SEE this astoundingly cool LOST poster, which is just one of a collection of 37 must-see-them-to-believe-them minimalist TV posters that you can check out here. Art that goes hand-in-hand with the coolest news you will HEAR all day, thanks to @franklinavenue, who broke the news via twitter that LOST is officially returning for what we pray will be an epic final season on Tuesday February 2 at 9PM on ABC. According to reports, the night will kick off with an hour-long recap at 8PM followed by the two-hour premiere from 9PM to 11PM. The series will then air at its regular time, Tuesdays at 9PM.

Thanks to @deekayw for the Tip!

The resurgence of PARKS AND RECREATION continued last night with a hilarious Halloween themed instalment that had Amy Poehler’s Leslie Knope matching wits with 15-year old teenage hooligan named Greg Pikitis. Not only did Pikitis — or as we’re calling him, the most diabolical teenaged vandal since the heydays of one Bart Simpson — provide for an eerily perfect foil for Knope, his shenanigans managed to give hilarious co-stars Louis CK and Chris Pratt some much deserved time in the spotlight. So much so that we’re really hoping this little trick-or-treat-battle-of-wits becomes a PARKS AND RECREATION annual tradition.

Putting aside the fact that this TV Addict is fairly confident I’m the only person in North America who didn’t know who Jeff Dunham was until last night, nobody does road trips like 30 ROCK. Be it a plane trip with hallucinogenic Oprah, Liz’s High School reunion or last night’s talent search that had Liz and Jack travelling to Kenneth’s home-town of ‘Small Town USA,’ last night’s 30 ROCK was a barrel of laughs. With bonus points for an always hilarious Jenna spoiling five season of LOST mythology mere months before all will be revealed, “You know, I met J.J. Abrams once. And I don’t know what this means, but he said the island is just Hurley’s dream.”

And speaking of LOST, if it’s wrong to be this excited for a fifteen second trailer featuring absolutely no new footage, I don’t want to be right.

It doesn’t take a cataclysmic event to flash forward to where this TV Addict will be tonight at 8PM. Planted firmly on our couch watching ABC’s FLASHFORWARD: a meticulously paced, mythology-laden series that has quietly emerged as one of our favourite new shows of the fall. And a big reason for that is the subject of our latest interview, Sonya Walger.

Not only does Walger’s Dr. Olivia Benford currently find herself caught in the center of a bizarre love triangle with current husband FBI Agent Mark Benford, and the mysterious Lloyd Simcoe with whom she very intimately shared her flash forward with. She was kind enough to take some time out of her busy schedule to talk to us about her character’s pivotal role in tonight’s episode.

Last week had your character receiving a very interesting text message alluding to the fact that your husband (played by Shakespeare in Love’s Joseph Fiennes) still has a drinking problem. Are we going to find out tonight who sent Olivia that text message?
Sonya Walger: No, and I still don’t know who sent it.

Is it more of a challenge acting on a show when you really aren’t sure what’s in store for your character?
I really enjoy it. In truth, I thought it would be a much bigger challenge than it turned out to be. But it ends up being really interesting and keeps you very present because it’s all you’ve got to work with.

Tonight’s episode seems to be a rather big one for your character. What can fans expect?
A big confrontation between Olivia, Mark and Lloyd [Simcoe]. But the route that brings you to the confrontation is not an expected one. The collision really is so unexpected and great to watch.

Will Olivia be confronting Mark about the text message she received?
Oh yes. Olivia is not one to keep her mouth shut for very long.

[Editor's Note: Here's where we find out just how similar Walger is to her character…] Last week Marc Guggenheim made headlines by exiting FLASHFORWARD. Did the move come as a surprise to you?
The real issue with David [Co-creator/Executive Producer David Goyer] was that in spite of his massive success in film, he had very little experience in television. So Marc was always going to be there to guide David through the early days of setting up a TV show. And now that that’s done, David can manage the show on his own.

Will the change in leadership have any affect on the show’s tone?
Oh no, not at all. Marc was there to guide David. The show is very much David’s baby.

