Faith Ford ,whose ABC "Carpoolers" returned to the air in January to run off eight episodes of the sitcom shot prior to the writers strike, says the fate of the series is very much linked to that of Jim Belushi's "According to Jim," with which her series shares an hour. As she explains, "A half-hour show like ours needs a half-hour partner -- you can't make it on your own."

She points out that "Murphy Brown," in which she played Corky Sherwood for nine memorable seasons, was in the same situation.

"We shared an hour with 'Designing Women.' The shows drew the same kind of audiences -- and brought viewers to both shows."

She and Kelly Ripa weren't so fortunate with "Hope & Faith," which didn't share a compatible on-air partner and only lasted three seasons.

As for "Carpoolers," she figures the odds are 50-50 that the show will be renewed -- or that "According to Jim" will be back.