'Army Wives' ready to return to work

Lights, camera and — finally — action.

With the Writers Guild of America strike over, filming is set to begin next month on the second season of the popular cable television show "Army Wives," which is set and made in Charleston.

Production of the Lifetime Network series was scheduled to begin last November, but the Hollywood labor stand-off dimmed the lights for more than three months.

With an agreement now reached between the writers union and producers, scripts can be written and the cameras can roll.

Filming will begin March 19, said Chandler Hayes, a publicist with ABC Studios in Los Angeles. He could not confirm when the new season will air, though online reports say could be as soon as early summer.

Robbin Knight, president of the Carolina Film Alliance, who is familiar with the production company's schedule, said shooting is expected to last at least six to eight weeks initially.

Lifetime has ordered 18 new episodes of "Army Wives" for 2008, which likely means filming will last months rather than weeks.

During filming for season one, cast and crew were on set in the city for a total of about five months. That shoot wrapped last summer.

"Army Wives," starring Catherine Bell and Kim Delaney, revolves around a group of military spouses and is Lifetime's highest-rated show ever, according to the cable network. Much of the show is shot on the former Navy base in North Charleston.

A host of local companies supply the production with everything from drinking water and paint to lumber and clothing. Businesses that were banking on income from the show before the holidays have waited patiently for filming to begin.

During the show's first season, area businesses collectively raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars from the production.

Filming was put on hold when 12,000 Writers Guild members walked out Nov. 5 after failing to agree to a new contract with producers. The dispute centered on payments to writers for content that is made available digitally on the Internet, mobile phones and other devices.

The strike ended after a deal was reached last week.

Knight said everyone locally connected with the show is eager to get back to work. He is hoping filming will be in the can before the next industry strike, which is expected to hit in the summer.

A contract with the Screen Actors Guild expires June 30, and the union is expected to follow the writers guild and go on strike if they aren't able to reach a similar deal.

Reach Peter Hull at 937-5594 or phull@postandcourier.com.