Among the shows that appear to be immune to the writers strike are “Live With Regis and Kelly” and “The View,” two daytime programs that originate live from New York and aim for an unscripted, unrehearsed, anything-can-happen atmosphere.
A “Live” representative said there are no positions on the show held by Writers Guild of America members.
A spokesperson for “The View” said “contingency plans” had been made in preparation for the strike.
Moderator Whoopi Goldberg and co-hosts Joy Behar and Sherri Shepherd have made their living doing live standup comedy and know how to survive without punchlines supplied by writers. Co-host Barbara Walters is a journalist who created the show to showcase a diversity of opinions and often rambunctious conversations.
“‘The View’ will continue without interruption,” the show’s rep said.
NBC’s morning lineup, built around the third and fourth hours of the “Today” show, is likewise largely strike-proof, since there are no WGA positions on the staff of the news division-produced program, according to a show rep.
The soap operas produced by and for the Big Three broadcast networks have scripts written well ahead and are said to be capable of shooting original episodes for another two or three months.
“ABC daytime dramas are written well into the new year,” an ABC spokesperson said.
“The daytime situation is pretty good,” said a CBS representative, who added that the network’s soap viewers might not see any impact of the strike until January.