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[cardinal biggles]

During the last writers strike (which the industry saw coming from further away than this one, so there was more prep time), I was working on a show with a showrunner who prioritized keeping the show going and had stockpiled several scripts so production could continue. When we finally ran out of material, we were one of the last shows still shooting.

You don't have to answer, but were you working on Boston Legal? I remember reading that David E. Kelley had blitz-written a bunch of scripts before the deadline, and BL was one of the last shows to have to shut down (and "lost" fewer episodes during the 2007-08 season than other hour-long dramas).

 

[Farscape One]

All the scripts for episodes may be done, but what if rewrites are necessary during production if the strike happened? I can see that being an issue and a delay for the series.

 

[Sakonna]

You don't have to answer, but were you working on Boston Legal? I remember reading that David E. Kelley had blitz-written a bunch of scripts before the deadline, and BL was one of the last shows to have to shut down (and "lost" fewer episodes during the 2007-08 season than other hour-long dramas).

It wasn't Boston Legal. But I think you are correct that they also stayed into production well into the strike, that sounds familiar.

All the scripts for episodes may be done, but what if rewrites are necessary during production if the strike happened? I can see that being an issue and a delay for the series.

Totally. On the aforementioned show I was working on in the last strike, there were two scripts where the non-writing producers were debating: are these too awful to actually produce, since we can't change a word of these hastily written drafts? In our case, they ended up producing both of them. One of them (the one they were much closer to actually tabling until rewrites could be performed) somehow turned out to be the best episode that season. The other was an incoherent disaster. Can't win 'em all!

 

[RAMA]

My impression is that all the scripts are written. 4-5 episodes have been shot. Any re-writes on other episodes are probably going to be a problem.

Here's what DSC can do to air on time and make fans happy: Complete episode 1 and promote it as a big 2-hour movie. If it's great people will clamor for the rest of the series. Anticipation will build if fans have to wait for the series to start.

RAMA