(Without the work stoppage, the room wouldve reopened in May-June.)
Were all pretty rested, she said.
And weve all read books, had life experiences.
‘Fire Country’ writers, clockwise from left: Joan Rater, Barbara Friend, Manuel Herrara & Sara Casey, Anupam Nigam, Tia Napolitano, David Gould, Natalia Fernandez, Tony Phelan, India Gurley, Dwain WorrellNellie Andreeva
Said Napolitano, I feel energized, and honestly, Season 2 is not a continuation of Season 1.
I also play piano now, and I started a veggie garden.
Co-executive producer David Goulds dad passed away during the strike.
From left: Jordan Calloway, Zach Tinker, Troy Bundle and Stephanie Arcila (CBS)
Supervising producer Barbara Friend teaches screenwriting/TV writing in the summer for The University of Texas Los Angeles program.
Along the way, Friend converted a few Gen Z-ers who had never watched online grid TV intoFire Countryfans.
The so-called new media has evolved dramatically since 2007-08 strike where it took central stage.
The landscape was very different this time.
But they still did it in solidarity.
Phelan and Rater were onGreys Anatomyduring the 2007-08 strike.
Phelan was part of two WhatsApp groups, one for writer-directors and one for showrunners.
We all agree that its a good thing.
The timing of the strike also made a difference, another 2007-08 strike veteran, Gould, said.
Writers room size matters
Minimum staffing was among the main WGA demands during the negotiations.
The size of theFire Countrywriting team far exceeds the minimum required as is the case with all broadcast series.
And there is value to it.
No one puts out a fire alone.
We have the ability to split into two rooms.
It is also something broadcast has strong traditions in.
They gave me my first script.
Mentoring is such a big part of the culture, especially on this show.
Showrunners are going to become extinct if were not raising the babies to be the next us.
This seasonsFire Countrystaff writer India Gurley is a novice a former actress who came out of CBS writing program.
Under the new WGA agreement, they will be paid a script fee for the first rime.
India will not write a script for free.
Added Friend, And Sarah and Manuel will get full pension.
Until now, writing teams had been entitled to a half pension each.
In the contract for the first time, showrunner is defined as being a writer.
That is critical, he said.
Theres been, I think, a move to try and install non-writing producers or directors as showrunners.
And that just aint gonna work.
When we got the deal, I kept picketing at Disney with the actors.
They were nothing but encouraging.
While there are cancellations everywhere, broadcast still provides better job security.
Thats what was keeping me up at night.
We knew we had this wonderful job that wed love to come back to.
Rater recalled that sizableFire Countryresiduals she received during the strike really made a difference getting through the five months.
Co-executive producer Dwain Worrell had a very different experience with residuals from an original streaming series.
I was on a show calledNational Treasurethat came on before this show; it was released in December.
I still have yet to receive a residual check from Disney+ for that show.
Ive gotten multiple residual checks fromFire Countryand nothing from the show that I did before that.
Napolitano was a bit more specific, promising some jaw-dropping surprises.
That wont be for long.
Its not like were thinking about them for the first time today.
Its like were getting to revisit all these people again.
