On May 16, 2007, it was announced that, despite the decline in ratings, CBS would renew the show for a third season 2007–2008 as a mid-season replacement. On November 6, 2007, CBS said that production of "Old Christine" had been halted because of a strike by the Writers Guild of America. On December 13, 2007 CBS announced that the series would return for its third season, which premiered on February 4, 2008, replacing "Rules of Engagement". However, only 10 episodes of the original 13-episode order were produced and aired for the third season because of the WGA strike.