24 Canceled Until Sept 08′

Dammit, looks like season 7 of 24 will be canceled until September of 2008 due to the strike.  Not good.

Here is the announcement:

Three days in, the writers strike is hitting television hard as schedules are being juggled, overall deals suspended, production on series shut down and layoffs kick in.

Fox on Wednesday became the first broadcast network to announce a strike-affected midseason schedule minus its signature drama “24.”

Meanwhile, 20th Century Fox TV became the latest TV studio to send out suspension letters to writers with overall deals, joining CBS Paramount Network TV, ABC Studios and Universal Media Studios.

20th TV also began notifying writers assistants Wednesday that they are being laid off effective immediately, but the studio will pay their health benefits through the end of the year, sources said.

Faced with the possibility of a partial Season 7 of “24,” Fox has opted not to air the real-time drama at all this season.

“It’s not a decision we wanted to make, but it’s one based on how we feel the viewers expect us to schedule the show,” said Preston Beckman, Fox’s scheduling chief.

The decision to act quickly so early in the strike also was prompted by the large amounts of marketing money associated with the premieres of new series and the annual launch of “24.” The network began airing promos for the upcoming season of “24″ during the World Series and on a big screen in Times Square.

“Had we delayed executing and implementing of a strike schedule, it could’ve cost us a lot of money,” Beckman said.