Writers sharpen pencils for frenzied weeks ahead

By Nellie Andreeva and Ray Richmond

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - After picketing outside the major studios for the past three months, TV writers went back inside Wednesday, trying to pick up where they'd left off before the strike.

"It is so weird to see food in the kitchen and writers in the kitchen," said an employee at the Sunset Gower production facility in Hollywood, poking her head into the writers room of CBS' "NCIS."

The writing team of CBS' procedural drama was back, led by executive producer/writing showrunner Shane Brennan, who was running on four hours of sleep. An Australian on a work visa, he wasn't allowed to stay in the U.S. during the strike, so he flew in Tuesday morning and went straight to work.

"It is strange to be back," Brennan said. "It feels like coming back from a hiatus and starting a new season, but we have to hit the ground running as we don't have the luxury of easing into a season."

Series including "NCIS" and "CSI: NY" have been asked to produce seven new episodes this spring.

That means writers working 12-13 hours a day, seven days a week, and casts and crews probably switching to six-day work weeks and long hours to churn out the number of episodes requested by the networks.

The "NCIS" writers spent Wednesday mapping out the seven-episode arc and looking for ways to condense the originally planned story lines. Scribes probably will double up, working in pairs on each script to get it done quicker. But working on such intense schedule won't affect the quality of the show, Brennan said.

"We just have to work harder and spend more," he said. "The cost of all shows is going to go up."