In the after-math of LOST, an interesting trend has begun to emerge in television viewing patterns:  viewers are now gun-shy of investing in serialized television.  Viewers are no longer willing to invest their time and energy into a show that may take them some place they do not want to go. 
 
For LOST not only dared to kill off its principal characters, it ultimately killed off 9 of its 13 principal characters: Boone, Shannon, Charlie, Jack, John Locke, Sayid, Jin, Sun, Michael – leaving Kate, Sawyer, Hurley and Claire ambiguously alive, and who were revealed to be dead in the final episode. It also killed off a majority of its supporting characters, including Daniel Faraday, Charlotte, Danielle Rousseau, Alex, Juliet, Libby, Ana-Lucia, and Eko. 
 
LOST became the “gold standard” in story-telling because it achieved the remarkable feat of luring in nearly 24 million viewers and ran 6 successful seasons, winning numerous awards along the way.  But, in the end, there was a significant amount of “viewer fatigue.”  Pulling in only 8 million viewers by its final episode, LOST is also a great example in how to disenfranchise an audience. 
 
LOST secured its initial amazing viewership numbers because it offered an array of fascinating characters, so much so that viewers could not wait to learn more about each of them.  The breadcrumbs LOST offered were eagerly snatched-up and analyzed and it become part the cultural zeitgeist and popculture. 
 
But it also became a television teaching-tool; it taught viewers that steadfast devotion is not necessarily rewarded in the end.  LOST broke too many hearts, upset its core fan-base and became a “shell” of its former self by the end.  The fact that it ended with the reveal that a large number of its characters were living in a version of purgatory awaiting their chance to “move on” as their fellow comrades joined them one-by-one in the after-life was thoroughly discouraging. 
 
LOST could have been a show that was about its characters over-coming significant hardship and obstacles to achieve a rescue, fixing a broken timeline or even finding their place in the world; instead it was a show that offered only despair, hopelessness and death.  Fans who tuned out early, were gleeful that they had not wasted their time on a show that took them on such a futile journey.  Fans that stuck with the show to the bitter-end, were divided on how to feel about it.  Some loved it; some hated it.  It was a 6-year journey that left a distasteful feeling behind.
 
In the television seasons that followed the end of LOST, several TV shows attempted to imitate its successful formula – each failing more spectacularly than the next.  Fingers were pointed at the pale imitations citing casting, pacing, directing and a whole host of other things that lead to their downfall.  But the one thing they all shared in common was huge initial ratings, followed by steep decline as viewership steadily eroded.  The shows were getting the LOST formula right, but viewers were not sticking around.  Why?  It was most likely because viewers saw that the shows were not heading in a direction they wanted to go.
 
While some may be quick to point out that shows like MAD MEN, JUSTIFIED and THE WALKING DEAD are all succeeding with serialized television shows, those shows pull in significantly lower numbers of viewers than most broadcast television shows.  A show that has the luxury of being off-network (AMC, FX, CW) can afford to pull in lower numbers of viewers.  They are not competing for mass viewership, only the number of viewers to make them economically viable on their network.  Shows competing on ABC, CBS, NBC or FOX must pull in much higher numbers of viewers to be viable.  Currently FOX’s TERRA NOVA, which pulls in an average of 7 million viewers, is considered “on the bubble” because that number of viewers for a regular broadcast network is considered low.  Similarly, ABC’s PAN AM is only attracting 4.6 million viewers is considered “unofficially canceled.”  (In contrast, MAD MEN pulled in 2.9 million viewers last season, JUSTIFIED pulled in 3.9 million viewers, and THE WALKING DEAD averages 6 million viewers.) But for broadcast networks, viewership under 6 million is a death-knell. 
 
