LESS IS MORE

Maybe you’ve noticed that “ Moonlighting” has been looking awfully familiar lately--suffering rerunitis, just like last year. One source on the show tells us “a new show is a major event for cast and crew,” suggesting escalating budgets and overrun schedules as part of the problem.

ABC won’t talk about overruns of money and time, but the net confirms the hit show probably will come up with only 19 new episodes this season, instead of the intended 22 (the standard for prime-time shows). Last year’s total: 18.

“We aim for 22, but you have to settle for as many as you can,” said an ABC spokesman. “ ‘Moonlighting takes much longer to make because of the bulk of the dialogue and the innovative ideas of producer Glenn Caron.”

You can probably expect more reruns: Only 11 episodes have been completed since July, according to ABC--and 10 have already aired.