When the big three networks started releasing clips of their fall 2011 shows, one of the most intriguing was the one for Awake, starring Jason Isaacs (The Harry Potter movies, Brotherhood). We were disappointed that we had to wait until mid-season for the show to premiere, but we were hoping it would be worth the wait.

Now, NYMag reports that Awake is taking a little break:

Vulture has learned that Awake is going to temporarily shut down production this week after filming six episodes (including its pilot). The hiatus is scheduled to last about four weeks; after that, filming is scheduled to resume, with the series still being targeted for an early 2012 debut. So is this a good thing or bad thing for Awake? We got in touch with Awake showrunner (and 24 vet) Howard Gordon for answers.

Gordon told us that he and Killen asked producer 20th Century Fox TV and NBC for the time off because they felt they needed the time to hash out where future episodes were headed. “We’ve got [six] scripts and episodes we’re very proud of, but we felt the show would benefit from having more time to plot out where we’re going,” Gordon told Vulture. “It’s a very complex show, and since we weren’t under any gun in terms of delivering episodes by a deadline, we asked for [the hiatus].” Is part of the problem figuring out how to turn the concept of the show — a man exists in two realities, one in which his wife is dead, one in which is son is — into an ongoing series? “I think that’s exactly right,” he said. “There’s a narrow margin for error here.” Gordon is used to mapping out byzantine story lines, of course, from his days on 24 . Indeed, during one season of that show, he halted production in order to whip future scripts into shape.

These sorts of hiatuses for new shows are rare, and when they happen, they’re almost immediately followed by talk that the show could be in trouble. Indeed, there have been shows that have gone on hiatuses to “fix” scripts, only to never resume production. But Gordon says he’s heard of no such talk from NBC or 20th, and in fact, sees their decision to spend the extra money that’s involved with hiatus (key staffers will be paid for what will essentially be a vacation) as a sign that they’re still very much behind the show. “I think it’s a measure of faith in us,” Gordon said. As for an exact premiere date, “We don’t know yet, but we’re still expecting to be on sometime in January.”

Vulture calling the situation “rare” can be compared to this tweet from veteran showrunner Shawn Ryan (Chicago Code, The Shield, The Unit):

ShawnRyanTV Shawn Ryan These situations are not rare. Happen all the time…

 ShawnRyanTV Shawn Ryan Shield and Grey’s Anatomy are examples of shows that took in-season hiatuses during Season 1 to catch up. Just more press about it now.

We prefer Shawn Ryan‘s view, because we really want to see this series, and soon. If you’re unfamiliar with the show, here’s the official description and trailer:

Lots of people find themselves leading some kind of double life… but none quite like this. After Detective Michael Britten wakes up from a car accident with his wife and teenage son, he learns the devastating news that his wife died in the crash. Trying to put the pieces of his life back together, he wakes up a few days later to realize that his wife is very much alive and his son died in the accident! Did he lose his wife or his son? Or neither of them?? What if your life split in two in the face of a situation like this, and you could actually have everything you wanted, just not all at the same time?

Michael goes back to work solving crimes while trying to put things back on a “normal” track, but alternating between realities provides some challenges – one moment he and his wife are grappling with having another child to replace their loss, and the next moment he’s finding himself attracted to his son’s tennis coach to fill the void from the loss of his wife. At the same time, he is solving crimes in each world which sometimes overlap in fascinating and inexplicable ways. Is he dreaming or going mad? Michael begins seeing two different therapists to help him sort things out, but then again why would he want either “reality” to go away when the totality of both means having his family complete?

From groundbreaking writer Kyle Killen (Lone Star) and starring Jason Isaacs (Brotherhood, Harry Potter) comes a drama about the power of the mind, where the inception of life is a mystery and reality might just be overrated.

Awake is currently expected to premiere in January 2012 on NBC.