# Effect of the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike on television

The 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike, which began on November 5, 2007, was a labor conflict that affected a large number of television shows that were due to be broadcast in the United States during the 2007–2008 television season. Negotiators for the striking writers reached a tentative agreement on February 8, 2008, and the boards of both guilds unanimously approved the deal on February 10, 2008. Striking writers voted on February 12, 2008, to end the strike immediately, and on February 26, the WGA announced that the contract had been ratified with a 93.6% approval among WGA members.

## Effect on shows
### Shows with increased number of episodes

Some shows, especially unscripted or reality shows, benefitted from the strike by providing the networks with new material.
| Show | Network: | Notes |
| The Amazing Race | CBS | Originally only one season (The Amazing Race 12) was planned for the 2007–2008 season. A second season of the show (The Amazing Race 13) was greenlit shortly after the start of the strike, although it did not air till the following TV season with the premiere airing on September 28, 2008. The season finale aired on December 7, 2008. |
| Big Brother | CBS | Originally only one season was planned for the show's traditional summer slot in 2008. Due to the writer's strike, a second season for 2008 was ordered. Big Brother 9 aired in the winter-spring period and premiered Tuesday, February 12, 2008, with three episodes per week. Big Brother 10 aired during the summer and premiered Sunday, July 13, 2008, with three episodes per week. |
| Good News Week | Network Ten (Australia) | Meant to be a one-off special, new episodes were made for the first time in 7 years to fill gap left by lack of US product. The new run lasted until 2011, with a final special in 2012. |
| The Price Is Right, Power of 10 | CBS | In response to the strike, CBS ordered 10 primetime The Price is Right $1,000,000 Spectacular specials, the first to feature then-new host Drew Carey. They aired on Friday nights beginning February 22, 2008. CBS also ordered additional episodes of the Carey-hosted quiz show Power of 10. |

### Unaffected shows

Some shows were not affected by the strike, being unscripted, not using union writers, or completing their production before the strike began. Some shows made in Canada use mainly or solely Canadian writers and were thus unaffected by the US strike.
| Show | Network | Notes |
| Eureka | Sci Fi | All 13 episodes of season 2 were shown. Season 3 was produced over a longer period due to the strike. |
| Jericho | CBS | All 7 episodes for season 2 were completed before the strike |
| All My Children | ABC | Scripts were completed through January 2008. |
| Duel | ABC | Only Big Three network game show to premiere whole series during the strike. Second season as weekly series premiered on April 4, 2008, and ended on July 25, 2008, for 10 episodes. |
| The Bold and the Beautiful | CBS | Scripts were completed through January 2008. |
| Days of Our Lives | NBC | Scripts were completed through January 2008. |
| Guiding Light | CBS | Scripts were completed through February 2008. |
| One Life to Live | ABC | Scripts were completed through January 2008. |
| Passions | The 101 Network | Scripts were completed through February 2008 |
| The View | ABC | Continued, with a statement by the network that "contingency plans have been made in the event of a strike." |
| Carpoolers | ABC | All 13 ordered episodes were completed. |
| The Closer | TNT | All 15 episodes of season 3 made |
| Curb Your Enthusiasm | HBO | Had not been renewed for a seventh season until after the strike |
| Dexter | Showtime | All episodes completed of Season 2 before strike. Production started early in anticipation. Season 1 re-purposed on CBS due to lack of new content. |
| Eli Stone | ABC | All 13 ordered episodes were completed. Premiered January 31, 2008. |
| Everybody Hates Chris | The CW | All 22 episodes completed, returned on March 3. |
| Kyle XY | ABC Family | All 23 episodes completed. New episodes began January 14, 2008. 10 more episodes ordered in October, before the strike. |
| Lincoln Heights | ABC Family | Was not renewed for a third season until after the strike |
| Mad Men | AMC | Lionsgate side deal made, production resumed on scripts for summer airing. |
| Monk | USA | All 16 episodes completed. |
| New Amsterdam | FOX | All 8 episodes completed. Premiered March 4, 2008. |
| October Road | ABC | All 13 ordered episodes for season 2 were completed. |
| Psych | USA | All 16 episodes completed. |
| The Shield | FX | All 13 ordered episodes were completed. |
| South Park | Comedy Central | Show creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone were not members of the union, and continued writing and producing the show at the beginning of the strike with the final two episodes of season 11 airing as planned. The show was on a scheduled hiatus for the rest of the strike's duration. |
| Stargate Atlantis | Sci Fi | All of Season 4 was completed. Most writers are members of the Writers Guild of Canada. It was reported that the broadcast schedule would potentially be affected because of the broader effects of the strike. |
| The Wire | HBO | All 10 episodes were completed for the final season. |

