Say goodbye to new TV...

[glatt]

Originally Posted by Radar

The same is true of tv shows. These people risk millions of dollars on a product that is unlikely to make any money for them. Most shows tank. If their investment pays off, why should they be forced to pay someone for work they did years ago that they were already paid for when the show wasn't making any money?

That makes no sense. In fact I'd wager that producers would prefer to increase residuals payments and eliminate the initial wage they pay. Then they would only be paying the writers if the shows were a hit. It would eliminate some of the risk for the producers. "I'll only pay you if the show is a hit, but I will pay you handsomely."

Seems to me this hybrid system gives the writers a little stability up front and a lot of incentive to produce a good show for a big payoff down the line. If they were to eliminate the residuals, then the initial writer's wage would likely go up, and so would the risk to the producers.