More than any other network, CBS has been burned by the strike. It ran more reruns than any other broadcaster over the last three months, rolling out only a handful of new midseason shows, all of which produced disappointing ratings.

And its ratings dropped the most of any network compared with last fall. In adults 18-49, it slipped by 21 percent, from a 2.9 to a 2.3, according to live viewing Nielsen data. ABC was down 20 percent, from a 3.0 to a 2.4 and NBC 14 percent, from a 2.9 to a 2.5, while Fox doubled its fall average.

Even with adults over 50, CBS’s usual strength, it’s down 17 percent from a 6.8 during first quarter to a 5.8 in 2008. Meanwhile, NBC and Fox have both risen in that demo.

“CBS has lost the most,” says David Scardino, entertainment specialist at Santa Monica, Calif.-based agency RPA. “You’ve got to think they’re lighting candles over there that this stuff comes back. They don’t have any other hope.”

That may be why CBS’s shows will be the first back on the air tonight, barely a month after the writers’ strike ended.

“How I Met Your Mother,” “The Big Bang Theory” and “Two and a Half Men” all air their first original episodes of the year. They’ll be joined next week by “CSI: Miami,” the first veteran network drama to resume since the strike ended.

Assuming viewers also return, that should give CBS a nice boost. The three comedies were averaging a collective 3.6 rating before they went into repeats, or 65 percent better than the new show that replaced “Bang” in January, “Welcome to the Captain.”

CBS also has the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament Thursday through Sunday, which will draw solid ratings, to promote “CSI: Miami’s” return, as well as the resumption of its other veteran shows.

Of course the big question facing CBS and all the other networks is whether viewers will indeed come back after three months away from those old favorites.

During that time, online video viewing has soared, as have cable ratings, and many Americans claimed during numerous strike polls that they were also doing more reading or video game playing or other non-broadcast pursuits.

Still, Scardino thinks they’ll return, at least initially. He cites strong ratings for the late-night talk shows when they ended their two-month strike blackout in January, as well as solid ratings this winter for NBC’s “Law & Order,” a veteran drama that returned from a six-month hiatus in January.

“If I have a reason for optimism, it’s based on those two things,” Scardino says. “That may be a slender thread, but it will be interesting to see what happens.”