#### Unscripted shows

| Show | Network | Notes |
| Poker After Dark | NBC | Continued production airing original episodes; unaffected by the strike. |

#### Shows with writing completed before strike

| Show | Network | Notes |
| 10 Items or Less | TBS | All 8 ordered episodes were completed. |
| About a Girl | The N | All 13 episodes were completed. |
| American Dad! | Fox | All 22 ordered episodes had been written. |
| Cane | CBS | All 13 ordered episodes were completed. |
| Jericho | CBS | All 7 ordered episodes were completed. |

#### Shows that switched to non-union writers

| Show | Network | Notes |
| All My Children | ABC | On January 15, 2008, the soap was written by Julie Hanan Carruthers and Brian Frons replacing James Harmon Brown and Barbara Esensten who returned on January 31 |
| As the World Turns | CBS | Entire writing staff was on strike. Material written by non-union writers airing as of January 25, 2008 until the end of the strike. |
| General Hospital | ABC | Using financial core and strikebreaker material as of January 4, 2008. Writing led by non-striking guild member Garin Wolf. Head writer Robert Guza Jr. and his staff returned after the strike. |
| One Life to Live | ABC | As of February 15, 2008, Gary Tomlin took over as head writer for the soap replacing Ron Carlivati who returned on May 2. |
| Power Rangers | ABC/Toon Disney | Much of the remainder of Power Rangers Jungle Fury was written by strikebreakers working under pseudonyms. The final three episodes (plus a fourth episode, written out of order) were written by longtime series writer Jackie Marchand and John Tellegen upon the strike's end. A fifth episode, "Maryl and the Monkeys," was originally credited in released synopses to a writer named Sal N. Mitchell but when it aired, the episode was credited to executive producer Bruce Kalish. |
| The Young and the Restless | CBS | Writing taken over by non-striking guild members Josh Griffith and Maria Arena Bell (the daughter-in-law of the show's creator William J. Bell), among others. Griffith/Bell material aired starting December 26, 2007. Lynn Marie Latham and three of her writers were terminated as of February 13, 2008. |

#### Shows airing off-season

| Show | Network | Notes |
| Burn Notice | USA | Season 2 premiered unaffected. The full season of 16 episodes were aired. |
| Miss Guided | ABC | Writing was halted, but all 7 planned episodes aired. |
| Weeds | Showtime | Weeds was not scheduled to start filming until April 2008 for a summer debut, however, Lionsgate made a side deal to avert a production halt and remained unaffected, airing as planned in August. |
| It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | FX | Renewed for a fourth season was composed of 13 episodes that aired in fall 2008. |
| Canterbury's Law | Fox | All 6 ordered episodes were completed. Premiered on March 10, 2008. |

