How the Writers Strike Changed the World! (Not)

Behold, the new, post-writers-strike television landscape. Looks a lot like the old one, no?

That's what Rebecca Dana says in The Wall Street Journal, anyway. Assessing the various wild-eyed claims about how the strike would demolish the existing TV paradigm, she writes:

So far, the gravest predictions about the effects the strike would have on the old model haven't transpired. Viewers didn't abandon the medium en masse and turn to the Internet and DVDs. They dutifully watched reality shows, but these shows didn't take over; reruns and other programming kept plugging along as well.

That's not to say there will be no lasting effects. For one thing, networks will probably premiere new shows year-round instead of dropping them all at the start of the fall. (Update: Yup.) But then, they've been moving in that direction for years.

Another theme of strike coverage has been the probable death of the upfronts, the annual week in May when networks showcase their fall schedules for advertisers, at great expense. But now Silicon Alley Insider says NBC has joined its three rivals in planning upfront festivities, ensuring the old regime will live on for another year, at least.