So when you look at the viewership erosion of this season’s critically-lauded and fan-favorite ONCE UPON A TIME, a startling trend emerges.  With only seven episodes having aired to date, ratings dropped from 12.8 million viewers to 8.9 million in less than 2 months.  It has been a steady progression as shown:
 
Episode 1 – 12.8 million (“Pilot”)
Episode 2 – 11.6 million (“The Thing You Love The Most”)
Episode 3 – 11.3 million (“Snow Falls”)
Episode 4 – 11.3 million (“The Price of Gold”)
Episode 5 – 10.66 million (“That Still Small Voice”)
Episode 6 – 9.6 million (“The Shepherd”)
Episode 7 – 8.9 million (“The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter”)
 
The loss of 4 million viewers is significant.  For any show, that kind of loss leads one to wonder: what is going on?  Viewers are not simply disappearing; they are running away as fast as they can.  As I discussed in my article “ONCE UPON A TIME Redux: Why Do TV Shows Have To Break Our Hearts?”, viewers tune-out when they are unhappy or disillusioned.  ONCE UPON A TIME promised the return of “happy endings” – yet dared to kill off a beloved character within its first 7 episodes.  Not even LOST was so audacious; it dared not kill Boone until episode 20 in its first season.
 
Two recent serialized TV shows that attempted to follow in LOST’s footsteps were FLASHFORWARD and THE EVENT.  FLASHFORWARD debuted to 12.5 million viewers, falling to 8.5 million by episode 7 (a loss of 4 million viewers), and finally ended its first season with only 4.9 million viewers.  The following year THE EVENT debuted to 10.8 million viewers, dropping to 5.4 million viewers by its 7th episode (a loss of 5.4 million viewers), and ended its first season with only 4.9 million viewers — and both FLASHFORWARD and THE EVENT were canceled after their first seasons. As any television programmer or advertiser will tell you, the numbers do not lie.  With those kinds of viewership drops, a television show is simply not economically viable. 
 
So the noticeable decline of ratings for ONCE UPON A TIME is something to be worried about.  It is very hard for a TV show to reverse a downwards spiral in ratings.  Most executives and showrunners are looking for a plateau point – when ratings level off.  That gives them an idea of what their true audience base is and whether the show stands a chance of making it.
 
The fact that ONCE UPON A TIME has been created by former LOST writers and promoted as being a LOST-like type of show leads one to wonder if it will make the same mistakes that LOST did.  LOST had the gall to kill off its principal characters and, if ONCE UPON A TIME’s most recent episode is any indication, it is following the same formula. 
 
Which leads me back to my question: are television writers being given too much creative license?  When a network greenlights a TV show, they are investing nearly $50 million in a show.  A pilot can cost up to $10 million to make, and each subsequent episode runs about $2 million, not including advertising.  That $50 million investment for a show’s first season is something to be protective of.  Thus network executives assess and analyze very carefully whether their investment is garnering the anticipated return.  Television is about profits, after all.  So while the pedigree behind ONCE UPON A TIME is stellar, the creative license invoked is testing whether or not the product is truly viable. 
 
Was it smart for ONCE UPON A TIME to kill off a principal character in episode 7?  Particularly since fans were already showing signs of restlessness and dissatisfaction with the direction the show was heading.  The show had promised that Emma Swan’s return would break the curse and return the “happy endings.”  Yet within 6 episodes, viewers had quickly figured out that “happy endings” were not being delivered and they were tuning out; and by episode 7, a beloved character had been killed off.   With ONCE UPON A TIME off the air for three weeks, it begs the question of whether fans will want to come back now that they know that the writers are willing to break their hearts.  After all, who wants a repeat of LOST?  No one wants to stick around if all the characters they fall in love with are killed without regard as to whether the viewers have invested in them and all the stories that they had hoped could be told.
 
Every writer is quick to state that they need “creative license” to bring their vision to life.  But television is a business.  It is all about seducing viewers and convincing them to tune-in and watch a particular TV show each week.  Driving viewers away is only guaranteeing that a show will be canceled and no stories told at all. 
 
It is time for writers and showrunners to recognize that they must work within the confines of the established world of television – television audiences are looking for something that they feel like being a part of each week.  Shows like NCIS, NCIS: LOS ANGELES, THE MENTALIST and MODERN FAMILY have figured it out.  Viewers want a surrogate family to visit each week.  They want to invest in the characters’ lives and share the journey they go on.  Killing characters only reminds viewers that the writers have little value or concern in what the audience wants.  No one wants their “surrogate family” torn apart or their newfound “friends” killed off.  Killing characters rarely wins new viewers and frequently upsets established viewers who will seek out other TV shows to call “home.”
 
