Fans certainly aren't going to like this breaking piece of CW scheduling news, but Gossip Girl is poised to take a six-week hiatus beginning January 18.

The reason: The premiere of Life UneXpected on the network. The new show will be airing its first season (only six episodes) in Gossip Girl's time slot.

Of course, while six weeks without our show always stinks, it is worth noting that this does not in any way shorten Season 3. When Gossip Girl returns in March, it will run 11 (or 12) consecutive Mondays until the season finale.

By our calculations, and according to our sources, this leaves four more episodes before the hiatus the show is taking from January 18 until March:

• Next week's "The Last Days of Disco Stick" (3.10)
• An as-yet untitled episode November 30 (3.11)
• "The Debarted," January 4 (3.12)
• "Jenny, Full of Grace," January 11 (3.13)

Note that this is all subject to change and not 100 percent confirmed. The episode air dates, that is. The hiatus has definitely been confirmed.

Steve Marsi is the Managing Editor of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Google+ or email him here.