I hope you like Realty TV. 

The "Writer's Strike" is about to change the face of cable television.  First we lost the live broadcast of the Golden Globe Awards. I can't say I was disappointed.  I only watch for the frilly dresses.  And lately Hollywood has lost its appeal.  I really don't feel the need to hear some actor's version about why the War needs to end and now, before producers quickly cut to Musak and then commercial. 

You know what happened the last time the Writers went on strike?  That's right:  Reality Television was born.  It was 1988.  The networks were forced to come up with alternative programming.  So what did we get?  We got Cops and America's Most Wanted, which have both been on the air for 20 years now.  I'm sure that we also got some shows that have thankfully slipped from American consciousness, but it's unlikely that they were even slightly as bad as some of what we have on television today.  You know what I mean.  Shows like I Love New York and So, You Think You Are Smarter Than a 5th Grader (sorry, I just don't see the appeal of this show) and even the uber-popular American Idol, which either turns out to be a decent watch or a horrifyingly embarrassing grasp at fame for its participants.  Remember Sanjaya?

As a writer, I want to support this strike.  But I just don't understand their rationale.  With more and more "Reality" television shows being pitched to networks, I feel like they are up against an unscalable wall.  They just don't hold the ball, and the game will surely be played without them.  And haven't they already lost more money by striking than they would have lost in residuals (or whatever it is they are fighting over) for some years to come? 

They say you have to change with the times.  You can't communicate with smoke signals or a note in a bottle when everyone is typing Instant Messages to Madagascar and Mumbai via air cards and satellite technology.  That is, unless you are stranded on a desert island off the coast of Belize.  I saw it once on the Discovery Channel's Survivorman.   

So, I'm getting ready for shows like Deal or No Deal or The Moment of Truth to take over the airwaves.  I can't say I'll be watching, but occasionally there is a show that catches my attention.  Oh to be a fly on the wall while these shows are being pitched!

It makes me wonder what we'll be watching in 20 years.  Probably Cops and America's Most Wanted.