For media people, that return can’t come too soon.

During first quarter, the Big Five networks’ combined adults 18-49 rating has slipped 19 percent compared to first quarter last year, to 11.7, according to Nielsen data through March 2 analyzed by Magna Global. That's according to live-only ratings.

Fox is the only network that is not down by double-digit percentages, buoyed by a big Super Bowl. It’s averaging a 5.7 rating thus far this year.

NBC, which is second behind Fox during first quarter with a 2.5 rating, is off 14 percent, while third-place ABC is down 25 percent and CBS, which carried last year’s Super Bowl, is off 44 percent, to a 2.3. The CW is in a distant fifth at 0.8, off 33 percent from last year, though 18-49s are not its target demo.

Meanwhile, ad-supported cable is up 8 percent compared with the same time last year, to a 17.0 rating.

But the broadcast networks should get back on track next week, when CBS becomes the first network to roll out original episodes of shows that were shut down during the strike.

Its comedy lineup of “How I Met Your Mother,” first-year show “Big Bang Theory” and “Two and a Half Men,” broadcast’s No. 1 sitcom, return a week from tonight, along with “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” which debuted originals at midseason.

That same night, the new season of ABC’s reality hit “Dancing with the Stars” also returns, which should give the network a huge boost after midseason replacement “Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann,” starring two “Stars” judges, failed to catch on Monday nights.

The following week, the CW’s “The Game” and CBS’s “CSI: Miami” begin airing the first of more than a half-dozen new episodes.

But the bulk of the networks’ shows won’t return until early April. That’s when top programs such as CBS’s “CSI,” ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” and NBC’s “The Office” return to the air, all with six episodes left to air.

Fox’s “House” and ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” two of the top scripted programs, won’t be back until the last week of April, “House” with four new episodes and “Grey’s” with five.

Still, the question remains just how many viewers will return with these shows. Magna’s most recent report shows that, while a goodly portion of last fall’s viewer erosion can be attributed to increased DVR usage, that has not been the case during first quarter, when viewers are simply turning away from broadcast rather than time shifting it.

A big issue during the last writers’ strike, two decades ago, was whether viewers would return following the walkout. That’s just as much an issue this year, with cable seeing gains and many online video sites, like YouTube, reporting increased traffic during the strike-riddled months.