### Shows delayed or interrupted by the strike

Some shows ran out of episodes, but caught up to their ordered amount after the strike. Some other shows, such as talk shows, were interrupted, but made arrangements to return to screens early.
| Show | Network | Date stopped | Date restarted | Episodes made before strike | Episodes made after strike | Notes |
| According to Jim | ABC | March 11, 2008 | | 11 of 18 | 7 | Most of the actors in this show, including James Belushi, struck with the writers. |
| South of Nowhere | The N | September 8, 2008 | September 2008 | 16 of 16 | | Initially set to air final episodes starting in February. The April 2008 airing of the remaining episodes from the third season were pushed back to September. |
| Women's Murder Club | ABC | January 4, 2008 | April 2008 | 10 of 13 | 3 | |
| The Colbert Report | Comedy Central | Reruns began on November 5, 2007. | January 7, 2008 (without writers). | N/A | N/A | Pronunciation of show title changed for the length of the strike. |
| The Colbert Report | Comedy Central | Reruns began on November 5, 2007. | February 13, 2008 (with writers) | N/A | N/A | Pronunciation of show title changed for the length of the strike. |
| The Daily Show with Jon Stewart | Comedy Central | Reruns began on November 5, 2007. | January 7, 2008 (without writers) | N/A | N/A | The show was briefly renamed A Daily Show with Jon Stewart in honor of the strike. |
| The Daily Show with Jon Stewart | Comedy Central | Reruns began on November 5, 2007. | February 13, 2008 (with writers) | N/A | N/A | The show was briefly renamed A Daily Show with Jon Stewart in honor of the strike. |
| The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson | CBS | Reruns began on November 5, 2007. | New episodes began on January 2, 2008. | N/A | N/A | David Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants, successfully negotiated a new collective bargaining agreement, so the show returned with its full complement of writing staff. |
| Late Night with Conan O'Brien | NBC | Reruns began on November 5, 2007. | New episodes began without writers on January 2, 2008. | N/A | N/A | |
| Late Night with Conan O'Brien | NBC | Reruns began on November 5, 2007. | February 15, 2008 with writers. | N/A | N/A | |
| Late Show with David Letterman | CBS | Reruns began on November 5, 2007. | New shows began on January 2, 2008. | N/A | N/A | Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants, successfully negotiated a new collective bargaining agreement, so the show returned with its full complement of writing staff. |
| Real Time with Bill Maher | HBO | Reruns began on November 9, 2007. | The sixth season premiered without writers on January 11, 2008. | N/A | N/A | |
| Real Time with Bill Maher | HBO | Reruns began on November 9, 2007. | February 15, 2008 with writers. | N/A | N/A | |
| Greek | ABC Family | September 10, 2007 | March 24, 2008 | 18 of 22 | 4 | |
| Saturday Night Live | NBC | Reruns began November 10, 2007. | February 23, 2008. | N/A | N/A | In mid-November, most of the production staff was laid off. |
| The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | NBC | Reruns began on November 5, 2007. | January 2, 2008 (no writers). | N/A | N/A | |
| The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | NBC | Reruns began on November 5, 2007. | February 15, 2008 with writers. | N/A | N/A | |

