The contract that the Writers Guild of America has with movie studios, TV networks and independent producers expires today. If writers and producers can't agree to a new one, writers go on strike. Moviegoers won't suffer if the writers hit the road, at least for a while.
Television is a different creature.
Fall shows typically go into production in the summer, and if the writers stay on strike for more than a couple of months, the fall TV season will have few if any new episodes of sitcoms or dramas. Even if some scripts remain unproduced by the fall, actors may follow writers on strike when their own contract expires June 30. If the strike continues, say, into September, the broadcast networks will have to air fall lineups with a few shows stockpiled from the past year, game shows, so-called reality programs, newsmagazines, sports, movies and reruns. Cable networks, which usually fill schedules with reruns anyway, should be relatively unaffected. Daytime and late-night shows are a puzzle.