SAG-AFTRA Sued For Witholding Foreign Residuals And … 
Zach Braff Ends $3+M Kickstarter Campaign 
Fox Unscripted TV Czar Mike Darnell To Exit 
FIRST BOX OFFICE: ‘Fast & Furious 6′ Easy … 
NBC Sets Oklahoma Tornado Benefit Concert For May 29 
Cannes: Directors’ Fortnight Honors ‘Les … 
SHOCKER: Tom Cruise Exits ‘Man From … 
A+E Rebuild: BBC’s Jana Bennett To Run Bio And LMN … 
RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘Hannibal’ Hits Low, … 
‘Katie’ Shakeup: Rachel Miskowiec Replaces … 
Hammond On Cannes: French Hero Jerry Lewis On His Return To … 
Cannes: Another Jewelry Heist? $2.6M Necklace Missing After … 
Hammond On Cannes: Leo DiCaprio’s Moon Trip Tops … 
Specialty B.O. Preview: ‘Before Midnight’, … 
2012-2013 Season Network Rankings: CBS Sweeps In Final … 
Full 2012-2013 TV Season Series Rankings 
TOLDJA! Paramount Pocketing $190M From Disney For Marvel … 
‘Good Morning America’ Hits 19-Year Viewership … 
MGM Buys ‘Modern Family’ Producer Ben … 
‘Fashion Police’ Writers Chant On Picket Lines: … 
Universal Makes Seven-Figure Deal For ‘The School For … 
For weeks since the strike started, tipsters have kept telling me that Lost showrunner Carlton Cuse, one of the WGA negotiators, had gone back to work and is a major chink in the resolve of the all-important TV showrunners. I kept trying and trying to find out if this was true, and even the WGA was incredibly cryptic about his whereabouts. In fact it’s nearly impossible to ascertain which TV showrunners are performing their producing duties, and which aren’t. Now Carlton Cuse himself distributed this email today to clear up the confusion about where he stands vis a vis his show and the strike:
To my fellow WGA Members,
I want to clear up any misunderstanding about where I stand.
On November 16, I, regretably, was quoted by a Wall Street Journal reporter saying I was going to perform some of my non-writing, post-production duties on episodes of LOST to protect the show for the fans. However, I’m sure to the delight of the AMPTP, my statement became the story and gave the false impression that there was disunity among showrunners over the issues of this negotiation.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Every showrunner I know, whether producing or not producing, stands in full support of the goals of our guild.
For the past two months I have been working seven days a week on these negotiations alongside my fellow negotiating committee members.
As a committee we did everything we could to get both parties back to the bargaining table this last week. We were fully prepared to enter into the kinds of back-and-forth discussions that are necessary to reach any sort of labor deal. I sincerely hoped this return to the table would lead to real progress.
I was wrong.
In fact, given the events of last Thursday — and where things currently stand — I can no longer in good conscience continue to work on my show in any capacity.
What I will be doing is continuing my work as a member of the committee for as long as it takes, contributing in any way I can, to get us the fair and just deal that we must have.
It’s going to be an arduous fight.
But make no mistake — we are united, we are resolute…
And we are indeed ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.
Yours,
Carlton Cuse
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
Loading ...
Well, that sounded portentously ominous.
Um, Carlton…
What were you doing doing post-production duties anyway?
Remember the WGA’s A-H hyphenate rules?
Nice to know while all of us were walking the line, you were going in to work editing your show.
So much for being in this together…
I for one will sleep much better tonight knowing that a month after the strike began one of our chief negotiators is ON BOARD 100%.
Wooohoooooo!!
So he was working during the strike, but now he has stopped. Good to know.
As for showrunners still working, I’ve got a pretty good idea of at least one duo (WGA members) still at the helm. But in the past, Nikki said don’t name names in the comments, so I won’t.
My TiVo just cried a little.
Finished the last mix on the shot material.
What do you think actually happened? There wasn’t enough progress and he had to stop working because of his “concience?” Or he got everything he needed to done, and the staff is leaving for Christmas soon anyways? How transparent.
Look, if I were a showrunner I would have also lived up to my non-writing commitments. What bothers me about Cuse and some others who DID return to to finish work, is that such information was swept under the rug. Our guild made a huge deal about how the block of BIG showrunners were NOT going back to work AT ALL – ala Shaun Ryan. But when they did start going back to work, it was never talked about. Now that Cuse and others have COMPLETED their work, we get his email of solidarity. C’mon! Like I said, I don’t begrudge these guys for “saving their shows” – but once you do, don’t put out an email that suggests otherwise. Man, there is so much bullshit being put out there, it’s not just Big Media that is going to cause unrest in our guild – it’s our own leadership and board members.
Hey, Cuse, you can’t have it both ways. You can’t help the other side for weeks and then be one of us again. Pick a side.
