HOLLYWOOD — The writers strike ended two months ago. But many in Hollywood remain on the brink.

Karen Hartjen is one. She can't bring herself to open the utility bills lying on her kitchen table in suburban Simi Valley.

The 53-year-old assistant prop master has been out of work since early November, when a string of jobs on TV shows such as "CSI: New York" and "Medium" came to a halt after writers walked out.

Although Hartjen is accustomed to earning $100,000 a year, she is now $10,000 in debt, and her home is threatened with foreclosure. She has turned to her church and the Salvation Army for help with groceries.

Across Los Angeles, many crew members who work behind the scenes of television shows and movies are still quaking from the temblor of the 100-day strike that shut down scripted TV production.

Networks have curtailed the number of TV pilots this year, continuing a trend toward ordering fewer shows.The series that did return are filming 20 percent to 50 percent fewer episodes. And in Los Angeles County, location permits for sitcoms and dramas since the strike ended have plunged 51 percent and 35 percent, respectively, according to FilmL.A. Inc., the group that handles film permits.

Although most crew members have returned to work, thousands still have not because of a contraction in television production, several union officials said.

It will take several more months before TV production returns to normal levels, assuming that there is no actors walkout, said Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.