TVSquad

In 1994, I was excited about My So-Called Life and Friends, but not much else on the TV schedule caught my eye. A friend of mine loved ABC's Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, so I would go over there to hang out and watch it.

Being sci-fi buffs, we decided we should check out Earth 2, a new show that aired an hour before L&C on NBC. I have this tendency to at least try out all the new science-fiction shows, knowing that even if I like them, the odds of them surviving beyond one season are slim. I quickly gave up on M.A.N.T.I.S. over on Fox, but found myself more intrigued by Earth 2.

What a fascinating and sophisticated look at a science fiction world. It was so much more realistic and grounded than the Star Trek series could ever be. The characters were horribly flawed and they felt much more human. As expected, the show failed, but not before I got 22 great episodes that still resonate in my memory.

This is Spoilers Anonymous, a weekly column here at TV Squad where we supply you with the dirt on some of the more popular shows on the air. We'll never put spoilers up here on the main page in order to help the reformed stay unspoiled. If you have anything to add to the group, feel free to step up and let yourself be heard, either with our tips form or by emailing us at tvsquad at gmail dot com, or call and leave a message at (775) 640-8479. Your anonymity is guaranteed, if you wish to remain as such.

This week we have: Lost, Lost and... Lost! (SPOILERS FOLLOW!)

Ah, Season Four. You were so good to us, even though you were slightly shorted by that pesky writers strike. Lost wasn't as impacted as a lot of other shows because the creators had already gotten the okay to do three shorter seasons before any of this happened. Sure they lost a little bit of time, but not enough to have really impacted the show.

And Season Four gave us such pivotal moments. The introduction of the freighties, including some really good and interesting characters. The return of Michael. The identities of the Oceanic Six. An in-depth examination of what happened to them after the island in more flash forwards. The man in the cabin. Ben moves the island. And the identity of the man in the casket. So much happened in fourteen short episodes, but still that's not enough. To fill out the set, we've got two full discs of extras.

When the Lost season 4 poster was released last season, I took a few minutes to analyze it with you and try to extract clues and spoilers from it. The biggest clues we found in that poster was the skyline of a city reflecting on the water and the number 6, also in the water. Both foreshadowed the Oceanic 6 getting off the island.

It's time to resume our investigation, this time, with the season 5 official poster (see right, bigger version after the jump) which I've found at DocArzt's Lost Blog.

Finally! The fifth season of ABC's Lost gets a premiere date. Various sources confirm that the hit series will return with a three-hour event on Wednesday, January 21 from 8 to 11 p.m. and that the series will settle in the Wednesday at 9 p.m. slot starting the following week (aka Private Practice's timeslot).

As we've been used to in the past, the event will begin with an hour-long recap covering the previous seasons with an emphasis on the latest events. Then, the first two new episodes, titled "Because You Left" and "The Lie," will air.

As the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences tries to whittle the submissions down to actual nominees, it's interesting to take a look at who has made it to the semifinals. It's not a nomination, but it's one step away. Today comes word of the finalists for best comedy actress and best supporting drama actor. There are some surprises.

Chief among those for me is Sarah Silverman. I honestly hadn't even considered her in the running. I'm not much of a fan, but I do like that she is being considered for the simple fact that the base the nominees are drawn from can always use some expansion. And if she is the most surprising inclusion, the most surprising snub just might be Teri Hatcher. Eva Longoria, Marcia Cross, and Felicity Huffman all made the cut, but not Hatcher. Ouch. The rest of the finalists, and the supporting actors from a drama, after the jump.

We've already discussed some of this season's letdowns, and now it's time for the good stuff. Even the pickiest Lost fan must acknowledge that season four was phenomenal. A lot of things could have gone wrong this season. The writers had to incorporate an entirely new timeline into the show, deal with strike-related delays, and ease another group of characters into a huge ensemble cast.

Instead of falling short of expectations, this season surpassed them. I probably could have devoted separate posts to each of the following highlights. As usual, please share your own praise for this season of Lost in the comments section. I didn't come close to covering everything that made this season incredible.

I got a real stumper this week and I need your help.

Samuel Quiring writes...
"Need name of old TV series pilot A few years ago (possibly many years ago) I saw part of a pilot of a TV series. The plot: the main character was trying to secure funding for a movie. I remember two hilarious scenes and would like to see them again:
(1) The main character is in a nightclub, kind of out of his league, with some slightly unsavory characters from which he's trying to get funding. Finally they agree and he's happy for a moment. Then one of them pulls out a monster knife and cuts the palm of his hand, hands the knife to our hero to do the same, and says, "let's shake on it." As I recall, the main character faints.
(2) Towards the end of show, he's giving a speech to the folks in his office telling them how they've got funding, but everyone's going to have to totally focus and not spend a penny on anything frivolous. During this, a helicopter lands and he says that he's taking a vacation for a couple of weeks in some exotic location. As part of this speech he says something really funny about some women at the office treating an accidental pinch as a sexual assault and if they can't work as a team then maybe they don't belong (that's the gist, but probably not 100% accurate). What is the name of this TV Series pilot and who is the main actor? I can picture him. I've seen him before. But I don't think I ever knew is name. Thanks."

(S04E11) One of the few flashbacks of the season showed us John Locke's predestined connection to the island. Locke encountered some familiar faces before the crash, and each meeting guided him to his current situation. While Jack's mind is set on rescuing everyone on the island, Locke's focus in on saving the island itself. This episode put everyone, including the freighter folk, in place to carry out their plans. I'm already stoked for the finale.

(S04E09) What a brilliant episode! At this point, I think all future Lost episodes should be either Ben-, Sayid-, or Desmond-centric. This episode had it all: tons of action, several big revelations, and more questions to ponder. Michael Emerson gave yet another award-worthy performance this week and showed off his action hero side.

Follow this link to join the chat. The full review is after the jump.

Since Lost premiered about 4 years ago, fans have been active in coming up with theories (include the now-famous time loop theory) to explain the mysteries of the show. From the start, producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have debunked a few of the most popular theories (e.g., they are in purgatory) and hinted that others may be legit.

To help fans discuss theories and propose their own, USA Today's website devotes a section to fans' Lost theories. With these theories in hand, USA Today turned to Darlton (that's the common nickname for Damon and Carlton) to see if any could be accurate.

"Welcome to the war." Ben Linus utters those words to John Locke in one of ABC's Lost promos, gun in hand. Since day one, Ben claimed that the freighter folks were going to kill everyone on the island. The show's three-hour finale is only a few weeks away. What do these last episodes of the season hold for the island residents? Can they hold their own against Widmore's team of scientists and thugs? Spoiler Warning: Some details from promos, interviews, and podcasts are mentioned.