Stefan, no it didn’t. It sounded like a guy who f’d up admitting that he f’d up and saying he wouldn’t do it again.
So it turns out the guy who created Nash Bridges isn’t so bright. Who’da thunk it?
So was Carlton a scab or not? I found his answer as ambiguous as his show.
Doesn’t Oprah somehow have the power to end this whole thing? Can someone make a call?
Am I missing something? He doesn’t say anything like, “Since day 1 of the strike, I have not done one bit of work on LOST or any other show for the studios. I have not worked on a mix, casting, story, editing, etc. I have not done a thing to help any production for any studio.” He just says he’s in full support and working with the negotiating group. It’s kind of like the show LOST itself. There’s no real answer but lots of mystery. Hmm. Can’t wait for next week’s email. I wonder what’ll happen to Sawyer!
Huzzah!
-writer outside the gates
“In fact, given the events of last Thursday — and where things currently stand — I can no longer in good conscience continue to work on my show in any capacity.”
Um… sorry about your conscience… how about the fact that you have a contract… and I thought the Show-runners said all Big Media needed to do was go back to the table and the Show-runners would return to work.
as my signature says… I’m confused! Although this will all be mute very soon as there won’t be anything LEFT to showrun as the scripts dry up!
Cuse finds it “regretable” that he was quoted accurately for going back to work well before any other showrunner to “protect the show for the fans.” First of all, if he wanted to protect the show for the fans he’d write a show that wasn’t so friggin confusing. Secondly, how stupid does he think we are? The only thing he was protecting was his wallet. I think showrunners personally have more at stake in this strike than other writers. I have no issue if any of them decide to perform non-writing duties (especially in the face of threatened lawsuits). However, I do believe that a member of the negotiating committee should be held to a higer standard. Cuse breached that responsibility and only now that he’s been caught with his hand in the cookie jar can he “no longer in good conscience” work on his show. Pathetic.
Show runners who completed non-struck work are just fulfilling their contracts, sometimes trying to save new shows. They may not be as brave or idealistic as those who didn’t do this, but nobody in the guild is on their case about it. Finishing one more episode of a network show won’t make the strike shorter at this point. At first it looked as if it would — if only it had! But trust me, seeing a show runner doing non-writing tasks absolutely does not indicate a split in the guild.
After submitting my comment, I saw LL’s. Does LL mean that this duo is finishing off post on a show or writing? If you believe these people are writing, please tell somebody who they are and what evidence you have — there is a compliance committee at the guild. Go to WGA.org for the contact information. We’re all losing work and money and risking our futures for what we believe in. If someone really is scabbing, that person is undermining our negotiating position. If it’s true, it’s a career-ender. So there must be real evidence, not gossip. If these people aren’t doing struck work, they’re completely within their rights.
I agree, fulfilling ones contract is not only not having it both ways but is indeed the right thing to do. How much more would it hurt the strike if Cuse didn’t finish his contract and then gave the AMPTP yet more ammunition? It’s better to do things above board. Once those duties, and those duties alone, are completed, it’s time to walk away. If the shows don’t have anything non-struck done while this is all going on it will only make more time to get up and going AND hurt the whole company (by which I mean the people on the shows, not the producers/studios) in total. Really perhaps there should be some sort of grace period for this kind of thing. Just a thought.
I expected that letter to answer one question and then present six more, like his show does.
/Big Lost fan
I think everyone needs to give Cuse a break. He is in a very difficult situation. He has his loyalty to the guild and fellow writers, but he has a contract as a producer, as well as loyalty to fans of the show to make sure it is done right. Those episodes were going to get aired NO MATTER WHAT. It is important that he made sure they got finished properly, so that they will be very good when they do air, and remind the networks just how important it is to find an end to the strike and get great shows like Lost back up and running again. If he just let them edit together crappy episodes, then it would be wrong to the fans, ruin his show, and show the networks that the show wasn’t that valuable anyway. Carlton Cuse is doing the right thing in a tough situation.
Cuse’s comments and behavior goes back to the Polone principal. If you were a notorious douchebag before the strike, why would you not continue to act like one during?
There’s nothing shady going on here. The work he did was for the sake of the show (which is arguably his artwork), and not for the network. Even if he ceased all post-production work on the episodes, the networks would have run episodes that were written and filmed anyway, and would have made the same advertising dollars from them. And remember, the strike is for the sake of money, not the sake of art.
It would be a different matter if he created new material after the strike started. He didn’t.
Define Shady. Shady isn’t doing the work. Shady is doing the work and acting like you weren’t doing the work and only explaining yourself after you’re “caught.” Of course he was in a tough position. Maybe he did the right thing. But coming out with this email is just plain annoying. Bitch all you want about John Wells – I wish he’d come back.
He’s helping a show air better, meaning better viewership, meaning better ratings, meaning better revenue for the network, meaning a little bit longer before the hurt starts.