Late-night TV goes live again

NEW YORK -- A fully bearded David Letterman opened his first show in two months by walking out amid dancing girls holding picket signs for striking TV writers.

"I know what you're thinking," Letterman said of his mostly white beard. "You think Dave looks like a cattle-drive cook."

One of five talk-show hosts to return to work -- and, with Craig Ferguson, one of only two with working writers -- Letterman was joined by comic Robin Williams and a cameo by Hillary Clinton on tape from Iowa.

"Dave has been off the air for eight long weeks because of the writers strike," the Democratic presidential candidate said in a cold opening to Letterman's "Late Show." "Tonight, he's back. Oh, well, all good things come to an end."

During his monologue, stagehand Biff Henderson interrupted Letterman to say, "When are the writers coming back?"

"They're back, Biff," Letterman said.

Williams teased Letterman unmercifully about the beard, alternately comparing him to Gen. Robert E. Lee, a rabbi and a mullah in Iraq.

"My God, man, you've aged," Williams said.

Letterman's top 10 list was delivered by striking writers, offering their strike demands. They included "Complementary tote bag with next insulting contract offer" and "Hazard pay for breaking up fights on 'The View.' "

The return of TV's late-night funnymen after a two-month strike hiatus turned into a bizarre mix of picketing and presidential politics Wednesday as Mike Huckabee headed for Jay Leno's show and Clinton turned to Letterman.

GOP hopeful Huckabee appeared confused over which of the two late-night hosts had reached a separate deal with the union representing striking TV and movie writers.

Huckabee said he supports the writers and did not think he would be crossing a picket line, because he believed the writers had made an agreement to allow late-night shows on the air. That's not the case with Leno, and pickets outside Leno's Burbank, Calif., studio targeted Huckabee.

"Huckabee is a scab," read one picket sign.

Late Wednesday, the Writers Guild of America issued a statement saying that the guild "thanks the former governor for his strong statement of support for striking writers and hopes that he will not cross the picket lines at NBC."

However, Huckabee appeared on the show despite the calls from the striking writers, according to NBC.

Letterman and fellow CBS host Craig Ferguson struck deals to allow writers to come back to work on Wednesday. NBC's Leno and Conan O'Brien and ABC's Jimmy Kimmel were back at work Wednesday without writers.

Writers also picketed outside of the Rockefeller Center studio where O'Brien tapes his show each night. Comics Bob Saget and Dwayne Perkins and musicians Robert Gordon and Chris Spedding were O'Brien's first-night guests.

The picketing writers said they were hoping to encourage people not to appear on the shows where writers weren't working. Michael Winship, president of the WGA East, said he expected Letterman's "Late Show" to be a "bully pulpit" for striking writers and their issues.

Leno's staff writers, who regularly picket at one of the gates to NBC studios, did not show up on Wednesday. Writers insist they're demonstrating against NBC, not against Leno, who was supportive of his writers in the early days of the strike.

"It must be difficult for them to picket their own boss," said Allan Katz, a veteran sitcom writer. "Probably Jay Leno understands."

Besides depriving the nation of punch lines, the two months of reruns have been devastating for the networks -- particularly NBC.

Late-night leader Leno is averaging 4.4 million viewers this season, losing a quarter of his audience from last season. Before the strike, his audience was off 10 percent, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Letterman's average of 3.6 million viewers is 15 percent off last season. Before the strike, his viewership was down 9 percent. Leno's audience was obviously far less interested in reruns or -- even worse for NBC -- decided to sample Letterman instead.

Kimmel's audience of 1.8 million viewers is slightly up from last season, because it follows "Nightline," which has been making fresh shows.

O'Brien's audience is down 29 percent from last season and he's been running virtually neck and neck with Ferguson: O'Brien has 1.8 million viewers, Ferguson 1.7 million. Now Ferguson returns with writers and O'Brien without.

How big the advantage might be for CBS likely depends on how long the strike lasts. At least at the beginning, the writerless shows may draw viewers curious to see how the hosts respond.

The CBS programs will also probably have bigger-name guests. The Screen Actors Guild has urged its members to appear with Letterman and Ferguson. It's unclear whether Hollywood's glitterati will be willing to cross picket lines for face time on national television.

Besides being without writers, Leno, O'Brien and Kimmel will be unable to perform many familiar comic bits, including traditional monologues, because of strike rules.

Comedy Central's topical nightly comedies, "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report," will return Monday without striking writers.