Oh my heck (as they say around here). Could the news be any better for "Big Love"?

And, no, we're not talking about news about HBO's show about a family of polygamists. We're talking about how what's in the news has to be good for the show.

You know — the news from Texas. All the goings-on involving the FLDS Church.

You can't buy that kind of publicity. The story is splashed all over newspapers, radio and television from coast-to-coast and around the world.

It's publicity that almost seems designed to spark interest in "Big Love."

Hey, the FLDS women even sort of dress like Nikki (Chloe Sevigny), who's wife No. 2 on the show.

But there is bad news. "Big Love" won't be back on the air anytime soon.

Although Season 2 of "Big Love" ended in August 2007, there will be at least a 17-month gap before the start of Season 3. And, while it was announced at one point that the show would return this fall, that's been pushed back to the first quarter of 2009.

Thank you, writers' strike.

It will, of course, be interesting to see if the real-life events in Texas are at least mentioned when "Big Love" does return. Of course, given the public's short attention span, those events might be but a faint memory by then.

NOT TERMINATED: There's good news from Fox — "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" has been picked up for next season.

It's only a 13-episode order (not 22, which is considered a full season), but that's four more than the first season turned out to be.

Thank you, writers' strike.

We don't know when the show will be scheduled, although it looks like it will probably come on at midseason once again.

Yours truly was as skeptical as anyone about whether turning the "Terminator" movies into a weekly series would work. And whether it's a concept that can hold up for 100 episodes remains to be seen.

But the first nine episodes were good. And they got better as they went along — which is a very good sign.

BY ROYAL DECREE: Season 2 of "The Tudors" is still playing out on Showtime, but the pay-cable network has already ordered Season 3.

Production begins in mid-June.

"'The Tudors' is now a fixture for us at Showtime and we're on our way to completing the entire saga of all six wives of Henry VIII," said Showtime Entertainment president Robert Greenblatt in a prepared statement

Season 1 featured Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn; Season 2 saw Katherine (finally) get dumped and Anne become Wife No. 2; Season 3 will feature Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves.

If only Henry had lived longer and married a few more wives, this thing could run forever.

---

E-mail: pierce@desnews.com