Next Monday, Global is premiering season three of its Canadian made "Departure," a drama about a team that tries to figure out what causes disastrous accidents. It stars Archie Panjabi of "the Good Wife," and is seen in the U.S. on Peacock, the NBC-owned streaming service that's not available in Canada. 

So far, so good and it's nice that it's still on free TV north of the border. But here's the thing - with the writers and actors both on strike and no new shows being produced (beyond reality and game shows) there's already going to be a deficit of any new comedies or dramas come the Fall. And it could be a very long time before those disputes are resolved and productions resume. 

So why is Global airing this at the beginning of August, when they're almost guaranteed to have a lower audience? Wouldn't it make more sense to save one of the few first run new dramas for a more advantageous time, say September or October, after months of almost nothing new airing on television? Imagine how well it might do in the ratings while everyone else is showing reruns.

I'm as baffled by this as ABC's decision to schedule the remake of its award winning "The Wonder Years" in the middle of summer. Again, first run shows are at a premium, especially on traditional broadcast TV. The term "summer rerun" is as old as the medium itself. Why are they wasting such a great opportunity at a time when viewership is traditionally at its lowest? 

I have no idea what Global has scheduled for 10PM Monday in September. But I'm betting it won't be as high quality - or new - as its own first run drama. It's a point of "Departure" I just don't get.