Too much creative license can back-fire spectacularly.  A writer may think that a character death is the answer to creating conflict and a storyline.  But beware fickle viewers who do not see things the same way.  Killing our “friends” only pisses us off – and if you are advertising your show, which promises to bring back “happy endings,” then you had better deliver.  LOST is best remembered for not answering viewers’ questions and killing off its core characters, and no one wants to revisit that sad ending.  Let’s take “creative license” and use it more constructively – and to all those executives out there crunching the numbers, pay closer attention to the damage being done by writers/showrunners who are sabotaging their own shows with the liberal use of “creative license.”  No one really cares about creativity – we just want a show that we all will tune in and watch — and sometimes “happy endings” are just what we are looking for.

Tiffany Vogt is a contributing writer to The TV Addict. She has a great love for television and firmly believes that entertainment is a world of wondrous adventures that deserves to be shared and explored – she invites you to join her. Please feel free to contact Tiffany at Tiffany_Vogt_2000@yahoo.com or follow her at on Twitter (@TVWatchtower). Tiffany also writes as a columnist for NiceGirlsTV.

“Game changer” just does not mean what it used to.  In fact, it means virtually nothing these days simply because the over-use of the term has diluted the very meaning of it.  When did the phrase “game changer” turn into such a snooze-fest? Back in the good ole days, when you heard that a television show was going to air a “game changer” episode, it meant something so much more thrilling — something so significant and unexpected that viewers were shocked and could not believe their eyes.  A “game changer” used to mean that a key character was being killed-off, someone was coming back from the dead, or there was going to be so mind-blowing that you could not foresee it happening.  But nowadays, it could mean anything from the addition of a new character, a character losing their job, or even less gasp-worthy, a character getting pregnant.

Great examples of “game changers” were LOST, 24 and TORCHWOOD’s willingness to kill off key characters.  Another show particularly adept at game-changers was the J.J. Abrams’ series ALIAS, such as when it took down SD-6 with one swift blow during the second season or when it surprised viewers with the 2 -year time jump.  Game-changers are risk taking and shocking.  The viewer should be sitting on their sofa wondering why the world felt like it had just tilted.

In recent television, FRINGE’s reveal that there was an alternate universe qualifies as a game-changer, but the over-hyped Fauxlivia’s pregnancy did not feel as mind-bending.  Likewise on V, the fact that Anna could bliss humans did not feel as big a game-changer as it should have been.  Nor the fact that Katie was carrying a super-human baby on NO ORDINARY FAMILY.  True game-changers would have been to find out that Father Jack was a mole working for Anna since the beginning on V; or that Katie was a plant by Dr. King to keep an eye on Steph’s research from the get go.  Even the fact that Orwell was afflicted by a similar mental illness to her father’s in THE CAPE did not feel as startling, as it should have been.

To be worthy of the label “game changer,” something must be not be foreseeable.  It must be unexpected to such a degree that everyone is talking about it, altering the way you look at a show completely.  Unpredictability is essential:  a previously unknown relationship, a major deception such as a traitor or mole, an unveiling of another layer of reality, a shocking and unexpected death of a key character.  All of these things send a show spiralling out of control or in a different direction.

Anything that can be foreseen or which is just a blip on the radar of a show feels less game-changing and more like a predictable event within a storyline. Perhaps over the years, television viewers have simply seen too much and things that would have surprised us a decade ago, now feel much more mundane.  Having just seen that DEXTER killed off Dexter’s wife, Rita and that LOST killed off Sun, Jin and Sayid in one quick swoop, even primary characters are not safe on television these days and we have come to expect that shows will take such risks – even with beloved characters.

Other classic game-changers in television included:  Angel losing his soul in BUFFY, THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, the Cylons taking over New Caprica on BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, the death of Marisa Cooper on THE O.C., the Veronica-Logan kiss on VERONICA MARS, watching Michael kill Ana Lucia and Libby on LOST, and Fox Mulder’s abrupt departure from THE X-FILES.  Each of these events were shocking, surprising and game-changing for each of these shows.  It propelled storylines in new directions and left viewers wondering what the heck was going-on.

