Fox has cancelled the launch of the seventh season of 24 because of the WGA strike, saying it will not air what’s already been shot and risk disruption later on. ‘It’s not a decision we wanted to make, but it’s one based on how we feel viewers expect us to schedule the show,’ Fox scheduling chief Preston Beckman told The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday, three days into the U.S. writers walkout.

Barbara Williams, SVP of programming and production at CanWest MediaWorks, says the cancellation ‘will undoubtedly disappoint fans, but with the uncertainty of the writers strike, this difficult choice was made in the best interest of the viewing audience.’

But the absence of the action series, which had been scheduled for an 18-week run beginning in mid-January, won’t impact Canadian advertisers as negatively as it might have in the past, says M2 Universal president Hugh Dow. ‘The show has experienced significant audience declines over the last year and is not the blockbuster it once was — which perhaps is an underlying reason why it was cancelled.

‘Because of this, it should not be a major challenge for Global to replace it with a similar audience-generating property,’ he adds. ‘So we’re not overly concerned about the cancellation, nor do we see this as a huge issue or setback for Global.’

From Media in Canada