Remain calm

I got an e-mail recently from a concerned "Medium" fan who was aghast to learn that the show had been removed from NBC's fall schedule and won't return until midseason:

"I could not believe when I read in your article that 'Medium' was going to be suspended until January. I thought it was doing well. Is the show really doing that badly? It is a far better show than 'Ghost Whisperer,' and that stupid show was renewed. ( I know . . . different networks).

"I literally feel sick."

I understand the feeling. And I think network programmers sometimes forget that they're not dealing with just another commodity — their consumers form very personal attachments to favorite shows and the characters who populate them.

In this case, however, there's not as much to be concerned about as this fan fears. Once upon a time, not so long ago, a show losing its spot on the fall schedule and being slated for midseason was the equivalent of having one foot in the grave. But that's no longer the case.

Just look at "24." Since Fox started delaying the season premiere of that series until January a couple of years ago, the ratings have gone up.

There's certainly something to be said for being able to air episodes consecutively without weeks of repeats or pre-emptions.

"Scrubs" was held until January this past season, and its ratings appear to have benefited. (It won't be back until midseason this coming season, either.) "Crossing Jordan" did better than expected this year after a midseason start. "Alias" did better two seasons ago when it got the same treatment.

In 1999, uber-producer Steven Bochco pitched a public fit when ABC decided to delay "NYPD Blue" until midseason. He later publicly apologized (a rare thing in Hollywood) when the move ended up boosting the show's ratings that season.

While we have no way of knowing for certain what'll happen when "Medium" returns in January — presumably on Sunday nights after the end of the NFL season — there's some cause for optimism. And NBC didn't cut back on its 22-episode order for the show.

Obviously, "Medium" was not NBC's top priority. "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" — the new show from producer Aaron Sorkin ("The West Wing") — was the first domino that knocked shows all over NBC's fall schedule and knocked "Medium" to midseason.