'Lost' to end in 2010

Will fortune favor ABC's boldness? The network has renewed "Lost" for three 16-episodes seasons and given it an end date — in 2010.

The serialized drama, which has lost a lot of its viewers, will air the same number of episodes over the next three seasons that "24" has aired over any two of its seasons.

Whether this will work remains to be seen, but it's a good idea. It will allow ABC to air 16 consecutive episodes each season without interruption — and interruptions really tend to hurt serialized shows in the ratings.

And giving the show a definite end date can only help the writing. Knowing exactly how many episodes remain should give the writers a chance to build to a satisfying conclusion and dole out enough answers along the way to keep viewers interested and involved.

If they screw it up now, they've got nobody to blame but themselves.

'MEDIUM' IS OFF the bubble. NBC has renewed the series for 2007-08.

But it was no slam-dunk. Ratings have been OK, but nothing to get excited about, so it was "on the bubble."

The series about a psychic who solves crimes is produced by CBS, and there was speculation that network might rescue "Medium" if NBC canceled it. Whether that played into NBC's decision, we can only guess.

A big part of what worked in "Medium's" favor is that it's on a network that has a lot bigger problems to deal with. "Medium" is generally third in its Wednesday-at-9 p.m. time slot but builds on the lousy lead-in it gets from "Crossing Jordan."

And when NBC announces its fall schedule on Monday, don't be surprised if a number of long-running shows don't make the cut.

At this point, the Peacock network has officially renewed only seven series — "Heroes," "My Name Is Earl," "Las Vegas," "Law & Order: SVU," "The Office," "30 Rock" and now "Medium."

Among the shows still waiting to learn their fate are "Crossing Jordan," "Scrubs" and two of the three "Law & Order" series — the original and "Criminal Intent," neither of which are odds-on favorites to return.

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E-mail: pierce@desnews.com