Television viewers are creatures of habit.
The other night, without thinking, I flipped on Letterman, wondering who that night's guests were and how funny the Top Ten List would be. That was when I noticed Daniel Radcliffe sitting in the big, comfy guest chair promoting Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.""
Uh. Wait a sec. Didn't that happen in July?
And then reality came rushing back: Letterman was in reruns. Letterman was in reruns because it had no new shows. It had no new shows because of the Hollywood writers' strike.
When it comes to TV viewing, it's amazing how we can turn on the tube and zone out without even thinking, or instinctively know to tune in at a certain time for our favorite show. Half the time we don't even realize we do it until that new episode we've been waiting for all week just ... isn't there.
The writers' strike affects more than just the writers, as people are starting to realize. Faithful viewers, like yours truly, are also directly touched by the conflict. It makes perfect sense, of course - so how come most of the worry from viewers is just setting in now? It's because TV is something we take for granted, and the thought of not having any new episodes of the shows we follow religiously has taken some time to really sink in.
In other words, we can no longer act out of habit.
All over the Internet, people are now voicing fears for their most-beloved programs. E! Online has switched to crisis mode with its ""Strikewatch"" feature, which answers pressing viewer questions, like how many new episodes certain shows have left to air before they run out. Some, like ""Grey's Anatomy"" and ""Pushing Daisies,"" have enough filmed to last a little longer. Others, like late-night talk shows and some sitcoms, aren't so lucky, with reruns already in full swing or, in the case of ""The Office,"" with only one episode remaining to air. Whatever the case, TV watchers are starting to panic.
Even the writers themselves have recognized what the strike could do to viewers in the long-term. Damon Lindelof, head writer on ""Lost,"" speculated in a New York Times opinion piece that he ""will probably be dragged through the streets and burned in effigy if fans have to wait another year for 'Lost' to come back.""
And then there is the prediction by many entertainment commentators of what could likely replace scripted programs: reality TV. Personally, it was the thought of episode after episode of ""Wife Swap"" and ""Flavor of Love"" that really made me cling to my favorite shows for dear life.
We won't know the true extent of the strike's impact on viewers until more time has passed. But if it has had one profound effect already, it has made TV fans everywhere understand that television, as trivial as many critics make it seem, cannot be taken for granted.
All we can do now is sit back and wait, reflecting on how much more appreciative we as fans will be when our beloved shows are out of danger.
Until then, here's hoping you like reruns.
Think you can come up with a better way to entertain Casey than 'Flavor of Love""? Shoot her an idea at mysliwy@wisc.edu
