Is this the beginning of end for 'Everwood'?

For the first time in three months and 19 days, "Everwood" is on the WB tonight.

Actually, there are two new episodes (7 and 8 p.m., Ch. 30), which is great news for fans of the show. The made-in-Utah series remains the best family drama on television today — on any network, broadcast or cable.

Unfortunately, it looks like this could be the beginning of the end for the series.

Reportedly, "Everwood" has not made the cut for the impending merger of the WB and UPN.

Nothing has been confirmed yet — the CW, which will be born out of the ashes of the WB and UPN in September — won't announce a fall schedule until May. But there have been widespread reports that while shows like "Smallville," "America's Next Top Model," "Gilmore Girls," and "Everybody Hates Chris" will be on the schedule, "Everwood" will not.

The best thing that could happen for the show, of course, would be if lots and lots (and lots) of people tune in tonight when it (finally) returns. But you could hardly blame even the show's most ardent fans for perhaps thinking that the show has already been canceled.

Being off the air for 15 weeks and four days — nearly a third of a year — tends to leave that impression. (Thank you very much, WB programmers.)

You might think that, as a TV critic in Utah, I'm defending "Everwood" because it's produced here. Nothing could be further from the truth. I'm defending it because it's a great show.

(And there have been several made-in-Utah shows I didn't support because they didn't deserve it.)

"Everwood," on the other hand, started out good and has only gotten better since it premiered in 2002. The characters feel like old friends, even members of the family.

Don't we all have friends and family members who we love when they're doing the right thing and when they're not — even when they're driving us crazy?

In tonight's episodes, Ephram (Gregory Smith) and Amy (Emily VanCamp) are figuring out where they stand, as are Nina (Stephanie Niznik) and Jake (Scott Wolf). Amy and Hannah (Sarah Drew) have a serious disagreement; Harold (Tom Amandes) and Rose (Merrilyn Gann) consider adoption; somebody ends up in the hospital and somebody dies.

Let's just hope "Everwood" doesn't die, too.