TVSquad

I wanted to wait a bit before I posted about the ABC showrunner panel, because a) I already posted about the "news" from Shonda Rhimes about Katherine Heigl's statements, and b) I wanted to think about why these panels seem to be so much more informative than the individual show panels?

We'll get to that more later. On the panel were Rhimes (Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice), Marc Cherry (Desperate Housewives), Silvio Horta (Ugly Betty), Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse (Lost), and Greg Berlanti (seemingly the rest of ABC's schedule). As you'd expect, Rhimes got the Heigl questions, Lindelof and Cuse got the most esoteric questions, and Chery made the most jokes. The funniest line, though, came from Horta.

Given that you've made the wise choice to visit tvsquad.com, I feel pretty safe jumping to the conclusion that you are a fan of television. With that in mind, you should really enjoy the round table Hollywood Reporter recently put together with Damon Lindelof (Lost), Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies), David Shore (House), Matthew Weiner (Mad Men), and Craig Thomas (How I Met Your Mother).

The group got together to talk about a number of different topics. Among them, the strike and what could be the cause of the lowered numbers as shows came back. They also share some amusing examples of they hypocrisy that is network standards and practices. The Emmys come up as well, with the group sharing their thoughts about who is deserving of consideration. It all makes for an interesting look behind the scenes and is definitely worth your click. And if all that isn't enough, the story also includes a video where Damon Lindelof manages to reference both Nash Bridges and Remington Steele. Who can pass up Nash Bridges?

You knew that Harold Perrineau's comments were going to cause a bit of controversy. You also knew that he would have to clarify some of the comments a few days later. Here is that clarification.

The Lost star admits to Entertainment Weekly that "I should probably think more before I say things," referring to comments he made that he was irritated with how producers deal with black characters on the hit ABC show and the fact that Michael couldn't be redeemed and have a happy ending with son Walt. He explains that he was just making an observation as a black man and that he wasn't angry at how the story played out, he was just disappointed. He loved working with the cast and crew and wouldn't be surprised if he came back to the show in the future. He also lists his three favorite and least favorite moments on the show.

My prediction? We haven't seen the last of Michael. He'll be back on the show some way, somehow.

Just last week, Harold Perrineau was wondering why his character was killed off on Lost, wishing the producers hadn't blown Michael up with the freighter. He wasn't out of work for long. Harold Perrineau has just been cast on a new ABC comedy/drama called The Unusuals. The pilot, which could be a mid-season replacement on ABC, is an hour set in a New York City police precinct.

Harold will play Detective Leo Banks, an agitated cop who's so afraid of being shot or attacked that he's never without his Kevlar bullet-proof vest. (Does he wear it in the john?) Sounds potentially funny. The writer of The Unusuals is Bones' Noah Hawley and the executive producer is Peter Tolan (Rescue Me, The Larry Sanders Show), so there will be an emphasis on humor. Maybe not full-out Barney Miller, but still funny.

Now we'll have even more opportunities to get lost over Lost. ABC announced today that the 2009 and 2010 seasons will be 17 hours each, not 16 as previously planned.

We can thank the WGA strike, which knocked three hours off the current season. The extra hour will be added to Part 2 of the season finale airing May 29.

When all is said and done, the series will wrap with the same number of episodes that producers and ABC negotiated last year. "We were supposed to do 16-16-16, but we ended up doing 14 this season, so we owe two," co-creator Damon Lindelof told The Hollywood Reporter.

It's good to have a talk show host who is also a big TV fan. Most times, a celeb or producer or writer will come on the show and the only thing that the host can talk to them regarding their latest project is something in general terms, maybe an "I saw the movie and it's great" and not much more. Luckily, Jimmy Kimmel is as much a Lost fan as the rest of us.

He had producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse on the show last week and asked them many questions about the show (side note: did you know they both worked on Nash Bridges, which Cuse created?!). But the big question answered had nothing to do with the smoke monster or time travel or the flash forwards or numbers or hatches or Michael Emerson, who was supposed to be on the show for only two episodes at first, or why the smoke monster didn't kill the mercenaries (there's a reason!). Those aren't the important mysteries.

The big question is, what the hell is going on with Matthew Fox's chest hair? Video 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.