### Shows with shortened seasons

Even though production began again on some shows, they were unable to complete the full season originally ordered.
| Show | Season | Network | Date stopped | Restart | Episodes made before strike | Episodes made after strike | Notes |
| 30 Rock | 2 | NBC | January 10, 2008 | April 10, 2008 | 10 of 22 | 5 | The cast performed a live show at the Upright Citizens Brigade theater in New York City which later resulted in the airing of a live broadcast episode entitled "Live Show" in 2010. |
| Back to You | 1 | Fox | February 27, 2008 | April 16, 2008 | 9 of 24 | 5 | |
| The Big Bang Theory | 1 | CBS | November 12, 2007 | March 17, 2008 | 8 of 22 | 9 | |
| Bones | 3 | Fox | December 11, 2007 | April 14, 2008 | 13 of 23 | 2 | |
| Boston Legal | 4 | ABC | February 19, 2008 | April 8, 2008 | 14 of 22 | 6 | |
| Breaking Bad | 1 | AMC | March 9, 2008 | March 8, 2009 | 7 of 9 | 0 | Hank Schrader (Dean Norris) was planned to be killed off at the end of Season 1, but his character was spared since the episodes weren't written due to the strike. Season 2 premiered on March 8, 2009. |
| Brothers & Sisters | 2 | ABC | February 17, 2008 | April 20, 2008 | 12 of 23 | 4 | |
| Cold Case | 5 | CBS | February 17, 2008 | March 30, 2008 | 13 of 24 | 5 | |
| Criminal Minds | 3 | CBS | January 23, 2008 | April 2, 2008 | 13 of 25 | 7 | |
| CSI | 8 | CBS | January 10, 2008 | April 3, 2008 | 11 of 24 | 6 | |
| CSI: Miami | 6 | CBS | January 14, 2008 | March 24, 2008 | 13 of 24 | 8 | |
| CSI: NY | 4 | CBS | February 6, 2008 | April 2, 2008 | 14 of 24 | 7 | |
| Desperate Housewives | 4 | ABC | January 6, 2008 | April 13, 2008 | 10 of 23 | 7 | |
| Dirt | 2 | FX | | | 7 of 13 | 2 | |
| ER | 14 | NBC | January 17, 2008 | April 10, 2008 | 13 of 22 | 6 | |
| Family Guy | 6 | Fox | February 17, 2008 | April 27, 2008 | 9 of 22 | 3 | Show runner Seth MacFarlane said (Lois Kills Stewie) was the last episode produced under his watch and no more new episodes were ready after that. However, Fox completed the three episodes written, voiced and animated for the production cycle without MacFarlane's final approval. |
| Frank TV | 1 | TBS | December 18, 2007 | | 5 of 8 | 0 | |
| Friday Night Lights | 2 | NBC | February 8, 2008 | | 15 of 22 | 0 | |
| The Game | 2 | The CW | February 4, 2008 | March 23, 2008 | 11 of 22 | 9 | |
| Ghost Whisperer | 3 | CBS | January 18, 2008 | April 4, 2008 | 12 of 22 | 6 | |
| Gossip Girl | 1 | The CW | January 9, 2008 | April 21, 2008 | 13 of 22 | 5 | |
| Grey's Anatomy | 4 | ABC | January 10, 2008 | April 24, 2008 | 11 of 23 | 6 | |
| Heroes | 2 | NBC | December 3, 2007 | September 22, 2008 | 11 of 24 | 0 |
| House | 4 | Fox | February 5, 2008 | April 28, 2008 | 12 of 24 | 4 | |
| How I Met Your Mother | 3 | CBS | December 10, 2007 | March 17, 2008 | 11 of 22 | 9 | |
| iCarly | 1 | Nickelodeon | July 25, 2008 | September 27, 2008 | 25 of 40 | | |
| King of the Hill | 12 | Fox | | | 21 of 22 | | |
| Las Vegas | 5 | NBC | February 15, 2008 | | 19 of 22 | 0 | |
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | 9 | NBC | January 22, 2008 | April 15, 2008 | 14 of 22 | 5 | |
| Lipstick Jungle | 1 | NBC | March 20, 2008 | | 7 of 13 | 0 | |
| Lost | 4 | ABC | March 20, 2008 | April 24, 2008 | 8 of 16 | 6 | Two episodes lost to the strike added to season 5 and 6 respectively. |
| Medium | 4 | NBC | | | 9 of 22 | 7 | |
| My Name is Earl | 3 | NBC | | | 13 of 25 | 9 |
| NCIS | 5 | CBS | January 15, 2008 | April 8, 2008 | 11 of 24 | 7 |
| The New Adventures of Old Christine | 3 | CBS | March 17, 2008 | March 24, 2008 | 8 of 13 | 2 | |
| Nip/Tuck | 5 | FX | | | 14 of 22 | | |
| Numb3rs | 4 | CBS | January 18, 2008 | April 4, 2008 | 12 of 24 | 6 |
| The Office (US) | 4 | NBC | November 15, 2007 | April 10, 2008 | 8 of 25 | 6 | |
| One Tree Hill | 5 | The CW | March 18, 2008 | April 14, 2008 | 12 of 22 | 6 | |
| Prison Break | 3 | Fox | February 18, 2008 | | 13 of 22 | 0 | Returned for the fourth season. |
| Reaper | 1 | The CW | December 4, 2007 | March 13, 2008 | 13 of 22 | 5 | |
| The Riches | 2 | FX | | | 7 of 13 | 4 | |
| Rules of Engagement | 2 | CBS | November 19, 2007 | April 24, 2008 | 9 of 22 | 4 | |
| Samantha Who? | 1 | ABC | December 10, 2007 | April 7, 2008 | 12 of 22 | 3 | |
| Scrubs | 7 | NBC | December 6, 2007 | April 10, 2008 | 11 of 18 | 2 | Two episodes were produced after the strike — as indicated by production codes — that aired as part of the eighth season when the show moved to ABC. One of those two episodes, "My Nah Nah Nah", made use of unused footage from the incomplete twelfth episode of the seventh season that had its filming halted as a result of the strike. |
| Shark | 2 | CBS | January 22, 2008 | April 29, 2008 | 12 of 22 | 4 | |
| The Simpsons | 19 | Fox | | | 22 of 23 | | |
| Smallville | 7 | The CW | March 27, 2008 | April 17, 2008 | 15 of 22 | 5 | |
| Supernatural | 3 | The CW | February 21, 2008 | April 24, 2008 | 12 of 22 | 4 | As a result of the strike, Supernatural's third season was reduced from its usual twenty-two episode count to only sixteen episodes. |
| 'Til Death | 1 | Fox | November 28, 2007 | March 25, 2008 | 12 of 22 | 3 | |
| Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles | 1 | Fox | March 3, 2008 | September 8, 2008 | 9 of 13 | 0 | The second season was announced on April 22, 2008, and premiered on September 8, 2008. |
| Two and a Half Men | 5 | CBS | November 26, 2007 | March 17, 2008 | 10 of 24 | 9 | |
| Ugly Betty | 2 | ABC | January 24, 2008 | April 24, 2008 | 13 of 23 | 5 | |
| The Unit | 3 | CBS | December 18, 2007 | | 11 of 22 | 0 | |
| Without a Trace | 6 | CBS | January 17, 2008 | April 3, 2008 | 12 of 24 | 6 | |

