The Fox Shows

At the end of last week and the beginning of this, I made my way through Starz Media and Fox Animation. Between the two studios, four Fox animated shows -- Family Guy, The Simpsons, King of the Hill and American Dad -- are being created. And every one of them could be impacted if and when the WGA writers -- who pen all those shows -- walk out on strike...

One manager told me:

"Fox hasn't told us much of anything about what happens if the Writers Guild strikes. We don't know if upper management is planning for contingencies and just not saying anything so they don't freak us out, or they're just not saying anything because they've got nothing planned and nothing to tell us.

We can go along for awhile if there's no new scripts. When we have to lay people off, it's going to be tough to replace a lot of the artists in the production pipeline if we can't get them back..."

At Starz Media, artists asked me what's the deal with a job action by the WGA. (Like I know.) I said they could go out any time after October 31, when the WGA's contract is up, but that I've got no idea what the Writers Guild's strategy is.

I keep asking various mucky mucks how long production could go on after the scripts stop. The answer I've received so far: "Until early next year."

A strike could go on three months, six months or more. It's pretty much unknowable at this point if Fox and Starz's artistic staffs face long layoffs or not.