Earlier today, Lost executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse held a teleconference with reporters and bloggers in anticipation of the show's return. They revealed, or at least hinted at, what we can expect in the season's final five episodes, elements of the season finale, and what they hope accomplish in upcoming seasons. Here's a recap:

• The title of the season finale is "There's No Place Like Home."
• When Lost returns, the show will follow Grey's Anatomy. Lindelof and Cuse aren't sure that the two dramas share an audience, but they are happy to share Thursdays with another successful show.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, the return of Grey's Anatomy and Ugly Betty to the Thursday night lineup does make scheduling this additional hour a bit tricky. The original plan was for the two-part Lost finale to air over two nights, and have all three shows end on May 22. TV Guide's Michael Ausiello is reporting that the Lost finale has been rescheduled, making room for a two-hour Grey's Anatomy season finale.

There could be an upside to the Lost hiatus after all. On Wednesday afternoon, TV Guide's Michael Ausiello reported that Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse are in "advanced talks" with ABC about adding another hour-long chapter to Lost Season Four. The arrangement is by no means set in stone, but it is encouraging news.

No word yet on how this extra hour might be added to the season's remaining five episodes. We could get another episode, or the finale could be an additional hour. Would a three-hour season finale be too much, even for Lost viewers? How will this affect the scheduling of the two-hour season finale? Currently, the season's last episode is split into two installments that will air one week apart. Will there be room for this bonus episode now that Lost is sharing Thursday nights with Grey's Anatomy and Ugly Betty?

ABC posted another Lost audio podcast for the most recent episode, "Meet Kevin Johnson." Damon Lindelof rehashed last week's episode, confirmed the identities of the Oceanic Six, and discussed the remainder of Lost's fourth season. Here's a recap:

• The title of the season's ninth episode is "The Shape of Things to Come."
• We will learn more about the Black Rock and the four-toed statue, but not necessarily in a flashback.
• The name Lapidus has appeared twice on Lost. Rick Lapidus' name was on the script in "Exposé," and Frank Lapidus is the name of the helicopter pilot this season. Writer Eddie Kitsis (who wrote "Exposé") loves the name, and wanted to use it on the show.

So tonight's episode of Lost is the last one finished before the writers strike. We'll now have a mini break and the show will return with five new episodes on April 24.

Let's take this time to talk about one of the past mysteries on the show that has never been explained (yet, anyway): the four-toed statue that some of the islanders found in the season two finale. What the hell was that all about? What did it mean? How come no one has pointed a gun at Ben and asked him, "oh yeah, what the heck is that statue with the toes?" In some ways it's more mysterious and funky than the black smoke and Jacob.

Now Lost producer Damon Lindelof explains why we haven't seen the statue on the show since then.

Earlier this week, ABC posted a surprise Lost audio podcast. There wasn't another podcast scheduled until after the airing of "Ji Yeon," but Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse decided to do one anyway. As usual, Lost's executive producers rehashed "The Other Woman," responded to fans' questions, and previewed "Ji Yeon." Spoiler Warning: The ending of the Lost: Via Domus video game is discussed, so stop reading if you want to be surprised. Here's a brief recap of the podcast:

• Two of the final five episodes' scripts are finished, and the writers are currently working on the third.
• The season finale will be two hours long, and the episode will be split up over two weeks.

No one, not even the most hardcore Lost fan, can have more questions about the show's characters than the actors who portray them. Recently, Several Lost cast members got a chance to ask these questions in a TV Guide interview with Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, the show's executive producers. This was a great idea on TV Guide's part, and the answers didn't disappoint. What could be more fun than letting actors like Evangeline Lilly, Naveen Andrews, and Josh Holloway grill their bosses about issues that have been on fans' minds for months?

Cuse and Lindelof's answers contain a lot of spoilers about what we will learn during Season Four (and when), so stop reading if you want to be surprised. The juiciest responses and some speculation about what these new details could mean are included after the jump. My remarks also take rumors into account, so consider yourself warned.

ABC recently posted another Lost audio podcast for this week's episode, "The Constant." Executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse reviewed the newest Lost episode as well as last week's "Eggtown," answered fan questions, and previewed "The Other Woman." Since they skipped a podcast last week, Lindelof and Cuse revealed much more information and dealt with more questions than an average podcast. Here's a recap:

• Due to the writers' strike, Lost's sixteen-episode season was cut to thirteen episodes. The storylines for the eight episodes intended for the second half of the season will be "compressed" into five episodes. The remaining three episodes will be added to the final two seasons of the show.