A LITTLE LATE IN THE SEASON, NO?

"The OC" premieres this year on Thursday, November 4. Isn't that a bit late in the season? And the West Wing premiere is tomorrow, October 20. Didn't shows use to premiere earlier? Like around the time the kiddies went back to school? What's with the late dates? Are they rolling the shows out slowly so that they don't crowd each other? Are the showrunners late with their shows? Do they just need more time? What?