Letterman: Returning, fully loaded?

David Letterman’s late-night show may be returning soon – with his writers in tow.

Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien may be returning, as well – as soon as Jan. 2 – but they wouldn’t have the benefit of their writers making them funny.

So why might Dave have an upper hand? Because his production company is independently owned (by him, it turns out), not part of the studios or networks, and he could work out an interim deal with the WGA. “The Tonight Show” and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” are owned by NBC, part of the Hydra that is the AMPTP. (Letterman’s been out in front of this strike from the beginning, being the first of the late-night hosts to pay not only his staff and crew out of his own pocket, but that of Craig Ferguson’s “The Late Late Show,” as well.)

Meanwhile, the WGA may declare on Monday that they have opted to negotiate with each studio and network production arm individually, which could really confuse things, though apparently the hope is that certain groups would come to terms with them, resulting in a trickle of new production. Needless to say, AMPTP is not happy about this gambit, any more than it has been about every other thing the WGA has tried.

In fact, even though Letterman’s deal helps CBS a great deal, CBS has to act like it’s not all that thrilled with the arrangement. It even issued a statement pledging solidarity with AMPTP: “(T)his development should not confuse the fact that CBS remains unified with the AMPTP, and committed to working with the member companies to reach a fair and reasonable agreement with the WGA that positions everyone in our industry for success in a rapidly changing marketplace.”

Meanwhile, if you’d like a souvenir of the strike that has wrought havoc with your own financial situation this holiday season, the WGA is offering T-shirts here.