And speaking of babies, your character Penny on LOST named their son Charlie, while your FLASHFORWARD offspring is also named Charlie! Coincidence?
It’s funny you ask that because that was just recently pointed out to me. Honestly, I hadn’t noticed, but knowing David [Goyer], there probably was an inside joke going on, he’s a big LOST fan.

And since you brought it up, is there any chance we’re going to see Penny in LOST’s upcoming final season?
Unfortunately, I have no idea. Odds are you’ll probably find out before I do.

Do you at the very least get scenes with Dominic Monaghan on FLASHFORWARD?
I have now, yes. Benford

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE PLAN.
After sitting through the Edward James Olmos direct-to-DVD movie released this week, this TV Addict thinks he’s discovered what NBC/Universal’s ultimate plan was: To FRAK us fans by milking as much money as they can from the franchise with a glorified clip show. Not cool.

The CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM controversy.
InsideCatholic.com’s Dean Hudson is entitled to his opinion. Which is why, if he really found Larry David’s ridiculous antics on Sunday’s CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM — that had David’s potent stream of urine inadvertently splash-back on a painting of Jesus Christ — offensive, rather than the absurdist and ridiculous humour that it was, so be it. But what really grinds our gears is Mr. Hudson’s statement to (surprise!) FOX News, in which he blasts the show by arguing that, “If the same thing was done to a symbol of any other religions — Jewish or Muslim — there’d be a huge outcry. It’s simply not a level playing field.” Which begs the question, has Mr. Hudson ever watched CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM? Surely, if he had, he’d have recognized that not only is no subject safe from Larry David (Who earlier this season spent an entire episode strategizing ways in which to dump his Cancer stricken-girlfriend), but the show itself isn’t exactly a glowing advertisement for us Jews.

Media outlets prognosticating show’s fates, TOO SOON!
Yes, we get it. Not every show will survive to the fall (RIP: TRAUMA). But you know what certainly doesn’t help? Media outlets such as TVGuide, The Hollywood Reporter among others taking it upon themselves to cancel shows less than two months into the Fall season! Frankly, articles like this morning’s TVGuide piece which asks “Is Your Favorite Show on the Bubble” or The Live Feed’s “Survival Report” do nothing yet hurt the industry as a whole by continuing to perpetuate the already far too accepted stereotype that Network TV as we know it is doomed. Sure shows like THE FORGOTTEN, DOLLHOUSE and FRINGE aren’t exactly doing great, but by continuing to hammer that fact home, media outlets are really doing nothing but hurt shows further. After-all, who really wants to tune into EASTWICK after TVGuide has all but cancelled it on their website. Or to put it in terms the media industry might appreciate a little more, does The Hollywood Reporter really want to play the ‘which print magazine won’t be around this time next year’ game? Didn’t think so.

THE JAY LENO SHOW.
‘Nuff Said.

Question: For quite some time now you’ve been kind enough to provide your fellow TV Addicts with an incredibly useful calendar highlighting the month’s big TV events. Seriously, my cubicle at work is practically wallpapered with them and I really can’t thank you enough for your hard work. The only problem is that you totally dropped the ball when it came to August. Please explain yourself? — HookedonTVA
The TV Addict: Truthfully, the TV Addict was on strike. And by that I mean, if the networks aren’t going to bother to program quality television in August, I certainly am not going to take time away from my FREAKS AND GEEKS marathon busy schedule to help promote the return of MILLIONAIRE on ABC. Plus, between Comic Con, my much-deserved vacation and the Television Critics Association Press Tour, I simply ran out of time. That said — here in a nutshell is everything you need to know for August: MONK and PSYCH returned to USA on August 7, MAD MEN returns to AMC on August 16, PROJECT RUNWAY makes it’s Lifetime premiere on August 20, TOP CHEF returns to Bravo on August 19, while GREEK picks up exactly where it left off on ABC Family on August 31.

