Series finales top a memorable month of May
The departure of "Lost" and "24" will seem to crowd out everything else on TV this month. Their passage confers just the slightest sense of remorse on TV's gaudiest month. Both shows enriched the medium and expanded televised drama's possibilities - and both will soon be gone.
But those series finales are just part of a memorable May:
'Friday Night Lights' (Friday, 8 p.m., NBC/4). Not to be Debbie Downer here, but another fine franchise is nearing the end. But there's a ways to go yet. The fourth season begins Friday; a redistricting of schools in Dillon lands coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) a new school and new team.
Betty White on 'Saturday Night Live' (Saturday, 11:30 p.m., NBC/4). She says she's nervous, says she has no idea what the writers have set up for her. But when one of the iconic figures of TV comedy appears on that other icon, it almost doesn't matter what she says or does. A must-see.
(May 16, 8 p.m., CBS/2). A surprisingly fun edition wraps, and The Evil One (Russell) could reign supreme. When was the last time we said we really had to watch a "Survivor" finale? This one ranks with the best of seasons past.
(May 23, 9 p.m., ABC/7). The two-hour finale will not, repeat, will not answer all the questions. That would be impossible - or require a 40-hour finale. What this will accomplish, however, is the following: An answer to who/what/why is the Island, and whether Jack Shephard will live happily ever after. (He is alive, right?)
(May 24, 8 p.m., Fox/5). We know Jack Bauer lives (to star in the much-discussed "24" movie). But that's about all we know. That, plus Eriq LaSalle ("ER") is booked for a guest-starring role.
'Dancing With the Stars' (May 25, 9 p.m., ABC/7); 'American Idol' (May 26, 8 p.m., Fox/5). And we end it all with this pair. A resurgent "DWTS" crowns someone - and it looks like a showdown between Evan Lysacek and Nicole Scherzinger. And a largely forgettable ninth season of "Idol" does the same, with Crystal Bowersox the front-runner. But the competition is overshadowed, of course, by Simon Cowell's departure.
