With the writers' strike this past year, it feels like we've had an extra set of season finales and premieres. Needless to say, the television hiatus since last fall has been as long as the summer break for most shows. Luckily, all order will be restored in the next few weeks as favorites such as "Grey's Anatomy," "Gossip Girl," and "Lost" return. Unfortunately, the return of some shows such as "Private Practice" and "Heroes" has been postponed until the fall. Let's take a look at when favorites will be returning, and the latest news on them.
"Grey's Anatomy"
With the show being one of the most heavily anticipated returns of the season, "Grey's Anatomy" will begin airing five new episodes on Thursday, Apr. 24.
When we last saw the series, the Meredith-Derek-Rose love triangle was steaming up while the Gizzie romance was fizzling out. Mark your calendars everyone, Kate Walsh returns to Seattle Grace (temporarily) on Thursday, May 1! This is sure to bring the original spark of the show back, and will probably be one of the best episodes of the season. Let's face it, Kate Walsh makes everything better. Also, Gizzie will officially be over in the next few episodes.
"Smallville"
After seven seasons, show creators Al Gough and Miles Millar are leaving the series. No specific reason has been cited for this shocking development, but in a letter to the press Gough and Millar stated, "We are incredibly proud of our work on this show. We achieved what we set out to do. We never compromised our vision."
Although there is speculation of creative differences with the CW being the reason for their departure, nothing has been confirmed yet. "Smallville" will continue into Season Eight this fall without the duo. New post-strike episodes begin to air on Thursday, Apr. 17, when a character who has never been assumed dead (as most of the characters on the show have), will die.
"Gossip Girl"
The breakout series returns on Monday, Apr. 21 with five brand new episodes. The show has already been renewed for a second season, despite rumors of it being in trouble. Some rumors that are circling on the plot line, however, are looking to be true. When "Gossip Girl" comes back, in the next two episodes a character will be coming out of the closet and getting a new love interest. We will also discover that there is another reason why Serena left, besides the fact that she slept with Nate.
Official Return Schedule:
ABC: "Lost," "Ugly Betty," and "Grey's Anatomy" all return on Thursday, Apr. 24, with five new episodes each. "Brothers & Sisters" will be returning with four new episodes on Sunday, Apr. 20. "Desperate Housewives" returns Sunday, Apr. 13, with six new episodes.
NBC: "The Office" and "30 Rock" return on Thursday, Apr. 10, with six and five new episodes, respectively. "Scrubs" also returns on Thursday, Apr. 10, but the amount of episodes may be anywhere between five and nine as producers are not sure how many of the final episodes will go straight to DVD. "ER" returns Thursday, Apr. 10, with six new episodes. "Law & Order: SVU" returns on Tuesday, Apr. 15, with five new episodes. "My Name is Earl" returns on Thursday, Apr. 3, with nine new episodes and highly anticipated special guest stars Alyssa Milano and Paris Hilton.
Fox: "House" returns on Monday, Apr. 28 with four new episodes. "Bones" returns on Monday, Apr. 14 with six new episodes. Season Seven of "24" is officially postponed until January 2009. You won't be completely "24"-less until January, however: a two-hour TV movie connecting Seasons Six and Seven will be airing in the fall.
The CW: "One Tree Hill" returns on Monday, Apr. 14 with six fresh new episodes. Fan favorite "Gossip Girl" returns on Monday, Apr. 21 with five new episodes. The classic show "Smallville" returns on Thursday, Apr. 17 with five new episodes. "Supernatural" will return a week later, on Thursday, Apr. 24, with four brand-new episodes. "Aliens in America" returns on Sunday, Apr. 27 with three new episodes. "Reaper" returns on Tuesday, Apr. 22 with five new episodes.
Returning in the Fall: "Pushing Daisies," "Heroes," "Private Practice," "Chuck," and "Dirty Sexy Money."
Cancelled Series: "Big Shots," "Bionic Woman," "Life is Wild," and "Las Vegas."