There seems to be little doubt that the writers' strike will result in a shorter TV season, but just how short are we talking? Well, as you might've guessed, it varies from show to show. Those programs that are either highly efficient (Friday Night Lights) or have entered the season with a backlog of episodes (Men in Trees, Law & Order: SVU) will be in originals well into the new year. But series with tighter production schedules (i.e., nearly every half-hour comedy) will go dark almost immediately. Of course, figuring out how many episodes remain in your favorite shows' arsenals requires a lot of numbers crunching — and as I've come to learn, the only thing you Ausholes despise more than a Wednesday without AA is mathematics. With that in mind, I pulled together this incredibly handy (and 85 percent complete) cheat sheet. Keep in mind: The information below is subject to change, particularly if both sides get back to the bargaining table and resolve this frakkin' thing!
30 Rock: Ten episodes will be produced. Five episodes have aired, so there are five left.
Back to You: Nine episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are three left.
Bionic Woman: Roughly nine episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are three left.
Bones: Twelve episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are six left.
Boston Legal: Fifteen episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are nine left.
Brothers & Sisters: Twelve episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are six left.
Chuck: Thirteen episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are six left.
CSI: NY: Fourteen episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are seven left.
Desperate Housewives: Ten episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are four left.
Dirty Sexy Money: Eleven episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are five left.
Friday Night Lights: Fifteen episodes will be produced. The sixth episode airs tonight, Nov. 9, so there are nine left.
Gossip Girl: Thirteen episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are six left.
Grey's Anatomy: Eleven episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are four left.
Heroes: Twelve episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are five left.
House: Twelve episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are six left.
Jericho: Seven episodes will be produced. None have aired yet, so there are seven episodes left.
Law & Order: SVU: Fourteen episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are eight left.
Lost: Eighth episodes will be produced. None have aired yet, so there eight episodes left.
Medium: Nine episodes will be produced. None have aired yet, so there are nine episodes left.
Men in Trees: Nineteen episodes will be produced. The fifth episode airs tonight, Nov. 9, so there are 14 left.
Numbers: Twelve episodes will be produced. The seventh episodes airs tonight, Nov. 9, so there are five left.
The Office: Twelve half-hour episodes will be produced. Eleven half-hour episodes have aired, so there is one half-hour episode left.
Prison Break: Thirteen episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are six left.
Private Practice: Ten or 11 episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are four or five left.
Pushing Daisies: Nine episodes will be produced. Five episodes have aired, so there are four left.
Reaper: Ten to 12 episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are three to five left.
Samantha Who?: Twelve episodes will be produced. Four episodes have aired, so there are eight left.
Scrubs: Twelve episodes will be produced. Three episodes have aired, so there are nine left.
Shark: Eleven episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are five left.
Smallville: Fifteen episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are eight left.
Supernatural: Ten to 12 episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are four to six left.
Ugly Betty: Twelve or 13 episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are five or six left.
• If your favorite show isn't included above, don't panic — it's not because I hate you. It's because I'm still trying to track down the info. As soon as I get it, I'll add it to the list.
