air in April/May

Heroes

TBD.

House

Expected to shoot 4 to 6 new episodes to air in April/May.

How I Met Your Mother

Expected to shoot 5 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.

Jericho

Seven episodes remain. No additional episodes expected for this season.

Las Vegas

Three pre-strike episodes remain. No additional episodes expected for this season.

Law & Order: SVU

TBD.

Life

No new episodes expected until fall.

Life Is Wild

No new episodes expected. Ever.

Lost

Six pre-strike episodes remain. Six additional episodes could air this season.

Medium

Six pre-strike episodes remain. No additional episodes expected this season.

Men in Trees

Eleven pre-strike episodes remain. No additional episodes expected this season.

Moonlight

No new episodes expected until fall.

My Name Is Earl

Expected to shoot 8 to 10 new episodes to air in April/May.

NCIS

Expected to shoot 5 to 7 new episodes, only three of which may air this season.

The New Adventures of Old Christine

Seven pre-strike episodes remain. No additional episodes expected this season.

Numbers

Expected to shoot 5 to 7 new episodes, only three of which may air this season.

October Road

Five pre-strike episodes remain. Future beyond that TBD.

The Office

Expected to shoot 5 to 10 new episodes to air in April/May.

One Tree Hill

Six pre-strike episodes remain. Future beyond that TBD.

Prison Break

Two pre-strike episodes remain. Future beyond that TBD.

Private Practice

Expected to shoot 4 or 5 new episodes to air in April/May.

Pushing Daisies

No new episodes until fall.

Reaper

Three pre-strike episodes remain. Future beyond that TBD.

Samantha Who?

Three remaining pre-strike episodes could possibly surface this season, or be held until fall (see Dirty Sexy Money).

Scrubs

Four pre-strike episodes remain. Four additional episodes will likely be shot; unclear whether they'll air on NBC or go straight to DVD.

Smallville

Four pre-strike episodes remain. Expected to shoot 3 to 5 additional episodes to air in April/May.

Supernatural

Two pre-strike episodes remain. Expected to shoot 3 to 5 additional episodes to air in April/May.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Five pre-strike episodes remain. Future beyond that TBD.

Two and a Half Men

Expected to shoot 5 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.

Ugly Betty

Expected to shoot 4 or 5 new episodes to air in April/May.

Without a Trace

Expected to shoot 4 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.

Women's Murder Club

No additional episodes expected for this season. Future TBD, although one Club member admits, "We're terrified that it's over for us."

* TBD = To be determined

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Finally no more bad reruns and 3 week waits between new episodes.