Imagine today if such scenarios played out:  if Peter is the real villain of FRINGE; if DEXTER were killed leaving his sister to avenge his death; if the crew of Destiny were enslaved by the Lucian Alliance for an entire season on STARGATE: UNIVERSE; if Clark Kent or the Powells lost all their super-human abilities for an extended period of time and had to live normal lives on SMALLVILLE and NO ORDINARY FAMILY.  All such scenarios would be truly game-changing.  Unexpected, horrifying and mind-boggling.

It would be a fun change of pace to truly see a genuine “game changer” on television and not feel let down when the hyped game-changers are merely a minor reveal and not shocking at all.  Let’s bring back true “game changers” so that we may all savor the fun of being surprised once again!

Tiffany Vogt is a contributing writer to The TV Addict. She has a great love for television and firmly believes that entertainment is a world of wondrous adventures that deserves to be shared and explored – she invites you to join her. Please feel free to contact Tiffany at Tiffany_Vogt_2000@yahoo.com or follow her at on Twitter (@TVWatchtower). Tiffany also writes as a columnist for NiceGirlsTV.

Good News: According to Entertainment Weekly, LOST alum Josh Holloway is thisclose to agreeing to a cameo in COMMUNITY’s upcoming two-part season finale. Bad News: Nothing gets a TV Addict down like season finale talk… in February… too soon!

What’s luck got to do with it? When it comes to the trajectory of Rebecca Mader’s career — who will follow up succumbing to the most notable nosebleed in the history of the television with a three episode guest stint on NO ORDINARY FAMILY starting night — very little. Or at least that’s what we took away following a fantastically candid conversation with the actress who touched upon everything from what brought her to America, her mysterious new role on NO ORDINARY FAMILY, and of course, what it’s like to be associated with the remarkable legacy that is LOST.

Despite the fact we promised ourselves we wouldn’t start off this interview with a LOST-related question, something recently happened that we simply must get your reaction to: The LOST lottery numbers…
Rebecca Mader: Were they all the exact same numbers?

They were two off!
I’m so pissed off I didn’t play those numbers! It did cross my mind and then I was in such a rush because I was on the set of NO ORDINARY FAMILY on Tuesday and we were all like, “Come on, we have to wrap and go get lottery tickets.” So me and Michael Chiklis were plowing through the scene, I ran to 7-11 and I didn’t have time. I thought about the LOST numbers that morning but I didn’t have time so I said, “Sod it,” and did a 20 dollar quick pick, which of course didn’t have anything that was remotely close to what the numbers were, and then I saw it on twitter the next day and was like, “$#*! that crossed my mind!” Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to make my own millions!

The one question we’re always most fascinated about when it comes to talking to actors from across the pond is, what brought you to America when UK actors have so many amazing projects at their disposal?
It’s really hard to get into the business in England. Harder still when you’re 18 or 19, living in London and working as a model. I wanted to be an actor, but I couldn’t afford to go to drama school. So I kept saying to my modelling agency, “You’ve got to help me try and get a meeting with an acting agent.” But in England, the business is so separate that you’d just be laughed out the door by a serious actor agency. If you haven’t been to a posh drama school you just didn’t get a look in. So I said “Sod it! I can just go to America,” which I really felt was the land of opportunity where the people would be more willing to give me a shot. So I came here back in 1998 with £200 to my name and I’ve been hear for 12 years, never went back.

As someone who has often thought about ditching my hometown for Los Angeles, one can’t help but be impressed. What was the impetus to take such a terrifying plunge at such a young age?
I remember spending my first Christmas by myself in a crappy apartment and New York City saying to myself, “What am I doing?” But I just knew it, you know what it was, it would have been worse than not doing it because then I would have had to live with the regret for the rest of my life. That’s sort of what fuelled me.

Assuming your imdb profile is accurate, it took a good seven years until you got your big break, which was FOX’s legal procedural JUSTICE.
That really was it and it’s so funny because when you’re on a big show like LOST or something, the public, for them, you’ve appeared out of nowhere. Like this overnight success just fell in my bloody lap! But I struggled for seven years in New York modelling, acting, doing voice overs, and then having huge dry spells where I couldn’t even afford to buy groceries and I had to walk everywhere because I couldn’t afford the subway. So when I got JUSTICE it was like fall to your knees crying like, “Oh My God, Thank God,” because I was about to be homeless.

