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Write strikes have left a lot of shows unable to be filmed over the years, as there are no writers to write the much-needed scripts. With a pause in the filming and the creation of these shows, there’s a lot of doubt over when and whether some much-loved favorites will air again.
However, this isn’t a new thing and there was another writer strike back in 2007 that also caused a lot of chaos in the world of TV. One of the shows affected by this strike was The Big Bang Theory, which may not have become the much-loved hit show it is today had TV bosses not made such a crucial decision in TV history.
What Are The Writers’ Strikes?
The writers’ strikes that are occurring in the US are currently due to the members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) wanting higher pay, a stable pay structure, better deals and contracts, and something put in place due to the rise in the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Due to the importance of the writers regarding TV, this is causing many TV shows to halt production and the broadcasters are having to result to airing re-runs of previous episodes instead.
It’s unknown how long these strikes are due to go on, but if the 2007 writers’ strikes are anything to go by, there could be quite a few more months until new episodes of your favorite TV shows appear on the air again.
How Was The Big Bang Theory Affected By The 2007 Writers’ Strikes?
Writers strikes aren’t a new thing and whilst there hasn’t been one in over a decade, the last one occurred during the 2007-08 season — just as The Big Bang Theory was airing its very first season.
The issue with a strike like this happening just as a new show is airing or is about to air, especially as it can sometimes take audiences a while to warm to new shows, is that this can cast a lot of doubt over whether the show will even survive beyond a few episodes, whereas most would be hoping to last at least a season or two.
At the point that the strikes first started happening, only eight episodes of the show had been aired, which meant that those eight episodes ended up being re-run a few times before any new episodes were able to go to air.
Regardless of the show, if the same few episodes are being re-run continuously, this can either cause TV audiences to become really excited or really fed up by it.
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However, this only showed to CBS how promising The Big Bang Theory was because by them re-running the same eight episodes during the duration of the writers’ strike, it caused the audience to fall in love with the show and characters, and it’s safe to say that the rest is history.
Co-creator Bill Prady even went as far as to say that the strikes may have actually saved the show in the long run and caused it to run for as long as it did because it allowed the channel to see how good the ratings were from re-runs alone, meaning that they were more likely to keep the series running.
Given that, from the sounds of it, those writers’ strikes are to thank for the longevity of the best sitcoms of all time (although some say it’s the worst sitcom ever), it’s probably a good thing they happened.
Plus, given that they managed to create a solid fan base for The Big Bang Theory, there’s a chance (albeit a small one) that some of the new shows starting out during the current writers’ strikes will be able to achieve as much, or similar, success as The Big Bang Theory has.
How Many Seasons Of The Big Bang Theory Are There?
There are twelve seasons of The Big Bang Theory in total with 279 episodes over those seasons. With it being such a long-running sitcom, it was hard to find a good way for it to end. Some of the cast were more than happy with how it ended; whereas others were left feeling a little underwhelmed with the ending.
It ended due to actor Jim Parsons, who played scientist Sheldon Cooper, deciding it was time for him to leave the show and while many of his fellow cast members weren’t happy with the way in which it was handled, everyone agreed that ending the show after twelve seasons was the perfect way to say goodbye to the beloved sitcom.
Given how iconic the show was, there are often a lot of talks about whether the show will get a reboot or at least have a reunion of some sort. However, at present, this seems rather unlikely since it’s not that long since the show ended, but some of the cast do still seem open to the idea.
