When Late Night Comedians Go It Alone

Conan O'Brien and Craig Ferguson have just come to a close for the night on the second evening that late night talk shows have aired in two months. If you are not a typical viewer of these shows then it has obviously not affected your viewing, but I'm sure the writers' strike has done damage to other shows you may watch. Why do I keep writing so much about this strike? Because it is directly related to an industry that I relate to. Write what you know, right?

Keeping focus, I knew these shows would be returning in the New Year despite the continuing strike (as I mentioned in an earlier blog). For selfish reasons (yes, I admit I can be) I was very happy at the idea that I would be able to return to my evening programing that has been void from my life. I was under the wrong impression that they would be returning Monday of next week but they were anxious and started early. Now that I see them on my feelings are actually mixed for the non-selfish (ok, maybe slightly selfish on a point or two) aspects of this miraculous return.

All night there has been a sort of grim overlay on each of the comedians as they return to work. Multiple times they refer to the strike and despite trying to keep spirits up and laughs coming it appears hard for them to be their with a vital portion of the show missing. The quality of the program has suffered. Not that the comedy isn't good, I have had a fair share of laughs tonight, but every punchline looks like the comedian feels like it is backhanded. Naturally things aren't near as prepared as a written show would be, but (and this is a wild assumption based on nothing but a feeling) it almost would seem to me that by not allowing the show to be top notch the comedians and workers on the show are able to maintain a position on the side of the writers (see THEORY below).

Speaking of the workers, if for no other reason I am happy because they are getting to return to work. All of the stage managers, cameramen, light and sound board, spotlights, programmers, and basically everyone but the writers are finally getting the opportunity to return to a normal paycheck. They have thus far been furnished with strike pay (basically a type of unemployment) that is a fraction (I don't know the exact percentage) of their normal income. Two months is a long time to survive like that (I remember living on unemployment when both parents were laid off at the same time and no jobs were available immediately because of the thousands of others in the same situation).

On the other hand, I also wonder what the writers think of the return of late night television. These writers have worked day in and day out for these shows and these comedians and suddenly "The Show Must Go On". I just don't know if Letterman's and Conan's "strike beards" are enough to console them (or Megan Mullally's declaration that she also refuses to shave until the strike is resolved).

So with all this going on and the obvious lack of show material here is my THEORY on what is going on:

Little does anyone outside the late show hosts know, but the reason they are returning is to infiltrate the network and literally make the entire late night line up absolute shit. The plan is to drive every single viewer into an absolute fury (and those that are too mellow to get furious are being brainwashed by invisible analog waves (hence the digital revolution to prevent such tactics in the future) and will unwittingly join the force) until they stop watching late night and the ratings will drop so far on the networks that all of the advertisers will refuse to pay because no one will buy products advertised on shows that are filled with shit and the producers will panic and jump on the table pleading for the writers to save the day.

They unfortunately forgot three little things:
1) Too many people have already gone to digital so the brainwashing is a bust.
2) Advertisers pre-paid.
and last but certainly not least...
3) Americans will watching anything, even absolute shit....make that especially shit.

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