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Angry that your DVR didn't record "Fringe" this week? You're not alone.

Many viewers didn't even know Fox was airing a new episode of "Fringe" until they read about the episode the next day in various news outlets, and some are slapping their foreheads wondering how else the network can damage the viewer base of the show.

"You're right about the crowded Thursday night. My DVR is always packed with shows the next morning," said Airlock Alpha reader Frank Kennedy. "However, I think the big problem with 'Fringe' this week was that it wasn't even in the listings! My DVR didn't even pick it up because Fox was listed for Game 7 of the World Series."

The question, Kennedy asks, is why would Fox use first-run programming as a backup to a sporting event? And that's a good question.

The thing is that when Fox acquired the rights to broadcast Major League Baseball in 1996, the World Series was usually done before November sweeps. Although that didn't allow Fox to take advantage of the typically high ratings of the championship series when it counted the most -- sweeps -- it did allow it to run the series when other networks were airing reruns just ahead of sweeps.

This year's series, however, got its latest start in history, and was played almost entirely over the first and second weeks of November sweeps. Since only the first four games are guaranteed, Fox had to prep backup programming to air just in case there was no Game 5, Game 6 or Game 7.

The series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees went through six games, with the Yankees winning their 27th championship the night before Game 7 would've been played if needed. Since Game 7 wasn't needed, Fox had to air other programming in the slot, and apparently did not want to put out reruns to kick off the second week of November sweeps. So the network opted instead to put on new episodes of "Bones" and "Fringe," despite not advertising them, or not having them in television listings.

"Fringe" really suffered because of it. The show earned a 3.1 rating/6 share, according to Fast National ratings from The Nielsen Co., a 16 percent loss from its last airing Oct. 15, and a series low.

If airing an episode without advertising it wasn't enough, Fox still insists on keeping "Fringe" on Thursdays against programs like "Grey's Anatomy" on ABC and "CSI" on CBS, where it has lost more than 40 percent of its audience from last year. If "Fringe" was a bubble show last year, it's on the chopping block now.

On top of that, "Bones" has proven to be a terrible lead-in for "Fringe," which loses 40 percent of its audience from the David Boreanaz vehicle.

One has to appreciate the fact that Fox was in a tough bind if Game 7 didn't air: Do you do the unthinkable and air a rerun in the middle of November sweeps, or do you go with a new episode and hope that fans can figure out the baseball schedule?

An alternative might have been prepping recap shows for both "Bones" and "Fringe" as a way to maybe capture new viewers who might have just been tuning in, and without risking even further eroding an already withering audience.

Just to point out, Fox is averaging a 4.7/8 on Thursdays in non-event, non-news, first-run programming. It's beating only NBC (3.7/6) and The CW (2.1/3).

How are the other two networks doing? CBS has an 8.7/14 on Thursdays -- not too far off of doubling Fox's numbers -- while ABC is tagging close behind with a 7.5/12.

Sophomore seasons are always the biggest for new shows, if they make it that far. It's always a question of whether or not audiences will stick around for another year. Fox liked the ratings it saw for "Fringe," and felt it would be the perfect show to compete against the Thursday powerhouse lineup of other networks. And now it's stuck there because Fox really has nothing else to put against it without it looking like it's surrendering the time slot.

But the network maybe shouldn't look at it as a surrender, but instead more like a retreat, which is OK sometimes to allow you to come back and fight another day. Someday, the audiences for "Grey's Anatomy" and "CSI" will fade, but those days aren't here yet. And it looks like "Fringe" could end up being a sacrificial lamb.