Tv's New Beginnings

摘要

The election had one bipartisan ben-efit: it covered up the fact that there was not much else to watch on TV last year. Though the writers' strike was resolved in February, it pushed back production of new shows. Ratings dropped; NBC handed a third of its prime time to Jay Leno; it seemed as if TV itself were petering out. But now hope is on the way! Also change-at least in the changing-channels sense. On top of the usual crush of mid-season events (Fox's revamped American Idol) and cable debuts (Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactka), there's a rush of strike-delayed shows. If the TV waters of 2008 were becalmed, this month they've become a gi- ant tsunami about to crash onto an island.