• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, December 18, 2007

NBC hosts Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien have agreed to bring new episodes of their respective late-night shows back to NBC starting Jan. 2--but without their writing staffs, the network said Monday.

Both "The Tonight Show" and "Late Night" have been in repeats since the "Hollywood" writers' strike began Nov. 5. The work stoppage continues with both sides--the WGA and studios--at an apparent standstill.

The agreement means that NBC's late-night lineup (save "Saturday Night Live") will be out of strike-induced repeats following the New Year, with "Last Call with Carson Daly" already back with new episodes.

In separate statements, Leno and O'Brien each said they made the decision to resume production in order to allow dozens of non-writing staff members to return to work. Both said they will continue to support the writers as long as the work stoppage lasts. O'Brien said he would do so on-air; Leno believes the writers will be supportive.

"Now that the talks have broken down and there are no further negotiations scheduled, I feel it's my responsibility to get my 100 non-writing staff, which were laid off, back to work," Leno said. "We fully support our writers, and I think they understand my decision."

"Unfortunately, now with the New Year upon us, I am left with a difficult decision," O'Brien said. "Either go back to work and keep my staff employed or stay dark and allow 80 people, many of whom have worked for me for 14 years, to lose their jobs. If my show were entirely scripted, I would have no choice. But the truth is that shows like mine are hybrids, with both written and non-written content. An unwritten version of "Late Night," though not desirable, is possible--and no one has to be fired."

The Writers Guild, however, did not support Leno's and O'Brien's decision. After their announcement, it e-mailed the media a version of the rules pertaining to its members during the strike. The rules prevent members from helping write monologues or other sketches as a strike persists. Both Leno and O'Brien are WGA members, effectively meaning they won't be able to write their own monologues--and if monologues are used, they would be written by people crossing the picket line.

Still, NBC could benefit from any ratings surge as viewers, curious to see Leno and O'Brien's monologues, tune in. They may also be interested to see how vocal the hosts are in criticizing their employers. Some big-name performers could refuse to make appearances as guests in order to show support for the writers.

The network said guest lineups would be announced closer to Jan. 2.

In its statement, NBC looked to cushion any backlash against Leno or O'Brien by invoking legend Johnny Carson.

"During the 1988 writers strike, Johnny Carson reluctantly returned to "The Tonight Show" without his writers after two months," said Rick Ludwin, an NBC programming executive vice president. "Both Jay and Conan have supported their writers during the first two months of this WGA strike and will continue to support them. However, there are hundreds of people who will be able to return to work as a result of Jay's and Conan's decision."

Both shows are productions of NBC Universal.