TV Eye

Negotiations are touch and go between the Writers Guild of America and representatives of the major studios. After a six-week standoff, negotiations resumed this week. Perhaps by press time, a brand new deal will have been made and writers and studio reps will be singing "We Are the World." Or maybe there will be a writers' strike. At this point, the latter is more likely.

The existing writers' contract expires May 1. If the anticipated actors' strike takes place as well (their contract expires July 1), the fallout will be tremendous. Average viewers won't feel the impact until this fall, when we tune in to see what's new on the tube or to resume where we left off with returning favorites. The cause of friction? Money -- what else? The writers want more, including a greater cut from video, DVD, cable, and residuals from overseas sales. Some of the symbolic demands have been met -- like a downgrade of the "A film by ..." credit, which gives all the authorship for a film to the director, making the writer invisible and, by inference, unimportant.

The whole thing is fascinating and mind-numbing. One interesting thing is the power difference between screenwriters and television writers. On TV, the writer has an enormous amount of power -- think David E. Kelley, Steven Bochco, Aaron Sorkin. Television writers aren't just welcome on the set -- they're expected. Not so with screenwriters, who are often not invited -- even outright banned -- on the set. Ah, Hollywood.

Although television is largely seen as inferior to the big screen, I think writing for television takes more talent, not to mention stamina. Think of it: Each week is like opening a new play. This is no small task, especially when you're talking about powerhouses like The West Wing or Will & Grace.

The last time there was a significant Hollywood strike was in 1989. At that time, cable television was a blip on the public's television-viewing consciousness. Today, with cable television boasting huge hits like The Sopranos, doomsayers are predicting that network television viewers will abandon network TV in droves and never return. That's a bit extreme. I'm more inclined to agree with an article about TN Media's findings by David Bauder of the Associated Press. TN Media is an advertising agency studying the issue, and they predict a 9% drop in viewers this fall if a strike occurs. But even they chalk up their numbers to natural attrition -- network viewers leaving regular broadcast television for cable television, other entertainment, or (gasp!) something else entirely.

So, come the fall season, will we be tuning into blank screens? Hardly. Networks have begun to stockpile reality series, even the poor ones, like The Mole (ABC) and Big Brother (CBS). Partially because of the current reality craze, but mostly because they are cheap to produce, the biggest expense -- the actors -- replaced by a crop of fame junkies who don't mind being meat puppets if it means exposure and a pot of money at the end. Of course, someone still needs to write the narratives that knit these shows together, but no one seems to be concerned about that. Here are a few of the reality series in the works:

Worst Case Scenario (TBS): Based on the books by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht, the 22-episode series will teach viewers how to survive jumping from a burning building, how to escape quicksand, how to land an airplane, and how to handle various other stressful "what if" situations. No launch date is set. For more information, see www.worstcasescenarios.com.

Big Brother (CBS): It's baaaaack. Arguably, this show is worse than even The Mole, but this year, CBS promises a new and improved Big Brother. For one thing, they've taken a hint from some of the successful reality shows, dumping the boring, modular furniture in favor of something more telegenic and changing the rules so that contestants, not viewers, vote each other off. Applications are still being accepted though April 20. For more information go to www.cbs.com/primetime/bigbrother .

No Boundaries (WB): The Frog takes its first stab at the reality-adventure series with No Boundaries. Part Eco-Challenge (USA), part Survivor (CBS), the show requires contestants to race each other through 1,000 miles of wilderness over 30 days. One contestant wins the cash prize and a sports-utility vehicle. Applications are accepted through April 30. For more information go to www.thewb.com/noboundaries.

On the game show front, there's The Weakest Link (NBC), a UK import that hopes to nudge Regis Philbin and his still-popular game show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, out of its catbird seat (except on Thursday night, when Survivor rules). Unlike other show concepts borrowed from abroad, the U.S. version imports Anne Robinson, the popular host from across the pond, rather than recasting with a U.S. host. The signature of the show is the tart-tongued Robinson's haranguing of contestants for being dolts, followed by her now-familiar "You are the weakest link. Goodbye," to which ejected contestants leave the set with their tails between their legs. This is quite the opposite from the hand-patting style of Regis Philbin. Robinson is abrupt, condescending, and schoolmarmish. The only thing missing is the ruler. Will this show appeal to a U.S. audience? It's whipping the pants off Millionaire abroad, and the same thing is hoped for here. Catch Weakest Link on Mondays, 7pm, on NBC.

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More Buffy Business

I hoped to get final details about the future home of Buffy, but at press time, there was no dirt to report. The issue of interest and concern is the negotiations between the WB and Buffy creator Joss Whedon. The problem? Money. The WB doesn't want to pay, though the show is one of their biggest critical successes.

The worst case scenario: The WB drops the show, and UPN picks it up. UPN, Fox, and (briefly) NBC were jockeying for the show, and the latest news is that UPN is gunning for it. Getting picked up by another network would be good, but for Austin viewers, it would be disastrous, as UPN pulled up stakes here over a year ago. (Strangely, some Austin viewers receive the signal from Channel 2, KBEJ, in Fredericksburg, but the majority don't.)

Naturally, I hope it remains on the WB, but barring that, I'd vote for Fox to pick it up, as it seems the most natural fit for the show. But "TV Eye" reader and Buffy expert Sharon Ross shared these thoughts:

"The network move could do some real damage on several levels. First, you ruin the pairing with Angel (unless that goes, too). I suppose on Fox, [Buffy] could be put with Dark Angel." Or perhaps Whedon could pull off a David E. Kelley, who had actors cross over from Fox's Ally McBeal to ABC's The Practice and vice versa.

The one thing I did find out was that Fox 7 will carry Buffy in syndication starting October 2001; this in addition to the new animated version of Buffy (for the kiddies) Whedon announced earlier this year. For die-hard Buffy fans, Ross informs me that a new comic book is due out on newsstands, though with a new slayer.

As always, stay tuned.

(Correction: In last week's TV Eye, the most recent Buffy episode was called "The Funeral." Although the show was indeed about a funeral, the show's title was actually "Forever.")

E-mail Belinda Acosta at tveye@austinchronicle.com