He can’t predict what’s going to happen, either. BOB D’AMICO / ABC
Halloween is the witching hour for the Writers’ Guild and the networks, as the midnight deadline (spooky!) looms for the strike. Today’s Variety runs down the programming scenarios. (And notes that the writers may decide to wait a week or so before walking out.) The questions I get asked about the strike’s repercussions most often are: So what would happen to Lost if there’s a strike? And: No, seriously, though, when does Lost come back? And: Damn it, Jim, stop screwing with me! What happens to Lost?
As the Variety article lays it out, there are basically two options. Run the episodes (probably eight) that are in the can, or don’t, and run the entire 16-episode season at some later point.
Because we all know that TV executives do whatever television blogs tell them to, I figured I’d poll Tuned In’s fiercely loyal Lost demographic: If there’s a writer’s strike, is half a loaf better than none?
The Lost purist in me wants to wait until the full season can air and watch it the way it’s meant to be watched; I’ve waited more than a year for HBO shows before. But the Lost purist also wants his show back, ASAP. And the practical TV fan in me worries that if Lost disappears for too long, less-intense fans could give up on it, and that could be very bad for the show.
What you and I want may be irrelevant, anyway. ABC will do what it deems in its business interests, and Variety quotes an “insider” as saying they’ll air the eight they have: “It’s better to come on with some season than no season… If there’s a strike, we’ll need scripted programming.” But let’s pretend they’re listening to us anyway, shall we?