We're in a golden age of television dramas (and have been for half a decade).

I'm generally anti-union and that holds for the WGA as well. But since that is the form everybody involved has settled on things like this are the inevitable result. It's a marketplace. There isn't really any "fair" except for when the producers fail to meet their contractually obligated payments (which is common).

To the extent my sympathies matter they lean towards the writers (pretty much everybody I know actively in the industry is on the writing end of things). Sucky or good they'll eventually reach a settlement and if both sides agree then it is "fair." I'm not dramatically impacted however it goes.

And yes, there are picket lines around Disney today. And every major studio facility in town.

I meant to go by the Pixar campus today to see if there was anything there. I know that WGA only covers some animation and am not sure if that includes Disney or not.

Seeing that 90% seems to be reality show, there is a very small percentage, but I've yet to see it. I guess that whole "Cavemen" thing really killed my desire to watch tv anymore. :( Everytime I turn on the tube its "Kidnap your favorite 5th Grader" or "The Bachlor."

That aside - I agree the writers deserve so much more than they get. Its sad and unfair and I hope they succed.

Might I suggest either (sticking to non-pay channels - there are a lot of good shows on HBO & Showtime) House or Bones (which both happen to be on Fox). Also, Gray's Anatomy has picked back up this year (it got a little off-kilter last year).

Another fun show is Meerkat Manor on Animal Planet (OK: this isn't a writing showcase, but it is a good show to watch).

I will leave it with these suggestions: I am sure others will throw in their choices as well.

(And why does Firefox not recognize "Meerkat" and suggest "Ekaterina"???)

I'm just hoping that they'll bring "Small Wonder" back.

Oh, and a GREAT show, albeit old, that one can find on Universal HD is Northern Exposure. Yes, this is an old show, but it had some of the best writing on TV. That it was shot on film (hence, why it is on HD) only adds to the wonder of it.

I thought "Small Wonder" grew up and became the premise for "Weird Science"? ;)

Actually, I think we should write a whole new remake of "Small Wonder" - this time, about a guy who builds a new penis for himself by combining some of the drugs/techniques he receives in various spam emails, but it "comes alive" and forms a mind of its own, and plots to take over the world.

You're clearly not watching the right shows, then. We watch 0% reality TV (except the kind of show that Tom edits, which is instructional/educational reality TV like Alton Brown's Good Eats) but our plate is full of cleverly written shows - my favorite of which, right now, is Tina Fey's 30 Rock.

In recent years, The Office, Veronica Mars, Lost, House, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report have been regulars on our TiVo and the writing staffs are brilliant; we'd be proud to be a part of them. Even this season, Pushing Daisies has shown promise and I bet you'd like it.

The key is: ignore Cavemen and the other bull****. But don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

And if we're going old, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (if you'll get past the stigma from the horrible original movie and your preconceived notions) was one of the best things ever written.