I'm interested to know if you ...

Question: I'm interested to know if you have any thoughts regarding 24 now that Fox has officially declared it won't be back on the air until 2009. I think it's interesting that Fox states that "a January 2009 start seemed the best way to comply with viewers' wishes," when all the fans I know (myself included) seem to be wishing for it to start sooner rather than later. Consecutive weekly airings is not worth the wait if the show could be technically aired in the fall, or even late summer. I believe the show has a loyal enough viewer base to minimize the lower ratings Fox seems to think would result from an earlier showing. Furthermore, the longer they keep completed episodes under wraps in this day and age, the greater the chances of them being leaked onto the Internet, which certainly wouldn't go over well with the suits.
Answer: I agree with you in one regard: It would be tragic if too many details of the next season got out in advance, and in this spoiler society, I fear you may be right. But that's not reason enough for me to second-guess Fox's decision to postpone the show until next January. To me, it's like when I heard that Paramount has decided to hold the next Star Trek movie from Christmas to next summer. Whatever's best for the franchise. There's no question Fox could have this season ready to go earlier, and it's almost unheard of for a network to sit on completed episodes for so long. But much as the networks are choosing to hold some freshman series back until fall in order to give them a big relaunch, so 24 deserves the greatest promotional push possible when it returns. Holding it until the new year, and having the season run consecutively as it has successfully done the last few years, still seems to me the best option. Fans are notoriously impatient, and I get why it's frustrating to have the show held back for so long. But I've also lived through seasons when fans griped endlessly about the breaks between episodes in shows like 24 and Lost, and that's what Fox is trying to avoid. Can't please everyone. Or in the case of shows like these, almost anyone.