Greve de roteiristas: Escritório fechado! (The Office)

TV writers: Is your showrunner back at work today?

“The Office” showrunner Greg Daniels is picketing his own Van Nuys set. Cast members – including Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer and John Krasinski as well as WGA members Steve Carell, B.J. Novak, Mindy Kaling and Paul Leiberstein – are not crossing the picket line.

Losing its cast shuts down NBC’s highest-rated sitcom a lot faster than a lot of other series, which are trying to put into production the last few scripts written before the strike.

An excerpt from a TVWeek story on the matter:

“We have non-writing producers on the show who are perfectly capable of doing any non-writing producing duties,” Mr. Daniels said. “They want me do to writing-producing and just pretend it’s producing. Every decision you make has a writing aspect to it. If they really just thought it was producing, they could just as easily get somebody else to do these tasks.”

Read all of TVWeek’s story here.

"30 Rock" writer/star/mastermind/showrunner Tina Fey is also picketing her own show.

This just in:

Hey, Herc -- They're telling the striking workers down at CBS that Julia Louise Dreyfuss walked off the set of "New Adventures of Old Christine" today and promptly joined the picket line. I now love Ms. Dreyfuss.

And this:

Outside of Universal this morning was the bearded one himself, ["Battlestar Galactica" showrunner] Ron Moore, picketing the Universal Studios Gates with the entire writing staff.

And this:

I can confirm that the entire writing staff of TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES, including showrunners John Wirth and Josh Friedman, were out picketing at Warner Bros today.

And this:

Herc,

Heads up, another show to add to the list of frozen productions.

Rules of Engagement, starring David Spade and Patrick Warburton has officially shut down as well. Their last episode was filmed Sunday night instead of the usual Tuesday night.

I work on the show and it's officially shut down until further notice.

And this:

"Desperate Housewives" showrunner Marc Cherry picketed Universal Monday, alongside WGA President Patric Veronne and lead negotiator David Young. Entertainment Tonight popped by as well. Marc will be back tomorrow, he is picketing with his entire writing staff.

Marg Helgenberger showed up all by her lonesome to join the picket, and did actually picket for several hours.

Joss Whedon's fan club, Whedoneque, had pizzas delivered to all gates, including a special anchovies-only for Jane Espenson (she did drop by and did enjoy a slice).

And a man I am told was Ahmet Zappa came by with several dozen iced blendeds from Coffee Bean for everyone's enjoyment.

The honks from drivers passing by were deafening and constant, and greatly, greatly appreciated - keep honking! NBC even sent down an *intern* to beg us to quit encouraging the honking, as it was "distracting" to the suits inside. We'll get right on that.

This from longtime AICN contributor "Derek Flint":

Bryan Fuller was picketing Warner Brothers with the entire writing staff of PUSHING DAISIES.

J.J. Abrams picketed alongside the producers of LOST.

Reportedly, Tim Kring wouldn't comply with a weekend rewrite that would tack a season ending onto the last script written and is now off HEROES.

An email from "Grey's Anatomy"/"Private Practice" mastermind Shonda Rhimes:

I have to tell all of you that this email directly reflects the stance I came to over a very long night in New York. I absolutely believed that I would edit our episodes. Until a thought hit me: how can I walk a picket line and then continue to essentially work? How am I supposed to look at myself in the mirror or look at my child years from now and know that I did not have the courage of my convictions to stand up and put myself more at risk than anyone else? So I choose not to render my services as a producer. I choose to honor the strike. And I am proud that you all stand with me.

Shawn Ryan, showrunner on CBS' "The Unit" and FX's "The Shield," is also staying out of the office and on the picket line with "Unit" star Robert Patrick. Ryan writes:

At the Showrunners Meeting it became very clear to me that the only thing I can do as a showrunner is to do nothing. I obviously will not write on my shows. But I also will not edit, I will not cast, I will not look at location photos, I will not get on the phone with the network and studio, I will not prep directors, I will not review mixes. These are all acts that are about the writing of the show or protecting the writing of the show, and as such, I will not participate in them. I will also not ask any of my writer/producers to do any of these things for me, so that they get done, but I can save face.

I will not go into the office and I will not do any work at home. I will be on the picket line or I will be working with the Negotiating Committee. I will not have an avid sent to my house, or to a new office so that I can do work on my show and act as if it is all right because I'm not crossing any picket lines.

Read more of Ryan's thoughts on the matter here.