The fallout from averting a strike by Hollywood writers appears to have claimed at least one series as a casualty.
     The Fox television network pulled the plug Wednesday on a Paramount series it had ordered in advance as a hedge against possible work stoppages this summer.
     The network, a division of News Corp., dropped "When I Grow Up" even though Paramount has completed a half-dozen episodes of the series, rushed into production several months ago to beat the strike deadline.
     A romantic comedy from writer-producer Glenn Gordon Caron, the creator of ABC's "Moonlighting," the show is shooting its seventh hour. Paramount's television division, a unit of Viacom, is said to be desperately seeking another buyer.
     Given the cost of mounting a one-hour prime-time show, industry sources estimate the studio has invested close to $10 million in the production. The broadcast networks will unveil their schedules for the coming TV season next week.
     A Fox spokesman confirmed the network has given Paramount the right to shop the project to other buyers but declined to comment further, as did the studio. However, insiders say Fox sought to reduce its commitment from 13 episodes to eight because of differences over the series' creative direction and Caron's reluctance to accept input from the network.
     All the networks have ordered certain new shows in recent months as a hedge against possible labor actions this summer.
     Now, however, assuming the Screen Actors Guild reaches a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and the Writers Guild of America ratifies its agreement with the producers, several less-promising shows will be left off the fall schedule. Instead, they probably will air during the shorter summer season, when television-viewing levels tend to be lower.
     It is hardly unprecedented for Fox to give a series a production go-ahead and subsequently decide against broadcasting it. In fact, the network has announced programs in May that were later scuttled each of the last four seasons.
     Neither Caron nor his representatives could be reached for comment.