Mark your calendars: Return dates galore!

The strike is over. You still have a month or so to wait before things return to normal ... well, at least as it applies to being unproductive while watching TV.

It looks like April at best for the return of your favorite shows, with most of the major networks releasing schedules with firm return dates. Of course, VH1 will already have cycled through any number of washed-up musicians and sitcom stars during that time, so it's not as if you'll be working without a safety net.

Here's a rundown of shows that are either extremely popular or that we've been known to watch/cover at Channel Surfing:

24: Season 7 postponed until January '09.
30 Rock: Expected to shoot 5 new episodes to begin airing on April 10.
Brothers & Sisters: Expected to shoot 4 new episodes to air beginning April 20.
Chuck: No new episodes until fall.
CSI: Expected to shoot 6 new episodes to begin airing on April 3.
CSI: Miami: Expected to shoot 8 new episodes to begin airing on March 24.
CSI: NY: Expected to shoot 7 new episodes to begin airing on April 2.
Desperate Housewives: Expected to shoot 6 new episodes (including a two-hour finale) to air beginning April 13.
Dirty Sexy Money: No new episodes until fall; three remaining pre-strike episodes will undergo some tweaking and kick off fall run.
ER: Expected to shoot 6 new episodes to begin airing on April 10.
Friday Night Lights: No new episodes expected for this season. Future unknown.
Gossip Girl: Expected to shoot 5 new episodes to begin airing on April 21.
Grey's Anatomy: Expected to shoot 5 new episodes to air beginning April 24.
Heroes: No new episodes expected until fall.
House: Expected to shoot 4 new episodes to begin airing in its new Monday time slot on April 28.
How I Met Your Mother: Expected to shoot 9 new episodes to begin airing on March 17.
Law & Order: Expected to shoot 5 additional episodes to begin airing on April 23.
Law & Order: CI: Expected to shoot an indeterminate number of episodes to air in spring.
Law & Order: SVU: Expected to shoot 5 new episodes to begin airing on April 15.
Lost: Five pre-strike episodes remain. Expected to shoot 5 additional episodes to air beginning April 24.
My Name Is Earl: Expected to shoot 9 new episodes to begin airing on April 3.
The Office: Expected to shoot 6 new episodes to begin airing on April 10.
Pushing Daisies: No new episodes until fall.
Saturday Night Live: Returns Saturday with Tina Fey as host.
Scrubs: Five pre-strike episodes remain and will begin airing on April 10. Up to four additional episodes may be shot; unclear whether they'll air on NBC or go straight to DVD.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Three pre-strike episodes remain. Future unknown.
Ugly Betty: Expected to shoot 5 new episodes to air beginning April 24.

And finally, The Wire, one of the few shows unaffected by the strike, has three episodes remaining. Ever. Expect lavish praise from yours truly in the coming weeks.

-- Thomas Rozwadowski, trozwado@greenbaypressgazette.com