"Runway": It's an addiction

NEW YORK — Even before the writer's strike threatened to denude the TV schedule, it was clear that "Project Runway" was poised to conquer this season. To get a sense of the building anticipation among " Runway" fans about this week's return of the Bravo fashion competition, one had to spend only a few minutes perusing the forums on Web sites such as TelevisionWithoutPity.com.

Under the topic "You know you're obsessed with 'P.R.' when ... ," one avid watcher posted: "When you start planning your 'P.R.' Debut Party two months in advance, making up a menu to rival a Super Bowl blow-out, sketching designs on where to move the furniture so the maximum number can squeeze into a 15x16 room, calling friends you haven't spoken to in a year to make sure they travel cross-country to attend."

Such commitment may seem a bit overblown to those unfamiliar with the reality show, which pits 15 fashion designers against one another in an exhausting gauntlet of unconventional design challenges.

But "Project Runway," which returns for its fourth season Wednesday, has acquired legions of near-fanatical devotees who are entranced by the designers' inventive creations and backstage pathos, not to mention host Heidi Klum's blunt pronouncements. Last season's finale drew 5.6 million viewers, beating out all its cable competition for the night and delivering Bravo's biggest audience ever.

"I hear people say that for them, it's like television crack," said Tim Gunn, the sleekly avuncular former chair of the Department of Fashion Design at Parsons the New School for Design, who acts as a mentor to the designers. "They watch one episode and say, 'Hmm, this is intriguing.' They watch two, and suddenly they're totally hooked."

Bravo executives promise that this season will keep "Runway" addicts sated. Between the surprise guest judges (a clue: think celebrities with three-word names) and some unexpected drama, "it is not going to disappoint in any way," said Frances Berwick, executive vice president of programming and productions.

"The level of talent of the designers is pretty astonishing," said Jane Lipsitz, an executive producer.

The caliber of the contestants stems in part from the status "Project Runway" has accrued in the fashion industry, which regards the reality show as a credible purveyor of new talent. During New York Fashion Week, fashionistas flock to the runway show where the show's finalists display their collections. Many have landed plum design jobs after the show, while Gunn was tapped to be the chief creative officer at Liz Claiborne Inc. this year.

But the show's success is also due in large part to its appeal to those outside the fashion world.

"I think people didn't realize until they started to get into the show that they care as much as they do about clothes or that they have as many opinions as they do about clothes," said executive producer Dan Cutforth. "It seemed like kind of a niche world, and what's happened with 'Runway' is that it was revealed to be actually a very broad and relatable world."