LOST and The Wire are back.

lost is blowing up.

despite the recent defections of late night hosts dave, jay, and conan, the hollywood writer’s strike is still chugging along. most of the television shows that began their season in the fall have run out of new episodes (or are about to). luckily for me, my two favorite TV novelas have yet to premiere, and are fully stocked with new episodes that will start the new year right.

i’m of the opinion that LOST has found a place right next to the twilight zone among the great sci-fi thrillers on t.v. when the show is right, the suspense is pitch perfect and the plot is surreal. some people don’t like lost because it can be downright bizarre… but you know me – i’m so cool with that type of program. plus, lets not kid ourselves – evangeline lily is the reigning queen of tv eye candy.

if you’re a regular viewer, you know that last season ended in mind-blowing fashion. check out the video at this link for an extended preview of things to come on season 4 (or peep the shorter, poo-put version of the preview that i have posted below).

the new season begins thursday, january 31st on abc

if you’re not willing to ruin the surprises the writers have planned, then i recommend the following: check out the “missing pieces” videos that ABC has made available on their website (click HERE). watching these clips won’t ruin any of the upcoming season because they feature pieces of action that fit into the narrative of the program thus far (but have never been aired). i suggest you pay special attention to the one titled “23” because i think walt will have a lot to do with what’s going on from here forward.

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if you squint a lot, baltimore looks just like the bronx.

as much as i love lost, my true favorite show will begin its fifth (and final) season on sunday, january 6th. the wire isn’t only the best show on television right now, it may just be the greatest series in the history of the medium. honestly…you name it: all in the family? the sopranos? i love lucy? hill street blues? mash? favor whichever you want, but the wire belongs in the conversation. nothing on t.v has ever been this well written. nothing. the fact that almost nobody watches the wire is an embarrassment.

if you’ve never seen the show, i definitely would NOT advise that you start with season five. the series is constructed in such a way that leaping in to the middle of the narrative would rob you of its brilliance. go rent season one and read this particular novel from the beginning, you cheater.

also – if you’re the type that needs to be entertained by happy endings, i suggest you forget the wire and watch reruns of everybody loves raymond instead. if you have a heart, the wire is going to break it into a million pieces. let me put it this way – if aeschylus and the rest of his ancient greek friends lived in contemporary urban america, this is the tragedy they would write.

the previews available for season five have been pretty weak. you can tell the writers are not eager to give away too many details. however, one interesting piece of promotional material has been the character prequels. earlier this year hbo released videos that featured moments from the lives of major characters before the story began.

want to see how mcnulty met bunk? click here. want to see how proposition joe used to roll back in 1962? click this link. however, my favorite prequel features the infamous anti-hero omar as a stick-up kid. you knew i had to post THIS up:

damn, he rocked the scar even THEN?

there you go… for all my fellow tv addicts suffering through the strike – all is not lost (get it? lost…? wow). the best stuff the glowing box in your living room has to offer has yet to come. and if you’re not feeling either one of these shows, there’s always a new season of 24 on the horizon as well. although, how many times can one white guy with 83,457,392 DUI convictions save the world, anyway?