Question: GMMR has got me totally hooked on GREEK. Got any spoilers? — Cappietastic
The TV Addict: Are you sitting down? Because I’m about to drop an honest-to-goodness GREEK game-changer on you. A spoiler so big, it may-or-may-not rock Greek row forever. Ready for it? When the hit ABC Family series returns from hiatus on August 31 [Please take a moment to ensure that there are no spill-able liquids within your computer's proximity!] expect to see hear a proposal from a series regular.

Question: Loved your sneak peek at FRINGE’s second season premiere, but found myself wondering as to why it was completely William Bell free? — TheOtherSider
The TV Addict: Unfortunately, there is a very good reason that my little tease was completely William Bell free —because that’s exactly what the episode was. Leonard Nimoy was MIA. That said, FRINGE executive producer Jeff Pinkner did confirm at last week’s TCA panel for the show that Nimoy has already filmed one episode for season two and “is welcome back as much as he wants.”

Question: Since you missed the boat on an August TV Calendar, can you at least let us know when we can we expect to see one for September? With the new fall season just around the corner, it’s somewhat of a big deal, No?
The TV Addict: Does October work for you? But seriously folks, I assure you that I’m already strategizing ways in which I’ll be able to fit 423 season premieres on one page of 8.5 x 11″ paper. Stay tuned.

Question: As much as I’m loving the previews for V, I’m really hoping the new series won’t preclude Elizabeth Mitchell from returning to LOST. Heard anything as to when we can expect to see Juliet again? — JulietismyConstant
The TV Addict: Lucky for LOST fans, the producers of V are with you. And by ‘with you’ I mean huge fans of the the series as well. Which is why Mitchell was able to confirm at Saturday’s TCA panel for her new ABC series V that she will be heading back to Hawaii, possibly more than once. “I will be back on LOST,” teased the actress. “I can’t say whether I’m dead or not and as with all things on LOST, it will be fairly tricky.”

Question: Over the weekend, Nathan Fillion tweeted a first look at the Richard Castle manuscript for his upcoming thriller Heat Wave. I understand you were on the set. Got any scoop? — OhCaptainMyCaptainMal
The TV Addict: Taking a page from Richard Castle’s on-screen sleuthing abilities, your very own TV Addict did in fact use his spy camera iPhone to snag this exclusive photo (above) of Castle’s new book. Which, by the way will be hitting shelves on September 29th. Can’t wait that long? Click here to download the first chapter for free.

I couldn’t help but notice that you had the chance to catch FASTFORWARD over the weekend, is it all it’s cracked up to be? And more to the point, do we have ourselves a frontrunner for a LOST replacement come next season? — FFFanatic
The TV Addict: Indeed you do, and in more ways than one. Not only is the David S. Goyer  (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight) produced FLASHFORWARD a top notch production across the board. Like LOST, it offers up a ridiculously good looking cast (including Joseph Fiennes, Sonya Walger, John Cho among others) — who through glimpses into the future must piece together what happened to them after the world blacks our for 2 minutes and 17 seconds, characters you’ll very quickly become emotionally invested in, and most importantly, an ending that will have you wishing you could flash forward to next week’s episode. Not to mention, continued employment for LOST alum Dominic Monaghan, who will be joining the cast in what the actor promises to be a drastically different character than Charlie.

With FOX premiering THE CLEVELAND HOW, how long until the inevitable FAMILY GUY crossover? — FamilyGuyFan42
The TV Addict: Although the production team promises that they’re trying to keep the two shows somewhat separate, Seth MacFarlane did concede at last week’s TCA event highlighting THE CLEVELAND SHOW that, “the whole Brown family shows up on FAMILY GUY for an episode in the spring.” With co-creator Mike Henry adding that “Quagmire comes to town for a very relevant-to-the-story reason — and then he refers to something that happened in Quahog — so we see Peter. But I think that’s the only time.”