### Shows postponed

The production on some shows was halted completely, to be restarted, in the 2008–2009 season.
| Show | Network | Date stopped | Restart | Episodes made and ordered | Notes |
| 24 | Fox | N/A | January 2009. | 8 of 24 | The seventh season was originally scheduled to air in January 2008, but was delayed until January 2009. FOX announced a two-hour movie, 24: Redemption, that was shown on November 23, 2008, to bridge the year and a half gap between season 6 and season 7. |
| Battlestar Galactica | Sci Fi | N/A | | 10 of 21 | Only the front half (first ten) were planned to be aired in Spring 2008 season with an indefinite time (now more so) for the back half. |
| Chuck | NBC | January 24, 2008 | Fall of 2008. | 13 of 22 | The season was cut short. |
| Damages | FX | October 23, 2007 | January 2009. | 13 of 13 | No episodes were written because the show was renewed the day after the strike began. |
| Dirty Sexy Money | ABC | December 5, 2007 | Fall of 2008 | 13 of 22 | It was renewed for 2008–2009 season with no new episodes set to air until then. The last three episodes were pushed to the beginning of the next season. |
| Entourage | HBO | | | | Start delayed from June to Sept 2008. |
| Hannah Montana | Disney Channel | | | | Season two wrapped filming before the strike began, with season three's production delayed until summer. |
| Jonas | Disney Channel | | | | Originally scheduled for June 2008 under a different concept, the original pilot featured the Jonas Brothers working as spies was filmed before the strike, due to their increasing popularity, the series was retooled after the strike and premiered on May 2, 2009. |
| Law & Order: Criminal Intent | USA | December 13, 2007 | Summer of 2008 | 10 of 24 | Repurposed on NBC during the strike. Originally scheduled for April, second half (12 episodes) delayed until summer. |
| Life | NBC | December 5, 2007 | Fall of 2008. | 11 of 22 | The season was cut short. |
| Prison Break: Cherry Hill | Fox | N/A | | N/A | No status reports for the spin-off were ever announced, and the project quietly ended before production began. |
| Private Practice | ABC | December 5, 2007 | Fall of 2008 | 9 of 22 | The season was cut short. |
| Pushing Daisies | ABC | December 12, 2007 | Fall of 2008. | 9 of 22 | The season was cut short. |
| Rescue Me | FX | | July 1, 2008 | | No episodes were written because the show was renewed the day after the strike began. |

