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The impact of a strike by television and film writers was becoming more evident as the walkout entered its third day. Production on at least six sitcoms was halted because of the strike, and the hit ABC drama "Desperate Housewives" was scheduled to finish filming its latest episode Wednesday because it had run out of scripts.
Production on more shows was likely to be halted, and networks were expected to announce plans for alternative programming in the coming days as the strike continues.
Sitcoms are typically written the same week they are filmed, with jokes being sharpened by writers even on the day of production.
The strike began Monday after last-minute negotiations between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers failed to produce a deal on how much writers are paid when shows are offered on the Internet.
Striking writers at the Warner Bros. studios in Burbank were joined by several "ER" cast members Tuesday, including John Stamos, Maura Tierney and Mekhi Pfeiffer.
"ER" executive producer and creator John Wells said the show has three more episodes with scripts in various stages: one ready to shoot, one in good shape, and one that will be reviewed to determine if it's ready to shoot as a rough draft or not.
In Toluca Lake, near the Warner Bros. studio, writers converged on a house serving as a location shoot for "Desperate Housewives."
"We write the story-a, Eva Longoria," about 30 strikers chanted, referring to a star of the hit ABC show.
"It is a very serious business," said Larry Wilmore, a writer on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," explaining that protesters were marching "so we can get back to being funny."
Longoria left the house and handed out pizza to strikers.
The strike immediately sent late-night comedy shows into reruns, but it was not expected to have an immediate impact on production of movies. Most studios have stockpiled dozens of movie scripts, and many TV shows have scripts or completed shows in hand to last until early next year.
Writers have not gone on strike since 1988, when the walkout lasted 22 weeks and cost the industry more than $500 million.