Jericho to run repeat free

Jericho is following the Lost model in its freshman season according to TV Guide On-Line.

The new CBS series will take a 10-week hiatus after its mid-season finale in late November. The show will return with episodes in February, including a flashback episode of what life was like before the bombs. (I bet it's just filled with all kinds of unresolved mysteries and bad foreshadowing).

Intersting to hear that Jericho is taking this route instead of attempting to bring in new fans via repeats. Of course, we know that some serialized shows don't repeat well (Lost) in terms of ratings. But with a freshman show like Jericho, you'd think CBS would try to find a way to build the audience and expand it, espeically since the juggernaut that is American Idol will be coming back. Or maybe that's why they're doing this--to keep Jericho from getting lost in the shadow of American Idol.

It will be interesting to see how the two, hit freshman serial dramas approach repeats. We've seen what Jericho is doing. Would Heroes go repeat free as well with a long hiatus? And how will Heroes do when it's repeated?

And is this just one more step toward block scheduling of shows and the end of the sweeps month model that has dominated TV for so long now?