So We're Back... But When?

Well, for all of you who are just chomping at the bit for new episodes from your old favourites, the networks have given out a few dates for returning series, so mark your DVRs. It's show time!

CBS returns so far include:

March 17 - The comedies How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men with 9 remaining episodes (eps) each

March 24 - CSI: Miami with 8 eps

March 30 - Cold Case with 5 eps

April 2 - Criminal Minds, CSI:NY with 7 eps each

April 3 - CSI, Without a Trace with 6 eps each

April 4 - Ghost Whisperer, Numbers with 6 eps each

April 8 - NCIS with 7 eps

April 11 - Moonlight with 4 eps

April 14 - Rules of Engagement with 6 eps

Shark, The Unit and Cane will remain on hiatus for mid season show launch, which include Dexter (YAY! - although I'm not sure how a butchered  Dexter episode will compare to the real thing because you won't get to see any... butchering that is.), Big Brother, and Jericho. They did begin production again for Swingtown, though it is still not scheduled.

NBC also announced return dates:

April 3 - My Name is Earl with a one hour episode

April 10 - 30 Rock, The Office, Scrubs and ER

April 15 - Law & Order: SVU

April 23 - Law & Order

Medium will keep it's current slot and finish out it's season. Other announcements are forthcoming. By the way, NBC did pick up Chuck and Life as well as Heroes for next season. All three will relaunch in the fall. 

Fox's premiere of New Amsterdam is slated to start March 4 and based on website dates, looks like its second episode will be just two days later. From there, it will air every Monday, possibly to replace Prison Break...

USA Network will premiere In Plain Sight with Mary McCormack - from the commercials, it looks to be a more humourous rendition of TNT's Saving Grace about a hard drinkin', hard lovin', hard ass police woman. In Plain Sight seems to be about a hard drinkin', hard lovin', hard ass US Marshall in the Witness Protection business. If it's anything like Burn Notice, you'll love it.

For Those of You Who Were Worried...

Networks have already announced the shows being picked up for the 2008-2009 season.

Heath, you'll be glad to know that Pushing Daisies made it through the strike, though new shows will likely wait until next season. Other shows that are coming back will be Brothers & Sisters, Desperate Housewives, Dirty Sexy Money, Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Private Practice, Samantha Who? and Ugly Betty. Grey, Desperate and Ugly will have new episodes this season, but Practice and the above mentioned Daisies will likely get a proper relaunch next season.

The CW has also decided to begin shooting and airing new episodes of One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl, Supernatural, Reaper and Smallville. These episodes could be back as early as late March or early April. Gossip Girl will get an expanded order and a summer relaunch. Aliens in America and Everybody Hates Chris will not get new episodes - Chris completed their 22 episodes before the strike, Aliens completed 18.  Girlfriends didn't survive the strike, The Game will get about 8 more episodes to finish out the season and Life Is Wild won't go back into production nor will it be returning next season.

Boston Legal will likely return by next Wednesday. If it does, it will be the first show to return after the strike and if it does, it will likely finish out it's regular season.

Lost will most likely not be able to complete the 8 remaining episodes that's left to shoot for this season. They will be able to complete more like 5, but the crew at Lost feel like they can complete the storyline creatively and add the remaining shows into the next two seasons.

CBS will be moving forward with all the CSIs, NCIS, Without a Trace, Cold Case, Numbers, Criminal Minds, Ghost Whisperer and Moonlight. Comedies coming back on screen include Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory (GACK!). CBS hopes to get the comedies out by mid March and the dramas by the first of April, producing 8 shows for comedies and 6-7 for dramas. Moonlight, being a new show, will likely have fewer episodes.

So far, Shark nor The Unit have received episode orders. They may just wait until next season. Cane will not resume production, but is positioned for renewal next season. Midseason drama Swingtown is set to undecided. Only a couple of episodes were produced. No word on The New Adventures of Old Christine or Rules of Engagement. CBS could air a few shows as late as June but nothing is set in stone.

Fox, of course, being the network it is, is pulling full steam ahead with scripted shows, honoring remaining shows and playing them into the summer. Serialized dramas like Prison Break will come back in the fall and 24 will start in January of next year. The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Canterbury's Law, mid season shows, will not shoot any new episodes but will finish out their episodes for the season.

NBC should bring back it's Thursday lineup of My Name is Earl, The Office, and 30 Rock - Scrubs is ending this season, so the network may order up a shortened episode count, but the show will wrap. ER will produce more episodes because of contractual obligations, airing in April. Law & Order: SVU will resume with new episodes and Medium will finish its season. Chuck will return, but not until later summer or early fall. Heroes will return in the fall. Bionic Woman and Journeyman will not resume and are considered cancelled. Life will probably start again in the fall.

Friday Night Lights - a show that SHOULD continue, is up in the air, as well as Las Vegas.  Las Vegas won't produce any new episodes, but could be renewed. NBC execs are still trying to figure out what to do with Friday Night Lights (KEEP IT, YOU IDIOTS). 

It's exciting to get our shows back, isn't it? Now, we no longer have to languish in the murky pool of mediocrity that most of the midseason shows offered us, eagerly hoping for Doctor Who re-runs and some hot man on man action on Torchwood. BBC America, you're the only thing that kept my hopes alive! Welcome back, American  writers. We missed you.