You’ve gotta hand it to the writers strike — it’s done a ton toward helping April shake that whole “cruelest month” rap. Especially for us TV fans.
Along with the crocuses and tulips, new episodes of virtually all of our most beloved comedy and drama series are springing up through the wintry pall of reruns and slapdash reality shows that have made even the most ardent fans queasy like too much party on your birthday. Heck, we’ll admit to the occasional TV-obsessive version of beer goggles. Some weird stuff can look good when you’re drunk on boredom.
April will shower us with all the stuff that we thought would carry us through the winter blahs. And not only is April a sort of mini-September, what with all the new shows, but it’s the springtime of a whole new TV climate, to boot. A few big-deal cablers plan to resume new episodes and/or entire new seasons in the summer, while others, broadcast and cable alike, will simply wait until fall.
WHAT’S BACK & WHEN?
| Series | Network | Returns | New Episodes Expected: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | FOX | expected Jan. 2009; two-hour prequel anticipated for fall | |
| 30 Rock | NBC | April 10 | 5 |
| Army Wives | Lifetime | Early summer | |
| Back to You | FOX | April 16 | 8 |
| Battlestar Galactica (Final Season) | SCI FI | April 4 | 20 |
| Bones | FOX | April 14 | 6 |
| Boston Legal | ABC | April 8 | 6 |
| Brothers & Sisters | ABC | April 20 | 4 |
| The Closer | TNT | July | |
| Cold Case | CBS | March 30 | 5 |
| Criminal Minds | CBS | April 2 | 7 |
| CSI | CBS | April 3 | 6 |
| CSI: NY | CBS | April 2 | 7 |
| Desperate Housewives | ABC | April 13 | 6 |
| Dirty Sexy Money | ABC | Nothing new expected until fall. | |
| ER | NBC | April 10 | 6 |
| Friday Night Lights | NBC | Future uncertain. | |
| Ghost Whisperer | CBS | April 4 | 6 |
| Girlfriends | The CW | Nothing new expected, except possible series finale. | |
| Gossip Girl | The CW | April 21 | 5 |
| Grey’s Anatomy | ABC | April 24 | 5 |
| Heroes | NBC | Nothing new expected until fall. | |
| House | FOX | April 28 | 4 |
| Law & Order | NBC | April 23 | 5 |
| Law & Order: SVU | NBC | April 15 | 5 |
| Life | NBC | Nothing new expected until fall. | |
| Lost | ABC | April 24 | 10 |
| Mad Men | AMC | Summer | 13 |
| Moonlight | CBS | April 11 | 4 |
| My Name is Earl | NBC | April 3 | 9 |
| NCIS | CBS | April 8 | 7 |
| Numb3rs | CBS | April 4 | 6 |
| The Office | NBC | April 10 | 6 |
| Prison Break | FOX | Nothing new expected. Future uncertain. | |
| Private Practice | ABC | Nothing new expected until fall. Future uncertain. | |
| Pushing Daisies | ABC | Nothing new expected until fall. | |
| Rules of Engagement | CBS | April 14 | 6 |
| Samantha Who? | ABC | April 7 | 6 |
| Scrubs | NBC | April 10 | 5-9 |
| Shark | CBS | On previously announced hiatus. | 4 |
| Smallville | The CW | April 17 | 5 |
| Supernatural | The CW | April 24 | 4 |
| Ugly Betty | ABC | April 24 | 5 |
| Without a Trace | CBS | April 3 | 6 |
