Rumblings throughout the industry are pointing to the likelihood that several of our favorite late-night talk shows could be returning to the airwaves next year.

Though the networks have been airing reruns of previous shows (in Leno’s case, really previous episodes), the hosts are facing plummeting ratings, and, despite the fact that it could undermine the WGA’s efforts to reach a resolution in the contract disputes, word is that several are considering going back on the air without the benefit of a paid staff of writers. Carson Daly tried this, and got some less than stellar results.

I think returning at this point would be a terrible move on the hosts’ part. Most of them have gone out of their way to show their support for the writers, some even supporting the out-of-work staff right out of their own pockets. The fact that there’s such a drought of late night programming on speaks to their efforts, and hosts crossing the lines now, especially with the relationship between WGA and AMPTP as rocky as it is, will do nothing more than weaken the writers’ position.