Unfortunately, as is the case with most TV shows, FOX cruelly canceled the series after just 13 episodes. Do you remember where you were when you got that phone call?
That was devastating because at the time I was finally able to quit modelling. I was so excited because I didn’t enjoy it and I was like, “Now I’m just an actress, this is it!” Then of course I’ll never forget when the producers called to say we didn’t get picked up for a back nine, I was driving and I nearly crashed. I pulled over and probably burst into tears. There I was, living in LA, didn’t know anybody because I had just moved from New York and was like, “What am I going to do?” But five months later I’m in Hawaii… blessing in disguise.

Blessing in disguise may in fact be the understatement of the year! What is it like having LOST as part of your legacy?
It’s amazing. Let’s face it, there will never be another LOST and it feels really special to have been apart of it. People come up to me and say, “I’m so sorry to talk about it, you must be so sick about it,” but I’m really not. I’m not one of those actors that are like, “Oh don’t talk to me!” I love talking to strangers and getting into conversations about the show. I became a huge fan of the show and it’s actually nice to talk to people that really enjoy it.

Is the ability to converse with fans part of what attracted you to twitter?
I’m addicted to it, it’s a problem.

In your case it’s not, because your tweets seem to come from a very genuine place.
I feel like it keeps my finger on the pulse. People can get overwhelmed and think, “My life is so boring, what have I got to say?” But it’s not about what you say, it’s about who you follow and the kind of links that people tweet. I end up getting navigated through the internet in a way that I would never do by myself. Twitter has totally opened up the world wide web for me, it’s brilliant.

It also probably doesn’t hurt that it can help fans keep abreast of your career, which is my not-at-all clunky segway to your latest project, NO ORDINARY FAMILY. What can you tell us about your character which premieres in tonight’s episode?
My character is called Victoria Morrow and in my first episode which is “No Ordinary Brother,” I get hired as the Global Tech VP of human resources for Dr. King (Stephen Collins) where I actually give Autumn Reeser’s character (Katie Andrews) a promotion. Basically Victoria’s very mysterious, intriguing and there’s most certainly more to her than meets the eye. So it’s a really fun character to play, I’m really enjoying it.

This being a show about heroes and villains would it be safe to say that your character is up to no good on the show?
That’s up to you, you’ll have to watch and see.

As an actress, do you enjoy getting to play in the sci-fi, fantasy, superhero sandbox?
Yeah, I’m a huge geek so I love anything in that comic book realm. I love that stuff and I’m really excited to be a part of something like NO ORDINARY FAMILY.

Without tipping your hat as to where Victoria’s allegiances lie, care to share if you have a superpower?
I can’t tell you that!

Fair enough. [Note: This is the part of the interview that would probably have gone far better had we had Daphne Powell's mind-reading abilities!] What was it like working with Michael Chicklis?
I love Chiki, he’s hilarious. I was on set the whole day with him the other day and he’s definitely on my wavelength. We have a lot of fun together, I love him.

Have you gotten to partake in any stunts?
I can’t talk about them, but I’ve definitely been doing some exciting fun stuff.

And finally, having signed on for three episodes, does your character’s arc leave the door open for a return?
Never say never!

NO ORDINARY FAMILY airs Tuesday nights at 8PM on ABC (CTV in Canada)

The Oh No They Didn’t of the Week: Is it just us, or is BROTHERS & SISTERS coming perilously close to jumping the proverbial you-know-what by pairing Kevin and Scotty up with the most adorable adoptee since the gang from GROWING PAINS adopted Leonardo DiCaprio?

Funnest — If Most Difficult To Explain To Those Who Don’t Watch The Show — Twist: On CASTLE, Laura Prepon played an actress researching Beckett so she could play the big-screen version of our hero’s fictionalized take on his partner. (Trust us. It was a blast.)

Most Disappointed Producers: Clearly, the folks behind the scenes at THE BACHELOR hoped that having Brad confront the women he’d dumped last season would result in the kind of train-wreck they’d created during last season’s sit down with Brad and Vienna. Sadly for them, it was yet another indication of just how big a mistake giving the dumb lug another platform really was.

