As writers return, bosses look for a new chapter

With the writers strike drawing to a close, Hollywood's show runners headed back to work Monday. Here's a look at four high-profile creators looking to pick up where they left off:

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Greg Garcia, the creator and show runner of "My Name Is Earl," is a very funny man. But he's not playing.

His network, NBC, and studio, 20th Century Fox Television, have told him they would like to air as many new episodes of his single-camera comedy as possible by May 15. At best, that would be nine episodes -- and Garcia is going to give it his best shot. How did he spend Monday, his first day back in the office?

"I want to have a table read a week from Tuesday and start shooting two weeks from tomorrow. We had two first drafts of scripts [before the strike], so I'm going to read over those and see where we're at because I haven't even looked at them. I'm going to look at some other stuff to see what we have left in the way of stories. But the majority of my day will be figuring out the schedule, booking out directors, talking to casting -- to hopefully get all the scheduling stuff out of the way so when the writers come on Wednesday, I can concentrate on the writing."

First thing, though: "I'm having a very specific no-talk-about-the-strike policy at work," he said.

And what happens if there's a slip? "That's all I've heard about for the last three months. And now it's over. I'm not going to sit and listen to them talk about it now. If you say the word 'strike' and you're not talking about bowling, you're fired."

One potential crisis: If "My Name Is Earl" begins shooting in two weeks, will star Jason Lee have enough time to grow back his mustache? Lee typically shaves it on hiatus.

"The hardest part is that [costar] Jaime [Pressly] has to shave her mustache because she lets it grow," Garcia continued. "That's going to be the hardest part. I think she's grown attached to it too."

Prolific writer-producer Shawn Ryan reentered the lonely life of a writer on Sunday night. After his wife and children went to sleep, Ryan delved into cuts from a Fox pilot and the last four episodes of "The Shield," which will begin its final season later this year.

The show runner of FX's "The Shield" and CBS' "The Unit," and executive producer of a new Fox series, "The Oaks," Ryan was also a member of the guild's negotiating committee. He had a lot on the line when the strike began: Filming on "The Oaks" was just beginning, the third season of "The Unit" was underway and the final episode of "The Shield," which made Ryan one of Hollywood's most respected TV writers, was shooting.