Students’ prayers for the return of their favorite television shows may have been answered. The Writers Guild of America and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have reached a tentative deal, according to The Associated Press. Writers may be back to work by mid-week. The WGA and AMPTP came to an agreement this past Saturday. Patric Verrone, president of WGA West, was pleased with the deal, but said it was not perfect. “It is the best deal the guild has bargained for in 30 years,” Verrone said. “Admittedly, the contract has some holes.” WGA members are scheduled to vote Tuesday to officially approve the deal and end the strike, according to The LA Times. “After 14 weeks of striking, producers knew it was just going to get uglier,” said Mari Kornhauser, University screenwriting professor and WGA West member. Amy Boone, kinesiology junior, and her roommate Emily Villere, mass communication junior, are avid television watchers and are thrilled their favorite shows are scheduled to return to television. “We watch a lot of television. Every Sunday we would catch up on shows we missed during the week, and we haven’t been able to do that,” Boone said. “Our TiVo is completely empty right now.” Boone and Villere said they have started watching new shows, such as “Lipstick Jungle,” reality shows and game shows since the strike began, but they are ready for shows like “Desperate Housewives” and “Grey’s Anatomy” to return. Holly Hyatt, finance sophomore, is also ready for the strike to end. “I haven’t had anything to do,” Hyatt said. “I sleep or go out to replace watching shows.” Hyatt, who is fan of late-night talk shows such as Conan O’Brien, said episodes are not as entertaining as they were before the strike. Not all shows taken off the air during the strike will return this season, according to The Los Angeles Times. While this spring will likely feature the return of hit shows such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Office” and “Gossip Girl,” other shows such as “24” and “Private Practice,” will probably not return until the fall. And some shows will likely be cut altogether, such as “Cavemen” and “Bionic Woman.” Kornhauser said the strike has given the industry an opportunity to clean house. Shows that were not well-received, such as “K-Ville,” will likely be tossed, Kornhauser said. Although Kornhauser believes conditions for the writers will improve, she is certain more problems will arise in the future as the Internet’s dominance of the industry grows. “The industry is in for a huge shake-up,” she said. “It will seem better, but it will just get harder for writers to get paid and harder for new writers to break into the industry when the Internet becomes television.”
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