### Shows cancelled during strike

Some shows cancelled during the strike were under threat of cancellation anyway. In other cases, shows were cancelled, or had their seasons shortened, because of the financial damage of the strike. Several television shows, including Journeyman, K-Ville, Big Shots, and Cavemen, were "quietly" cancelled, in part due to the writer's strike, and in part due to low ratings.
| Show | Network | Unaired Episodes Left | Episodes made and ordered |
| Men in Trees | ABC | 6 | 19 of 27 ordered episodes were completed (5 left over from Season 1 and 14 from Season 2). |
| Big Shots | ABC | 11 of 13. | First cancelled in December 2007, the series was later announced on the mid-season schedule, but was ultimately cancelled for good on May 13, 2008. |
| Bionic Woman | NBC | 8 of 13 | Although rumored to have been cancelled following its eighth episode, media reports suggested that NBC-Universal intended to produce the remaining episodes of the 13-episode order. In March 2008, producer David Eick announced the series had been cancelled. |
| Cavemen | ABC | 7 of 13 | Only 6 episodes aired; the show was then cancelled. |
| Cashmere Mafia | ABC | 7 of 13 |
| Cory in the House | Disney Channel | 13 | Production on season 2 was suspended shortly after the strike began, series canceled upon completion of the strike. |
| Girlfriends | The CW | 13 of 22 | Season 8 was announced as final before strike, no proper final episode to be produced. |
| Journeyman | NBC | All 13 episodes completed. | The series was not renewed by NBC. |
| Just Jordan | Nickelodeon | 3 of 13 | Production suspended, only 3 episodes produced for a planned 3rd season, later aired as a part of season 2, series cancelled upon completion of the strike. |
| K-Ville | Fox | 11 of 13 | Production shut down and not present on Fox's spring schedule. |
| Life is Wild | The CW | 13 of 13 | Series cancelled after the strike, production was filmed in South Africa so it was not under WGA purview. |
| Out of Jimmy's Head | Cartoon Network | All 20 episodes completed. | Post-production affected by the strike, Laugh tracks were featured starting with its 8th episode, series cancelled upon completion of the strike. |
| The Return of Jezebel James | Fox | 7 of 13 | Due to low ratings, cancelled after 3 episodes |
| Tell Me You Love Me | HBO | Season one completed before the strike | Although initially renewed for a second season, it was later canceled. |
| Welcome to The Captain | CBS | 6 of 6 | Only 5 episodes aired. |
| Notes From the Underbelly | ABC | N/A | 5 episodes (from the first season) were shot, only 10 of the planned 13 new episodes were made. Only 2 of the 10 were shown. |
| The 4400 | USA Network | N/A | Cancelled despite the fourth season's cliff-hanger. |

### Unknown post-strike effects

There is still not enough known information about the following shows to categorize the effects on them.
| Network | Show | Unaired Episodes Left | Notes |
| Disney Channel | Wizards of Waverly Place | N/A | Writing halted. |
| HBO | Big Love | N/A | Writing halted. |
| HBO | True Blood | N/A | Started airing first season on September 7, 2008. |
| Lifetime | Army Wives | N/A | Writing halted. The show aired for 7 seasons beginning in 2007. |
| Lifetime | Blood Ties | N/A | Writing halted. |
| Lifetime | Cheerleader Nation | N/A | Status is currently unknown. |
| Lifetime | Side Order of Life | N/A | Writing halted. |
| Lifetime | State of Mind | N/A | Writing halted. |
| The N | The Best Years | 0 | Season one completed its run during the summer. Season 2 aired in 2009. |
| The N | Beyond the Break | N/A | Season 3 eventually aired in 2009. |
| Nickelodeon | SpongeBob SquarePants | N/A | Several writers fired. Speed of scripting slowed. |
| TBS | The Bill Engvall Show | N/A | 10 episodes were to be produced, unknown how many were written. |
| TBS | My Boys | N/A | 8 episodes were to be produced, unknown how many were written. |

## Strike effect by type of show
### Prime-time series

* Mid-season shows, such as Dirt and The Riches, began production after most other TV shows, so they had completed fewer episodes; although some shows were produced early, knowing a strike was possible. 24, also airing mid-season, was postponed due to the serial nature of the show.
* For some shows without full-season pickups such as Moonlight, production on the first batch of shows was completed.
* Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence responded to concerns that a proper series finale may not air, as only 11 of its 18 ordered episodes were filmed at the time. Lawrence stated he would either release the finale on DVD or post what would have happened in episodes 13 through 18 on the internet. However, it was announced in May 2008 that ABC picked up Scrubs for an eighth season for 2008–2009.
* During the strike, ABC's Dirty Sexy Money was given a full season order. NBC also gave full season orders to Life, and Chuck and also announced that, contrary to recurring rumor, Bionic Woman would also continue production after the strike.
* FX Network's The Shield is one of the few shows that was able to air the entire season, as it was mostly wrapped before the strike started. Similarly, CBS's returning series, Jericho, aired midseason. Production of the full season was completed prior to the strike and was not affected by the work stoppage.
* Some networks such as CBS, due to the financial effects of the strike, ordered a reduced number of pilots.
* CBS aired a Canadian series, Flashpoint. NBC similarly aired the Canadian series The Listener, but pulled the show after one episode due to low ratings.

