Let's hope there's real movement this week in the talks between the Writers Guild of America and the majors -- for the good of the biz in general and for the sake of "Brothers and Sisters" in particular.

This show has been growing on me all season, and it did again Sunday night, with a little help from a nicely written guest shot for the ever-charming Lyle Lovett (pictured left). "Brothers and Sisters" is the poster-child for shows that are too promising -- creatively and commercially -- to lose their momentum because of the Big Distraction of the strike.

I'm not the only one who thinks so -- "Brothers and Sisters" ratings have been solid all season on the back of 9 p.m. companion "Desperate Housewives." Most recent seg drew 12.5 million viewers and 4.8 rating/11 share in adults 18-49, and even more impressive in femme demos, including women 18-34 (5.6/15) and women 18-49 (6.7/16).

Another potent weapon ABC has in the wings is midseason drama "Eli Stone," from "Brothers and Sisters" alums Marc Guggenheim, Greg Berlanti and Ken Olin. Pilot for skein starring Jonny Lee Miller (pictured right) as a lawyer who suddenly becomes convinced he's a prophet is quite compelling, but it's doubtful ABC will invest in the launch of the show while the writers' room is still empty.

It's that most wonderful time of the year for showrunners. After living with a pilot for a year (or more, in some instances), and after working non-stop for most of the summer on the subsequent segs, the climax of the campaign comes down to one night, one hour or half-hour during the Long March known to non-pros as Premiere Week.

Of course, it's rarely all over (but the shoutin') for a new show after week one, but those first overnights set a certain tone for frosh shows that can be very hard to overcome. This time around, there's no more active theater in the 2007-08 campaign than Wednesday night. And while most of the recent industry chatter has focused on the fates ABC's "Pushing Daisies" and NBC's "Bionic Woman," ABC also has a high-roller bowing in the 10 p.m. slot in "Dirty Sexy Money." "Dirty Sexy" (costar Seth Gabel pictured at left) has a secret weapon in exec producer Greg Berlanti, who has shot up the short list of uber-showrunners during the past few years, particularly after he parachuted in to save "Brothers & Sisters" for the Alphabet net last season.

According to the tao of Greg, when the nerves begin to jingle-jangle as the premiere date approaches, the only thing a showrunner can do is breathe deep and keep focused on the next script in the pipeline.

"What I always get excited about at this time of year is that it's almost out of your hands," Berlanti said last week when asked to reflect on his pre-premiere rituals. "You have to say to yourself: 'Have I done everything I can to get this ship to shore?' And then you just have to keep working. The great thing is that once you're on the air, you're communicating directly with the audience. There's nothing that fuels you more than having people finally see the stuff you've been working on for a year. That is a really great second wind. I always look forward to that part of it."