'24' premiere delayed because of strike

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Fox network officials said the seventh season of its hit U.S. suspense drama "24" won't premiere unless the network is certain it will run in its entirety.

The Writers Guild of America strike has made the time frame for when that could happen unclear.

The new "24" season was to begin airing this winter but scripts have only been completed up to episodes seven and eight.

Production on those is expected to continue until early December, however, they probably won't be seen for months.

"The viewers have told us that this is a show that needs to be digested with minimal, if any, interruptions," Fox scheduling chief Preston Beckman told Variety.

"We've got a plan to keep Fox vibrant right through May sweep and beyond," Beckman said. "We had to make some tough decisions quickly for a variety of reasons."

The trade paper said "24" might start later in the spring if the WGA strike is resolved, however, the delay could also mean the seventh run of the show will be pushed to 2008-09.

The new series "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" is set to take "24's" place on the Fox schedule as of Jan. 14.