Reality Really Sets In For Couch Potatoes As Strike Grounds Pilots For Fall Season

Could we be facing a 2008 fall television season where there would be no new dramas or comedies?

With no end in sight for the two-month-old writers strike, four major studios have started canceling development deals, moving us one step closer to couch potato hell.

The current television season is already kaput, and come fall 2008, we could be faced with more reality shows than any human should be subjected to in a lifetime.

January is usually the beginning of pilot season, when networks consider hundreds of proposals for new scripted series.

Every pilot season, the broadcast networks shell out millions of dollars to writers and production staffs on speculation. Only about a third of what is developed actually gets on the air, and only a handful survive more than nine episodes.

There's a lot of waste, but if something becomes a hit, the financial rewards more than make up for the expense.

Beginning late last week, 20th Century Fox Television, CBS Paramount Network Television, NBC Universal and Warner Bros. Television started closing out development and production agreements with writers and production staffs.

Projects that were temporarily suspended for the strike have been terminated. This could trickle down to potential layoffs for thousands of support workers.

There is speculation among industry observers that the networks are using the strike as an excuse to bring an end to the costly pilot season process.

There won't be a pilot season this year, and it's not clear how this will affect what we see on television in the future. The networks could order series that go straight to air without going through all the testing, casting, massaging, tweaking, meddling and whatever else is done between buying the concept and producing the pilot.

The odds of getting crap or gold might be just about the same.

WELL-ROOTED: Sometimes the listings for TLC read like headlines you would see in the Weekly World News tabloid.

At 8 tonight, for example, the "My Shocking Story" series has the strange, freaky tale of the "Half Man, Half Tree."

This is a profile of a 35-year-old man in Indonesia with a skin condition that has left his body covered with large warts that resemble tree roots. The growths on his hands and feet are enormous (see the video at www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22041771).

Reportedly, his condition baffled doctors for years, but he may be getting treatment because of this documentary.

An American dermatology expert who examined him has prescribed a course of treatment to reduce the warts. Indonesian health officials say they will treat him but also criticized the filmmakers for exploiting the man.

"IDOL" MONEY: Anticipating a banner season because of the lack of scripted competition, Fox reportedly is asking $1 million for a 30-second commercial that runs during "American Idol" during the May sweeps. Last season, 30 seconds in the season finale went for $750,000.

CNN ADDS SHOW: Because ratings for news go up during an election year, CNN is adding a nightly wrap-up, "CNN Election Center," anchored by John Roberts. It began Tuesday and will continue at 8 weeknights through the presidential election in November. Other CNN anchors and pundits will participate.

Roberts has anchored CNN's "American Morning" with Kiran Chetry. Based in New York City and Washington, D.C., Roberts was CNN's senior national correspondent and anchored "This Week at War," the network's weekly recap of wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and around the globe.

Roberts joined CNN in February 2006 after more than 14 years with CBS News.