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Striking screen writers are back on the picket lines today. And David Letterman and Jay Leno are back on TV tonight. Since the Writers Guild of America went on strike almost two months ago, the late night talk shows have been in reruns. Well, tonight, Letterman returns with his writers, while Leno will have to do without. Both shows will feature some high-profile political guests.
NPR's Kim Masters is following the writers strike and has this report.
KIM MASTERS: Bill Scheft is a writer for "Late Night with David Letterman." He says he'll return to work today with extremely mixed feelings.
Mr. BILL SCHEFT (Writer, "Late Night with David Letterman"): Believe me, we are mindful of the 11,000 people that don't get to go back to work.
MASTERS: Scheft intends to keep walking the picket line even though his back to writing. He also promises that tonight's show, and perhaps many others in the future, will be aimed directly at the networks that make up the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
Mr. SCHEFT: I can't think of anything that will be on tonight that will not address the strike.
MASTERS: But the Writers Guild now faces an awkward situation. David Letterman's company, Worldwide Pants, owns his show. Last week, that company made a deal with the guild and met the union's key demands, so Letterman returns with these writers providing the jokes. So does Craig Ferguson because Letterman's company also owns his show.
Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien do not own their shows. Their network, NBC, does. So they cannot make a deal with the union and both must go on the air without pre-written material.
Patric Verrone is president of the Writers Guild's western branch, and he was walking the picket line outside the NBC Studios in Los Angeles today.
Mr. PATRIC VERRONE (President, Writers Guild West): Now that we have Letterman and Craig Ferguson back on the air with their writers and getting guests that don't have to cross the picket line, we think ABC and NBC feel the pressure.
MASTERS: But the risk is clear. Some writers could break ranks if they feel it's unfair for Letterman's writers to go back to work while those employed by his main competitor must stay off the job.
Verrone says it was a difficult call, but he thinks most union members support the guild's tactics. Certainly, that was true of the head writer on Jay Leno's show, Joe Medeiros, who also showed up to picket at NBC.
Mr. JOE MEDEIROS (Head Writer, "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno"): Personally, it's a little tough. But, you know, in the scheme of things, you know, it's good that a company has signed the deal. We need more companies to sign it. We need somebody big like NBC Universal to step up to the plate and put us back to work.
MASTERS: Tonight's competition from Letterman will include an appearance by Robin Williams in a taped cameo by presidential contender Hillary Clinton from Iowa. Letterman appears with a beard, as does NBC's Conan O'Brien. He will lament his writerless state.
(Soundbite of show "Late Night with Conan O'Brien")
Mr. CONAN O'BRIEN (Host, "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"): We have no writers and we have an hour show, a one-hour show to do every night.
MASTERS: Jay Leno's guest is presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. He's a funny guy for a politician, but Michael Winship, president of the Writers Guild's eastern branch is hoping that Leno and other hosts without writers will be at a very obvious disadvantage.
Mr. MICHAEL WINSHIP (President, Writers Guild East): I think anything is possible if we can go by the experience of the 1988 strike when David Letterman was being shaved on the air and featuring accordion solos. We'll just have to see what they come up with. It might be quite a contortion act.
MASTERS: Letterman writer Bill Scheft hopes that tonight's show is just a beginning of a comedy assault that will drive the networks back to bargaining table. He knows audiences could get tired of hearing about the writer situation, but expects the material will be entertaining enough that they won't.
Mr. SCHEFT: Dave, he is still talking about his heart surgery. He's still talking about the Academy Awards from 1995. You know, as long as it's funny, it's okay.
MASTERS: Will it be funnier than the competition? Only those with TiVo will find it easy to make a quick comparison.
Kim Masters, NPR News.