by Moe Zilla

Created on: February 03, 2008   Last Updated: February 06, 2008

The 2007-2008 TV season will be one of the strangest in history. After the writer's strike began in November, the networks scrambled to re-write their schedules and introduce new shows to take their places, while ratings dropped precariously.

Here's where things stand now for some of the major shows.

"Lost" seemed like it would be a casualty. It had already delayed its new season for nearly eight months before the strike hit, and after returning to the air in January, ABC had just eight new episodes. But with less competition, the show drew a whopping 16 million viewers - 25% more than it had for much of last season. It's offering an amazing new mystery which should keep viewers coming back. Instead of flashbacks to the characters' past, it's offering tantalizing "flash forwards" to their futures after being rescued.

"Everybody Hates Chris" will escape the strike virtually unscathed. Chris Rock's series had already completed all 22 episodes for the season before the strike began.

"The Simpsons" is in a similar position. Because its animated shows take longer to produce, they follow a different production schedule than most shows, and for the 2007-2008 season, all but one of its episodes has already been completed.

"The Office" suffered a huge setback, since many of the show's actors are also its writers (including the actors who play Ryan and Kelly). NBC requested 30 episodes, but only eight were produced before the strike hit. It seems inevitable that even when the show returns to the air, there will be fewer total episodes in the 2007-2008 season. The show was scheduled to enter syndication in 2009. If it does, it will do so with even fewer episodes than originally planned.

Soap operas were the surprising benefactor. Somehow new daily episodes have continued, with storylines written by the producers themselves, possibly some non-picketing writers, and sometimes even network executives or studio secretaries. This meant viewers got fresh blood for shows like "General Hospital" and "The Young and the Restless." The continuity of these shows may be rockier than usual when their original writers return!

Ironically, the ratings of "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" went up after they returned to the air without writers. This was attributed to a heightened interest in political humor as candidates vie for the Presidential nomination in 2008. This suggests both shows should achieve high ratings throughout the season, and maybe even some of the funniest shows yet.

Especially when the show's writers return from their strike, ready to prove themselves again!

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