If you’ve attempted to watch TV at all in the last two months, you know there’s an active writers’ strike in the works. Despite the picket lines, lots of studios are “encouraging” their late night hosts to get back in the studio and back behind the desk.

Jay Leno, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Conan O’Brien (among others) all intend to bring their shows back to the air beginning in January - but this time, they’re doing it without their writers. When it comes to television, this action is very much like walking a tightrope in the circus…with no safety net.

The hosts are members of the Writers Guild themselves, meaning they’ll have to pass by their union brothers and sisters on their way to work every morning (or afternoon, as the case may be). This membership also means the hosts themselves must continue to follow union rules, and will be subject to the terms and conditions therein. For instance, monologues and talk segments (like Colbert’s The Word) may no longer be part of the program. So…what, then, will viewers see on late night in January? For one, you won’t be getting scripted segments.

Expect longer interviews, a lot of comic improvisation, segments designed to fill space and eat up the time, and who knows what else. One major wrinkle, at least for Comedy Central, is another one of those pesky union rules: union members cannot perform the role of a character who is usually written (scripted) by union members. The Stephen Colbert that Comedy Central fans see is just such a scripted character, so by strict union rules Colbert can no longer play the part of Colbert - not even on his own show.

Networks are all about getting ratings, sure…but is damaging the make-up of a well-loved show (and possibly, the reputation of hosts once considered to be funny) really the way to go about making money? You get to decide when you choose to tune in (or not) in less than one week.