You can’t say he didn’t try. David Letterman met with writers to try and strike a deal — but no agreement was met. If both sides could have agreed, David Letterman would have returned in January with writers.

Few details about the meeting between David Letterman’s reps and the writers were revealed, with the Writers Guild of America commenting that “a lively exchange of information took place” and there was “a frank exchange of views.”

Will David Letterman return to the air January 2 without writers? Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel and Jay Leno will all return to the late shift in early January without writers. Similarly, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert will be back on January 7 without writers.

David Letterman’s discussions with the writers will continue this week.