'Lost,' 'Moonlight' Among Possible Strike Casualties

Just ask the cast and crew of "Jericho" how much losing momentum could be a killer.

Last season, networks experimented with long mid-season breaks, similar to what SciFi Channel had been doing for years with shows like "Stargate SG-1" and "Stargate: Atlantis." Except it happened with disastrous results.

"Heroes" and "Lost" both suffered significant drops in their ratings when they returned after a lengthy mid-season hiatus, and "Jericho" went from being an early season standout to a late-season near-flop, to the point that CBS pulled the plug.

Other shows may be forced into a long hiatus between episodes, and it may mean bad things for fans who want to see shows that suddenly earned some momentum like "Moonlight" to see it continue.

And "Moonlight" could be a major casualty if the current Writers Guild of America strike goes on too long. The network has enough episodes of the show to stretch out until after November sweeps, but not many more after that. If the strike were to go on for several months, it would mean that CBS could opt simply to end the season after the first handful of episodes and maybe come back next fall with a full second season. That is, if directors don't go on strike in the spring, following their writing colleagues.

NBC already is making arrangements to prevent a long break in the middle of a season. "Heroes" already has struggled in the ratings department during its sophomore season. Another mid-season break could really see viewership plummet even more, so the network is deciding to end the second season after 11 episodes and allowing producers to pick up the third chapter in a third season next year -- that is if ratings through those 11 episodes are strong enough to warrant a renewal, and if the strike goes on longer than just a few weeks.

No contingency plans have been announced for "Bionic Woman," however. The show has been steadily declining in ratings, and there is not enough vested interest in the show for people to remember that it is still around if the network decided to bring back the remaining episodes of the first season after a prolonged break.

"Lost" fans may really lose out. ABC has committed to finalizing the show over the course of the next three years with abbreviated seasons, but even with that smaller workload, there is only a couple of episodes of the upcoming fourth season complete, TV Guide reports. It's possible that ABC could delay the premiere of that season until the writers strike ends, taking the same route that Fox appears to be traveling in the case of "24," which had just begun shooting after a long delay.

One show that may survive it all, despite a loss in momentum? The quirky "Pushing Daisies" on ABC. The show has such a strong "cute" factor, that it sticks in the minds of its audience, and should have little trouble maintaining its core viewership. [x]

This strike has the potential to end a lot of TV shows. A lot of people are now starting to realize how serious this strike is. Hopefully they come to an agreement soon.