TVSquad

FOX is the only network who seems to have two seasons every year, doesn't it? You have the fall, when the baseball playoffs and World Series wreak havoc with the network's primetime lineup, then the new year happens and everything starts anew with American Idol and 24; all of a sudden, the "fourth network" becomes a ratings juggernaut.

It's something that FOX Entertainment president Peter Liguori is concerned about, and he addressed it at his TCA session this morning. He almost sounded like a victim, held hostage by the sports' division's suckage of time during the month of October and hamstrung by what it forces him to do. It strikes me as a bit disingenuous, because FOX paid a lot of money for the playoffs, and it was their decision to air so many games. Anyway, Liguori seemed almost happy that the network, who lost the division round and one LCS round, will broadcast less games this fall.

CBS knows what it has with Jericho; a hit serialized drama that has been building momentum week after week. But it also knows the risks having such a hit show brings with it; it's not a very rerunable show, and airing too many repeats in a row might kill the show's momentum. So CBS has decided to go the route that ABC did with Lost (and NBC wanted to do with ER until the show's ratings went up) and will put the show on a ten-week hiatus after it's "fall season" finale on November 29.

In order to bridge the gap, CBS will provide exclusive Jericho content online, and continue to stream the previously-aired episodes on their broadband video site inntertube. New episodes will come back in February.

During Jericho's break, the show's Wednesday at 8 slot will be filled by new episodes of The King of Queens through the end of the year and another yet-to-be-announced program in January. The full press release is after the jump.