Best Farewell: Sure, we wish they’d have aired the episodes over five weeks instead of all at once. But Syfy’s marathon of the final CAPRICA’s gave viewers a bit of closure while at the same time setting up the world in which BLOOD & CHROME — the much-discussed pilot that will be set post-CAPRICA but pre-BATTLESTAR GALACTICA — will take place.

Most Disappointed Producers [Runner-Up]: MODERN FAMILY’s Steve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd, whose worst nightmare — that being the onset of puberty in their pint-sized stars — seems to have started to kick in. Specifically in Nolan Gould (Luke) who may-or-may-not have shot up three inches since the last time we saw him!

Worst Trend: The completely overt and utterly over-the-top product placement littered throughout the so-called 37th ANNUAL PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD made Bobby’s equally shameless shilling for Diet Dr. Pepper on COUGAR TOWN seem almost Shakespearean in its cleverness. And not just because it elicited a personal response from co-creator Bill Lawrence via twitter. Okay, maybe a little.

Best Thing About Winter So Far: Thank you, Grilled Cheesus, for the seasonal version of ABC’s WIPEOUT… and the wonderfully-entertaining idiots who take on the obstacle course for our amusement.

Sudsy Moment Of The Week: THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS Skye supposedly perished after falling into a… wait for it… wait for it… volcano. Sure, this technically happened last week, but we didn’t have this amazing column in which to report it last week. Deal.

Best Use of Numbers: After six seasons of ground-breaking, albeit somewhat frustrating viewing, investing 121 hours in watching LOST finally paid off… in the form of $150 dollars for those lucky LOST nerds fans who played the show’s numbers (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, & 42) in Tuesday’s Mega Millions.

Worst use of Numbers: HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER’s clever countdown from 50, the fascination with which came to a screeching halt when it dawned on us just what exactly it was counting down to. RIP Marshall’s dad.

The Week in Rewind Contributors: Couch Tater, Tiffany Vogt and the TV Addict.

While they may not have been the year’s most critically acclaimed or the country’s most popular, each the following shows made this TV Addict’s Top 10 of ’10 for the simple reason that each week, they left us jonesing another fix. You know those people who say “less is more?” Yeah, they’re totally wrong. As the following programs prove, too much is never enough.

THE GOOD WIFE
You don’t have to have the investigative prowess of Kalinda to figure out THE GOOD WIFE’s recipe for success: Take an astounding array of classically-trained theater vets (Christine Baranski, Josh Charles and Alan Cumming, among others); toss them into a tried-and-true case-of-the-week format; season with more political intrigue than can be found during a combative session of Congress; and have the resulting potboiler simmer under the watchful eyes of husband and wife writing team (Michelle and Robert King) with a knack for tapping into the culture-zeitgeist. Voila! 

MAD MEN
To be honest, past seasons of this show haven’t exactly blown us away. In fact, we’ll admit that our reaction bordered on boredom. (And it was an incredibly friendly border, much like the one between the U.S. and Canada.) But this season, we finally “got” what the rest of you have been seeing. As Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce struggled to remain a relevant player in the game — and its employees tried to prevent their personal lives from either imploding or exploding — we were caught up in the misadventures of the most fascinating ad agency since MELROSE PLACE’s D&D.

MODERN FAMILY
Even in the embarrassment of riches that is ABC’s Wednesday night comedy line-up, this show stands out, mainly because the Dunphy/Pritchett clan has something many other sitcoms forget to include: heart. It’s not just funny, but relatable. Suffice it to say that when every episode requires a minimum of two viewings to catch the multitude of jokes, heartwarming family moments and hilarious “Quote of the Week” candidates that you may have surely missed, you’ve got yourself a winner. 

PARKS AND RECREATION
Oh, NBC, is there nothing you can’t screw up? Just as this diamond-in-the-rough was shaping up to be a gem of a show, you went and pulled it from the line-up. But the little-show-that-could shook off its reputation as a clone of THE OFFICE thanks not only to Amy Poehler’s Leslie Knope becoming less of a Michael Scott knock-off and more of a loveable woman with her own set of ideals and idiosyncrasies, but also to an expansion of the canvas. As a result, we got the charming Andy/April romance, Tom became something more than just “that annoying guy” and we began to see the softer — if only slighter — side of Ron Swanson. 

