UPDATE: Check out the New York Times’ TV Decoder column by Brian Stelter for a complete, show-by-show breakdown on which shows will be returning when.
Now that the strike is settled, the networks are gearing up to salvage what’s left of the season. According to early reports, there’s good and bad news for TV’s Hollywood North, Vancouver. It looks like Reaper is being ordered back in production while Bionic Woman, Alien’s in America and Men in Trees are not as networks cut their losses, concentrating on their more promising series.
One show that is expected back fast: Saturday Night Live, which could return this Saturday, Feb. 16. Wonder if they’ll goof on the writers strike?
Most prime time drama favorites will return with four to seven new episodes, starting around mid-April. They include House, CSI, CSI Miami, Brothers and Sisters, Criminal Minds, Desperate Housewives and Grey’s Anatomy. NBC comedies 30 Rock and The Office, both missed by fans who voted in the current TV Feeds My Family poll, are also expected back in April with between five and 10 new shows this season.
Not back at all until fall at the earliest, according to well connected Michael Ausiello at TV Guide Online, are Heroes and 24, with the latter almost certainly pushed back until January, 2009.
Beyond this season, ABC has officially ordered second seasons of four of its fall rookies–Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money, Private Practice and Samantha Who? They’ve also renewed Brothers & Sisters, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, Ugly Betty and Lost for 2008-09.
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Not getting renewed and likely canceled: Big Shots, Cavemen and Carpoolers. Late starters Women’s Murder Club and Cashmire Mafia are in limbo. Too early to tell: Eli Stone. No word yet on the future of Boston Legal, Men In Trees, Notes From The Underbelly, October Road and According to Jim.
Over at The CW, here’s the plan for the remainder of this season: Smallville, Supernatural, One Tree Hill and Reaper will get back into production and crank out five or six new episodes, again starting in April.
Rookie sitcom The Game could be back as early as mid-March with an order for eight or nine new episodes.
As for Vancouver-produced Alien’s In America, and Chris Rock’s Everybody Hates Chris, the good news is that both sitcoms already had 18 out of 22 episodes completed with 12 episodes each still to air. The bad news is that’s it–The CW is shutting them both down for the season and maybe for good.
The end of the strike will not bring start ups for Life is Wild or Girlfriends, either. Both shows are likely done, although the long-running Girlfriends will likely get a chance to crank out one final goodbye episode.
