You get notes from two studios and a network instead of a studio and a network. Although we early on forced them all to do their notes together. I make them all talk to each other first. Because we went through the pains of getting notes from ABC and at the time it was Touchstone, that were opposite - and then CBS notes that were opposite again. So it was, you guys are going to have to work it out as to what is the most important note.

I think there's an element to this business that writers especially are overlooked in many ways and this made everybody kind of look at us differently. I do think that an interesting thing happened during it, which was being on these picket lines and looking at the huge amount of executives coming and going that you realize don't really add much to the equation.

In some ways I think it [the strike] was important. I'm not sure that "worth it" is the right term, but it was important. A lot of people lost a lot of things - I was greatly concerned for our crews. Those are the people who really sort of paid. A lot of us in quiet ways did everything that we could to help people pay mortgages.

Television viewership has been declining for a number of years. The internet has been blamed. Everything has been blamed. Except for what I think the problem is: that the networks own the shows, and they completely think that they make them. They don't any longer let the people who make shows just make them. The networks have notes about everything. They are intimately involved in every aspect of the process. And I think it's hurt the process.

I did a lot of talking - not as much background talking as a lot of people because I've never been someone who is too afraid of saying what I feel. I just don't see any reason to.

I also think one of the things that's really hurting us is political activism of any stripe. Michael Jordan had it exactly right, he was my idol - when he was asked about a political question at one point and he said I'm not going to answer it, and they said why not, and he said: Because Republicans buy gym shoes too, right? That doesn't exist anymore, that kind of smarts.

If you don't like me, you don't like me. You can call me anytime; I'll have an opinion on just about anything. I will also tell you if I shouldn't have an opinion on something - I just make television shows.