Strike deal brings hope to a wobbly season

So the strikes are apparently ending … at last.
Writers were on strike for 148 days, before a deal was reached – tentatively on Sept. 24, officially a few days later. Now actors – on strike for 118 days – have reached a deal; it goes to the board Friday (Nov. 10) and then to the membership for a vote.
For some movie people, the effect is simple: The Christmastime films have already been made; now the stars will soon be free to promote them.
TV, as always, is more of a moving target. Writers have been working on the scripts for six weeks; it’s just a question of how quickly things can get back to work. Let’s take CBS as an example:
— With the strike looming, the network delayed its summer shows, so they could sprawl deep into the fall; it also started some new reality shows. Even that delay, however, wasn’t enough. One new show (“The Buddy Games”) has already ended its season. And tonight (Nov. 9), “Big Brother” – sprawling deep into the fall – has its finale.
— Still, CBS has more back-ups, some imported from its companion services. “Yellowstone” reruns (8 p.m. Sundays), from the Paramount Network and Paramount+, are successful; this week (9-11 p.m. Nov. 12), that leads into the first two episodes of the same producer’s “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” (shown here) borrowed from Paramount+. The Australian “NCIS: Sydney,” arriving Tuesday, is quite good; the original, British version of “Ghosts,” arriving Thursday, is OK.
— For one stretch, the end of the strikes will seem irrelevant. Starting at Thanksgiving, CBS and other networks will load their schedules with Christmas specials, new and (especially) old. Frosty, Rudolph and the Grinch will help them (and us) survive.
— But yes, TV needs to get back on its feet by January. The deal CBS reportedly set previously for “Bob (Hearts) Abishola” may be an example: It involves 13 episodes (not 22) and guarantees only the main two actors that they’ll be in each one. Others will be paid per episode, getting at least five.
That could be where other shows are headed: Get back on the air early in the new year, aim for shortened seasons, remind us that real TV is more than just a bunch of big brothers and buddy games.