Question: I’m still reeling from the PRIVATE PRACTICE season finale. Please tell me Amy Brenneman’s Violet is going to be okay. — Patient31
The TV Addict: Not only was the former JUDGING AMY star alive and well on my recent set visit (interview coming soon), she tweets!

Well that about wraps it up folks for this edition of “Ask the Addict.” if you’ve got a question for the TV Addict, you can email me directly at ask@thetvaddict.com or follow me on twitter at twitter.com/thetvaddict.

It somehow seems appropriate that with a show that so relishes playing with time that I would finally catch up with Season 5 of LOST at the same time I was revisiting Season 1 and 2 via the recently released Blu-Ray editions of the early days of the Lostians . In many ways I felt like I was having a LOST-esque flashback of my own, not only in terms of the time that has passed between Seasons 1 &2 and 5, but what has happened in that time.

What struck me most about my venture back into time, was just how remarkably far LOST has come since it first began and how much it has changed.  With so many shows – and I’m not even talking about just legal/investigative/medical procedurals – finding themselves content to stick with what works and never change its fundamental concept too drastically, what’s refreshing about LOST is how it has continued to evolve with each subsequent season and to what degree. Regardless of whether you like the evolved direction or not (and there are certainly many nitpickers who don’t) there’s something to be said about a show that seeks to challenge not only us, but – more impressively – itself by perpetually taking new risks and making bold steps into new territory. LOST has never been afraid to grow its story and characters into entirely different directions, but never at the risk of sacrificing seamless, logical growth (well, as logical as time travel and smoke monsters can be).

What’s funny is that I’ve always certainly senses the evolving steps the show has been making since Season 1, but they’ve always felt small and gradual. With the benefit of hindsight (and re-watching) I realized how deceiving that was because, after all, if you take enough small steps at a rapid pace, eventually you find yourselves having travelled quite a difference.

That was never more apparent to me than when I was reminded of just how all of our beloved characters, the story and the mythology have broadened over the years. Given the ambitious scope of Season 4 or 5 it’s sometimes hard to remember – let alone to believe – that this show once upon a time started out being just about a bunch of plane crash victims trying desperately to survive on a deserted island while a weird unseen monster rattled around threateningly in the jungle. Or that this show’s first finale involved a cliffhanger essentially about what was in a deep hole in the ground, compared to its fifth finale which involved time travel, immortals, hydrogen bombs, a Locke-Zombie, and weird warring pseudo-maybe-Egyptian-Gods. Yet none of that evolution has felt unnatural or forced. When written out bluntly like I just have it certainly seems extreme, but if you take the loose end of any character or plot line in Season 5, you can unravel the causes and effects and trace them seamlessly all the way back to the beginning. Still, that doesn’t make it any less impressive.

In fact, LOST – just like BATTLESTAR GALACTICA – was never a show I felt necessarily compelled to watch from the beginning again. Now I’ve drastically reconsidered that, because there is going to be something tremendously exciting and rewarding in not only catching the little clues I’ll now catch as alluding to the road ahead, but in seeing just how the story and the characters made their way from Point A to Point Z. Hell, watching Sawyer progress from the jerk who only looked out for himself (remember his hoarding the guns?) to the heartwarmingly loving boyfriend of Juliette is worth the journey alone. Of course there will also be something thrilling in watching the whole narrative in one fell swoop, never interrupted by months between seasons, or weeks between episodes – full of waiting and anticipation. But most of all it will just be an awesome experience watching the show again, this time paying attention to how technically (i.e. the writing) the show blossoms from something so basic to something so entertainingly ambitious.

It will be an educational reminder as to just why LOST is one of the smartest, most ambitious, and daring television shows perhaps ever to have aired. In fact, I can’t think of any other show that has so consistently and willingly shaken up its own status quo without ever sacrificing an ounce of its quality.

Sometimes, change is good.

How do you guys feel about the evolution LOST has undergone? Is it something you love about the show, or do you wish it had just stayed simply about people surviving on the island? Which plotline or character do you think has undergone the most extreme chance, or which one has been your favorite?? ?

