'Daily Show,' 'Colbert Report' returning without writers

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12/23/2007 Reported By: Senaxis News Services Source: AP

NEW YORK (AP) -- "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report" will resume production on January 7 without their striking writers, the Comedy Central network announced Thursday.

Both late-night shows were shuttered after the Hollywood writers strike began seven weeks ago.

The comedy duo are the latest late-night hosts to announce their return to the air while the ongoing writers strike continues to devastate much television and film production.

Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel have all recently said that they will resume their programs on January 2 with or without their writing staffs.

On Friday, leaders of striking television writers plan to meet with David Letterman's production company in an attempt to reach a separate deal that could return the "Late Show" to the air with its writing staff.

But "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" rely far more on scripted material than those shows, which are more centered around interviews and musical guests.

In a joint statement, Stewart and Colbert said: "We would like to return to work with our writers. If we cannot, we would like to express our ambivalence, but without our writers we are unable to express something as nuanced as ambivalence."

A spokesman for Comedy Central said neither the network, Stewart nor Colbert would have any further comment. A call to the Writers Guild of America was not immediately returned late Thursday.