### Talk shows

Late night comedy shows such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Late Show with David Letterman, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and Saturday Night Live began airing reruns immediately. Last Call with Carson Daly resumed airing on December 3, with host Carson Daly explaining that if he did not do so, his staff would have been fired. On January 2, 2008, The Tonight Show and Late Night returned on NBC with new episodes. Conan O'Brien stated, "An unwritten version of 'Late Night,' though not desirable, is possible -- and no one has to be fired."
On November 12, 2007, instead of a recent episode, NBC aired an episode of The Tonight Show from November 17, 2003. Beginning the week of November 26, The Tonight Show began continuously airing "vintage" episodes. The Tonight Show was reportedly planning to air new episodes beginning November 19, having guest hosts to fill in for Jay Leno. This did not occur, however.
Several talk show hosts who refused to do their shows announced that they would pay non-striking staff members out of their own pockets through the end of the year, including David Letterman and Conan O'Brien. Jay Leno was chided when NBC fired his non-striking staff, after he promised them they would not have to worry about their jobs. Leno later announced that he would also pay his staff for the next 2 weeks starting December 2, 2007.
David Letterman and his Worldwide Pants, Inc. production company broke ranks with the networks and negotiated its own independent contract with the WGA in late 2007. The deal was independent and only between the production company and the union, and allowed the company to start new shows in 2008.

### Other

Although many animated series employ union writers, there is no requirement to do so. For instance, the writers of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, were not union members, and the show remained in production during the strike. The episode "Canada on Strike" was written as a parody of the WGA strike.
Movies, such as High School Musical 3: Senior Year, were directly affected by the strike, including those filmed on location. However, the strike did not affect reality shows such as American Idol, whose episodes are unscripted, or news programs, whose writers belong to a different guild. Nevertheless, newswriters at CBS News and at local CBS owned-and-operated television stations (as well as CBS Radio news entities) were subject to the threat of a different strike action by the WGA. CBS News writers under the WGA had been without a contract with the network since April 2005 until a contract was agreed to on January 9, 2008.
Similarly, some game shows, such as Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? and The Price Is Right, were not affected because they are unscripted, other than the questions and the prize descriptions (and in Price's case, Showcase skits); by contrast, Sony Pictures' Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, and Disney's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire had their quiz questions researched and written by WGA writers under deals with their producers. The first season of the game show Duel premiered on December 17, 2007, and ended on December 23, 2007; the first season of the show was the only game show, and thus the only strike-replacement program, that was affected by the strike. The second season premiered on April 4, 2008, and ended on July 25, 2008, with an 8-week break between May 2 and June 27. A revival of American Gladiators was launched sooner than originally scheduled, with taping in November 2007 that aired in January 2008. Other game, contest and reality shows launched sooner than originally scheduled in order to minimize the amount of scripted-program reruns, and CBS commissioned an order of six episodes of The Price Is Right $1,000,000 Spectacular, the first in the primetime series with new host Drew Carey (who took over hosting duties that season), which later resulted in four additional episodes later in the season. This resulted in drastic mid-season set changes that allowed the show to switch to high-definition television, initially with these episodes, and the daytime show switched for the start of the next season.
While the strike had no effect on sporting events (which are unscripted), the strike also did not affect scripted professional wrestling, as both World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling had in-house ununionized writers. WWE, which had a contract with NBC Universal and aired the biennial Saturday Night's Main Event on the parent network, offered up additional wrestling shows for NBC if needed.
Nightline was the only late-night network program to benefit in the Nielsen ratings from the writers strike. As well, many ABC, and some Fox, affiliates won their late news timeslots as a result of the strike, with most ending winning streaks of the local CBS or NBC affiliates. Among these ABC and Fox affiliates were KABC-TV in Los Angeles, WCVB in Boston, WFAA in Dallas, WTTG in Washington, KSTU in Salt Lake City, KMSP in Minneapolis, KTVI in St. Louis, KOMO-TV in Seattle and WXYZ-TV in Detroit.