Good News: The TV Addict was invited to screen two new episodes of GLEE this afternoon in New York and/or LA. Bad News: The TV Addict does not live in New York and/or LA. [#FML]

Good News: TORCHWOOD’s five-episode season 3 miniseries has become so popular in the UK that it has become a trending topic on Twitter. Bad News: Thus spoiling it for everyone outside of the UK who still have to wait two weeks for the series to surface on BBC America. [Source]

Good News: LOSTermind Damon Lindeloff vows that the show’s ending “won’t be vague and ambiguous,” promising that “there will be a lot of answers.” Bad News: Adding, “We’ve no plans to continue the story of LOST beyond year six.” Putting a rest to our hopes dreams for a big screen movie… comic book… webisode… anything? Seriously what are we going to talk about when this show is over?! [Source]

In their final LOST podcast of the season, LOSTermind Carlton Cuse had this to say when asked by fellow executive producer Damon Lindelof to predict what the fan’s reaction might be to last night’s season finale:

“I feel that people are going to like it because there is some good mythological advancement in it. But I think there is also going to be a fair share of annoyance that they’re going to have to wait eight months to find out what happens after the finale. It has a very sort of season one feel to me. Like when we blew open the hatch and people were like, “You’re kidding me, that’s where you’re leaving us?”

Or as this TV Addict unapologetically screamed at his television the moment the credits started rolling, “A fade to white… REALLY!?” I mean Lindelof and Cuse realize that people do not actually posses the ability to casually skip through time, right? Because eight, or to be more accurate eight and a half months is one helluva wait to find out what happens next.

But wait we shall.

Because even though we find ourselves somewhat perturbed upon discovering that Jack’s motivation for blowing up an entire island full of inhabitants is his love for Kate, utterly perplexed by the John Locke revelation that he’s not exactly who he appears to be (Clone? Spirit? Cylon?!) and quite frankly peeved that Lindelof and Cuse couldn’t even be bothered to throw fans a bone by leaving us with a single scene, hint, tease or coda as to what the frak happens next — Last night’s mind-boggling opening scene that included the return of our favorite four-toed statue, Jacob and some guy who we can only conclude is the very embodiment of pure evil, Juliet’s emotionally heart-wrenching death (complete with a fantastic homage to the killer pit from Star Wars who’s name escapes us), and the revelation that Rose, Bernard and Vincent are taking a page from the Swiss Family Robinson and living happily-ever-after at an undisclosed location on the island more than made up for the episodes ending, or lack-their-of.

Which is why, we’re already counting-down the days until 2010, when rumor has it, destiny is found. Who’s with us?

LOST (9PM ABC, “A” in Canada)
Viewing advice for tonight’s fifth season finale: Sit yourself down with a pillow firmly planted in your lap. It will save you the pain from the inevitable jaw-dropping game-changer of an ending. Trust us.

AMERICAN IDOL (9PM FOX, CTV in Canada)
Somebody not named Adam Lambert says goodbye.

NEW & NOTABLE:
TIME WARP (8PM Discovery)
Deadly snakes and sumo wrestlers are observed. Hopefully not at the same time.

LAW & ORDER: CI (8PM NBC)
Wheeler and her partner, Det. Zack Nichols (Jeff Goldblum) investigate the stabbing of an artist. Turns out everybody is a critic.

I DIDN’T KNOW I WAS PREGNANT (9PM TLC)
Proving that MAD MEN’s first season finale wasn’t nearly as ludicrous as we all thought, this TLC special profiles women who are most definitely not smarter than a fifth grader give birth without ever knowing they were pregnant.

CRIMINAL MINDS (9PM CBS, 8PM CTV in Canada)
Just as the swine flu hysteria seems to have dissipated, along comes a killer who releases a deadly virus into the open air. D’oh!

CSI: NY (10PM CBS, CTV in Canada)
Star Melina Kanakeredes penned the episode which means fans should prepare themselves for a lot of references to ancient Greece and some really difficult name pronunciations.