FRINGE
Hey, now that that other J.J Abrams show — you know, that thing about people stuck on some magic island or whatever — is off the airwaves, why not give this intriguing sci-fi drama a try? In its third season, FRINGE has pretty much shaken off the freak-of-the-week gimmick that it used to lure unsuspecting viewers into its parallel-universes-at-war mythology, resulting in a slick, thought-provoking, action-paced series with more twists than can be found in a bag of pretzels.

THE WALKING DEAD
We’re not exactly fans of horror, and yet this show quickly became the thinking-man’s zombie series. Our only complaint? What’s with this six-episode crap! Come on, AMC, who do you think you are… Showtime? Now, we either have to suffer through the eternal wait until fall’s new batch of episodes or read the graphic novels. Read? Never fear, AMC, we’ll sit here waiting patiently. Um, semi-patiently.

 
COMMUNITY
If all this show brought to the table was the funniest and most likeable adult ensemble since that coffee addicted gang from Central Perk, that’d probably be enough. But throw in the fact that the show fearlessly goes where no sitcom has gone before — from an apocalyptic paintball war to stop-motion animation — and this becomes a game-changer. And just when one thinks it’s all gimmick, they go and break out a stunningly heartfelt episode like the one in which Troy’s 21st birthday saw the classmates downing drinks and losing inhibitions at a local watering hole. Belly up to the bar, kids, ’cause this is a weekly shot of good time.

 
THE VAMPIRE DIARIES
We’re not sure what executive producers Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson did before they were writers, but professional circus performers would not surprise us in the least. How else to explain the way in which they manage to juggle countless characters, umpteen plots and ever-evolving relationships? And you don’t know cliffhangers until you’ve sat through of the jaw-dropping ones offered up by this series on a weekly basis. Just like with our beloved BUFFY, this show no doubt is ignored by those who believe that it’s nothing but teen-friendly fluff. Trust us, this is no TWILIGHT-light. This is a supernatural show with — forgive us — bite.

 
LOST
Since award shows no longer seem to feel the need to recognize Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse’s remarkable achievement, we thought why not take it upon ourselves. Don’t scoff! We’re well aware that being included on our Top 10 List isn’t quite akin to an Emmy, but frankly, we’ll stack ourselves up against those nimrods who think “The Tourist” is worthy of a Golden Globe nod. No matter how you felt about the show in general or its much-debated ending, there’s no denying that LOST was the kind of show people will be talking about — and studying — for years to come.

 
CONAN
We’re betting that Conan O’Brien didn’t intend to go from the host of a late-night chatfest to the subject of much late-night chatter. But when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade… and hand it out to your rivals so they can wash down the crow your return forces them to eat.

GOSSIP GIRL
While there’s no denying that that the words “You know you love me, XOXO” have become this show’s signature, this fan-made opening does a far better job of welcoming you to the world of Manhattan’s elite. Plus, bonus points for the Blake Lively hair-flip. Every truly-classic opening needs at least one amazing hair-flip. (This is, in fact, a little known law, known in many circles as SSFC, as it was named after Susan Sullivan’s toss-your-hair-as-you-whip-around-to-face-the-camera moment in the FALCON CREST credits.)

GLEE
One thing many like to do when envisioning opening credits is to do them in the style of another show. In this case, the creator decided to pay tribute to another high school drama, ONE TREE HILL. The result is fantastic, if flawed on two levels: First, there is no hair flip. (While there is a great clip of Kurt adjusting his ’do, that hardly counts.) The other? How dare Jane Lynch not be more prominently featured! It is, however, still a pretty awesome offering.

LOST
I’ve long suspected that so much brain power went into the creation of the pilot that when someone said, probably the day before it was to air, “Hey, um, what should we do about a credit sequence?” the exhausted reply was, “Ugh, just, um, throw the word up on screen and make it look creepy.” Fans, however, had all kinds of ideas. What’s really interesting about this particular opening is that with only one or two exceptions, it uses images that represent the lives of the characters rather than pictures of the characters (or their portrayers) themselves. The tune is best known as the theme from another sci fi show, THE 4400.

