This evening, fans of ABC’s Revenge may be in for a surprise. The freshman drama has been replaced by an ABC special with a similar name — Revenge for Real. That’s no doubt the network’s attempt to attract regular viewers to watch a news special. So, has the real Revenge been cancelled? When will it be back?

For those who aren’t familiar with the TV series, Revenge revolves around Emily Thorne (Emily Van Camp), a young woman who comes to the Hamptons with a secret agenda; to exact vengeance on the wealthy people who ruined her family’s life and reputation. The drama also features the talents of Ashley Madekwe, Christa B. Allen, Connor Paolo, Gabriel Mann, Henry Czerny, Joshua Bowman, Madeleine Stowe, and Nick Wechsler.

Revenge debuted to a healthy 3.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 10.0 million total viewers. Week two saw the all-important demo fall 18% and week three dropped another 11%. Over the next several weeks, the ratings rose and fell, dropping as low as a 2.1 demo rating.

The way things were going, it looked like Revenge might be heading for the cancellation pile — like so many failed ABC dramas that had come before it — but the numbers evened off and the show’s been averaging a healthy 2.5 in the demo in 2012. While the show isn’t a big ratings hit, it certainly isn’t a flop either. Revenge’s demo average is actually stronger than that of aging shows like Castle and Private Practice.

Unfortunately, ABC has now put the series on hiatus for four weeks — a bit of a scheduling gamble that could seriously hurt viewership.

ABC News’ Revenge for Real will take over for two weeks and then repeats of a new Thursday night drama, Missing, will fill the slot for two weeks after that. Revenge isn’t slated to return until April 4th. It’s unclear if that night will feature a repeat or one of the six remaining originals.

The way things stand right now, it looks like a sure bet that Revenge will be renewed for a second season. Hopefully, enough viewers will return to watch the show after the hiatus so the ratings don’t drop and put the series’ future in jeopardy.

UPDATE: Revenge will now return on April 11th with a recap show. An original regular episode will air on April 18th and the finale will run on May 23rd.

What do you think? Will this hiatus cause the ratings to drop or do you think Revenge is assured of a season two renewal?

Image courtesy ABC.