LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- President Obama is set to make his fourth official State of the Union Address on Tuesday, February 12.

Said date not only falls on Abraham Lincoln's birthday, but also - for the television industry - in the middle of the February sweeps period.

The broadcast networks usually don't air original programming on the nights of the address as the live, 90-minute or so coverage - usually beginning at 9:00/8:00c - makes it impossible to air a consistent lineup across the country.

The exceptions in recent years are generally for reality programming such as NBC's "The Biggest Loser" and FOX's "American Idol."

We bring all this up because February 12 falls exactly one week after the returns of NBC's "Smash" and ABC's "Body of Proof," potentially disrupting any momentum to open their respective seasons.

In short: while "Smash" and "Body of Proof" kick off their seasons on February 5, their next originals probably won't be until February 19.

Keep in mind though that "Law & Order: SVU," "Criminal Minds," "CSI" and "Modern Family" all opened this season on Wednesday, September 26 and - due to the first Presidential debate - didn't air again until two weeks later on October 10.

In either case, you've been warned.