Writers Strike Update--How Many New Episodes Are Left?by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger 17 Nov 2007 08:12 AM In my previous blog I shared the good news that representatives from the Writers Guild of America and Hollywood producers are set to head back to the bargaining table later this month to hopefully end the two-week-old strike. Since the strike began November 5th, late night talk shows and several sitcoms have gone to reruns. Other series are now precariously close to running out of new episodes. Frankly, I found the news rather surprising given all the talk that preceded the strike. Prior to the writers hitting the picket lines industry analysts were flapping their lips on various cable channel news shows saying that there would be enough scripts to produce shows well into January. When I heard that I figured I didn't have to worry about whether my favorite TV shows would be affected by the strike. After all, I reasoned, the strike would not drag on past December. So much for the "expert's" theory. The reality is that many shows have gone off the air at a faster pace than industry analysts expected. In many cases because many cast members have refused to cross picket lines. So, where do we stand now? Take a look: "House." Producers say they have five new episodes left--two will air in November and the remaining will be aired in January--one of them following Fox's broadcast of the Super Bowl. The "Crime Scene Investigation" trio, "NCIS," "Criminal Minds," "Without a Trace" and "Cold Case" each has two to five more episodes, according to the bigwigs at CBS. Other CBS shows, including "How I Met Your Mother," "Two And a Half Men" and "Rules of Engagement" only have enough new episodes to last until the end of the month. Over at ABC, "Samantha Who?" has seven more episodes in the can. Though, the news is not as bright for "Ugly Betty," "Pushing Daisies" and "Grey's Anatomy," which each has just three new episodes to go. As for "Desperate Housewives" the last of its new episodes airs on December 2nd. At NBC, the final new episode of "Heroes" airs December 3rd. Meanwhile, the peacock network's phenomenally popular comedy "The Office" is closed for business until the strike ends. Related Articles: Writers' Strike--Producers Hit Back Writers Strike Day 6--Let the Firings Begin Writers Strike Update: So Long to "The Office" and "24" Writers' Strike Hits "Desperate Housewives" How A Writers' Strike Could Affect Your Favorite TV Shows Learn more about Michele Cheplic  Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. Relevantpopular culture tags User Comments  Mary Ann Romans (26876) 17 Nov 2007 04:13 PMI love House and Ugly Betty. Thanks for the info on those shows. Any word on how the strike will affect the show, Numb3rs? Community Tags Desperate Housewives, grey's anatomy, tv shows, writer's strike Discuss this article
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