Fox’s new mid-season drama “Past Life” has seen its 13-episode freshman lifespan cut to just seven episodes.

Production, which has been here in Atlanta, was stopped last night instead of running through mid December as originally scheduled. “Past Life,” which features mostly unknowns save for Richard Schiff (”West Wing”), is about investigators who team up to look into cases that involve people who lived past lives. The show’s executive producer David Hudgins had worked on “Friday Night Lights.”

A launch date for “Past Life” has not been set but Fox had originally placed it in the cushy spot after “American Idol” on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. The problem may be that “Idol” often runs two-hour episodes on Tuesday, especially in March and April when there are oodles of singers to wade through. The first audition episode in early January is usually two hours as well. But why did Fox even ask for 13 in the first place since that’s a problem the network has had for years?

They could have placed “Past Life” on Fridays at 8 p.m., where two sitcoms (”Brothers” and “Til Death”) are floundering. And it would pair better with “Dollhouse,” which airs at 9 p.m.

A Fox spokeswoman confirmed to me that the network’s pickup of nine more episodes of “Glee” and other scheduling issues made it difficult to squeeze more “Past Life.” (The network only airs 15 hours of programming vs. 22 for ABC, NBC and CBS). Fox’s winter schedule includes the return of “24,” at least two hours a week of “American Idol” plus two more mid-season shows, “Sons of Tuscon” (to air on Sunday) and “Human Target” (set for Wednesday).

Here’s a statement from Fox:

“Due to the return of AMERICAN IDOL, 24 and our other midseason programming in January, as well as the back order of GLEE, we have a wealth of material for midseason and can only accommodate seven episodes of PAST LIFE on our schedule.”

The producers taped a pilot in Baltimore back in the spring. This will likely be the first episode. The next six were shot here.

Here’s an extended trailer gleaned from that pilot episode: