CUT! The scriptwriters' strike in Hollywood is expected to wind down this week with writers and studios claiming peace over the division of future internet spoils.
But the ill will and damage may take a lot longer to fade. If it does, some suspect that the economic wheel has turned and the shift from TV drama to reality TV may be irreversible.
Writers gathered last night at The Shrine, a shabby-chic auditorium in downtown Los Angeles that used to host the Oscars and Miss Universe, to hear details of the still-secret deal.
The 7,000 scribes were told by their leaders not to expect too much or call off their celebrity-laden picket lines, which have been a tourist attraction since last November. But if the studios have not sufficiently sweetened the pot on a percentage of future internet broadcasts, they risk irritating the real powerhouse in Hollywood, the Screen Actors Guild, whose contract with the studios expires in June.
Encouraged by actors such as George Clooney and Eva Longoria, the guild has been supporting the writers for months, destroying last month's Golden Globes awards by refusing to cross picket lines and still threatening this month's Oscars - the natural deadline for any deal.
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Hollywood's longest strike for 20 years has cost the economy £800m and thousands of jobs.
The union appears to have dropped its claim to represent reality TV and animation writers, another reason why reality TV by Brits such as Simon Fuller's American Idol is expected to drive out many pricey dramas, and the studios have offered a share of programmes and films streamed through the internet.
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Films were almost untouched by the strike, but when television lurches back into production in a few days it will face a far more fragmented and low-cost future.