Times are at their most desperate. New episodes of scripted television have become harder than ever to find. Once a last resort, shows such as "Gossip Girl" have become an oasis in a reality TV desert. Any morsel of creative writing is worthy of time now that primetime is filled with a new, not-improved "American Gladiators," yet another season of "Flavor of Love" and a truly terrifying reality show called "The Baby Borrowers," where teen couples must care for infants, toddlers, adolescents and the elderly. Fear not though, there are still a few glimmers of hope on the horizon. Here are a couple of scripted television shows that should help satiate your hunger until the strike is over. 'Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles' January 13, 7 p.m. CST, FOX
Picking up where "T2" left off, a new batch of Terminators are on the trail of Sarah Connor ("300's" Lena Headey) and her son, John. Like the "Terminator" films, there's a good robot and a bad one. Summer Glau of "Firefly" plays Cameron Phillips, who seems to be the cyborg out to protect the Connor clan. With high production values and a lucrative franchise, FOX is hoping that this will be their big hit for the spring season. 'Breaking Bad' January 20, 9 p.m., CST, AMC
AMC made a big splash last season with "Mad Men," their first foray into a television series. The executives are crossing their fingers and hoping that lightning strikes twice with "Breaking Bad." "Malcolm in the Middle's" Bryan Cranston stars as a straight-laced chemistry teacher who decides, after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, to become a meth dealer. With the help of one of his former students, Cranston hopes to make some extra money to take care of his family once he's gone. An intriguing premise and a moustached Cranston could make for a really fun show. 'Lost' January 31, 8 p.m., CST, ABC
SPOILER ALERT: If you don't want any season three secrets revealed, rip this part out of the paper.
The last season finale was one of the biggest surprises to ever come out of this trippy island adventure. With the flash forward showing Jack and Kate make it off the island, it is no longer a question of if they get rescued, but who will get rescued. The plot is tightly under wraps (like any season of the show) and with a truncated season thanks to the strike, only eight episodes will air. This shortened installment of everyone's favorite headscratcher could cause story line problems or leave the viewer with a bigger cliffhanger ending than ever before. 'Greek' March 24, 7 p.m., CST, ABC Family
Still quite a ways away, the premiere of "Greek" should coincide nicely with the end of several other shows. The first season of this college comedy was a light, frothy show that was quite refreshing during the summer doldrums of reruns. The second season should be yet another breath of fresh air during the writers' strike. Following the misadventures of sorority sister Casey and her geeky brother Rusty at the fictional Cyprus-Rhodes University, "Greek" always has plenty of romance, parties and backstabbing to make it an instant favorite. This season there will be even more spouse-swapping and snazzy soirees (up first: a Gatsby-inspired party with a speakeasy), so luckily, one of cable's guiltiest pleasures will be back in full force.
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