It’s been making headlines for months as negotiations continue to drag, but that doesn’t mean the bomb has been completely defused. In fact, it’s ticking louder than ever before. The union representing TV and film writers (the Writers Guild of America) is currently trying to work a deal with the networks and studios (the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers)—unfortunately, things aren’t going well.

Back in 1988 during the famous writers’ walkout, the entertainment industry lost an estimated $500 million when writers refused to produce scripts. Today? A strike would be even more damaging. The current issues up for debate include splitting revenues for new media, and whether reality shows should be unionized. The guild could call for a strike as early as November 1, which would really put a damper on the fall season…and even the mid-season, if things aren’t worked out. As a result, studios have moved up production schedules to shoot as many new episodes as possible, before any work has to stop. Extra script orders are coming in…which isn’t making it any easier for the possibly-striking writers. The good news is that reality shows don’t use writers (at least, that’s the official story), so fan favorites like American Idol should be safe from the threat…but that also means the mid-season could be crammed with reality and re-runs…and not a whole lot more.