SUPERNATURAL
A great opening sequence features both music and clips that work in conjunction to give even a new viewer a sense of the world they’re about to walk into. That ain’t an easy task with a show like SUPERNATURAL, which may explain why it’s always used extremely simple openings. But this one channels the thrills, chills and even the rockin’ heart of the scarefest.

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES
The best faux openings are so well done that they could fool someone into believing they are the real thing. This is a great example of that. It uses iconic imagry associated with the show, professionally-edited clips, a perfect font, a sellable tune. Oh, and there are at least three hair flips.

THE GOOD WIFE
Political intrigue, family drama and the return of Cary! Yes, Tuesday’s season finale of THE GOOD WIFE had all the makings of a fantastic season ender. Until of course the overzealous publicity department at CBS inexplicably felt the need to completely spoil the ending by releasing what turned out to be a virtual shot-for-shot slideshow of the season’s not-so-shocking final moment (See above photo). Talk about your not-so-good-ending to a great season.

PRIVATE PRACTICE
Despite Michael Ausiello’s assertion that PRIVATE PRACTICE would feature “what I’m 100 percent certain may be one of the most shocking deaths in any of this season’s finales,” there was very little shocking about Del’s death. Particularly thanks to Chris Lowell’s uncharacteristically vocal stance with regards to his unhappiness when it came to his character’s trajectory and the fact that he had already packed his abs… err… bags for New York City.

BROTHERS & SISTERS
Just in case you weren’t already aware of Rob Lowe’s impending exit from BROTHERS & SISTERS, ABC’s promos leading up to the finale pretty much spelled it out for you.

CHUCK
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, somewhere in Hollywood J.J. Abrams has a big grin on his face following Monday’s CHUCK finale which to be blunt, any ALIAS fan saw coming a mile away. Note to showrunners Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak, if you’re wondering how you can make it up to us, please consider casting one of the following actresses as Chuck’s mysterious mother: Lena Olin, Mary McDonnell, Lynda Carter, Alberta Watson, Mimi Rogers and/or Sela Ward.

LOST
While we’re not going to pretend that we had the slightest notion of just how Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse were planning on ending their six year odyssey (Vincent FTW!), of this we were sure: Days later, we’d still be scratching our head!

The Good: What started with an eye opening pilot (in every sense of the word) ended with an eye closing — and our favorite story-telling device “the bookend” — as Jack died a heroic death, successfully defeating Ol’Smokey, single-handidly saving humanity from an uncorked island of evil, and in doing so, allowing for Sawyer, Kate, Claire, Miles, Richard and Frank to escape in one piece. Add to that a fitting end (or beginning if you will) for Hurley (aka. the “New Jacob”) who was left as the island’s protector (with a redemptive Ben Linus as his number two), a much-anticipated homage to The Lion King confrontation between Jack and Locke who finally took the gloves off in a fight to the death on the edge of a cliff (Cue Hans Zimmer score in 3… 2… 1…), a stop-over with a happy Rose, Bernard and Vincent doing their best impersonation of The Swiss Family Robinson, and a flurry of flashbacks/character reunions (Sawyer and Juliet FTW!) that highlighted some of the show’s most memorable moments, and fans were left with a super-sized love letter to those of us who had invested six years of our life into this unforgettable odyssey.

The Bad: Assuming of course you’ve been paying attention to what showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have been saying these past few seasons — that the show is about character, not story — there is very little to nitpick with regards to the finale. But since nitpicking is kind of what we do here, we’ll just say the following: First and foremost, Jack’s initial slow motion attack at Locke on the cliff was more befitting a John Woo flick and oddly out of place in the world of LOST. And more importantly, we for one are were a little disappointed that the ending involved — as fans have theorized from day one — a form of purgatory (or pre-heaven). With the flash-sideways universe being revealed as little more than a holding place for our favorite characters to get their own bizarro version of a happily-ever-after.

The Ugly: The fact that being stuck on the West Coast this weekend, we had no choice but to watch the entire four and a half hour event (two-hour clip fest + finale) completely 100% DVR/PVR free! And try as they might, not even the brilliant LOST-inspired Target ads could remedy commercial after commercial, after commercial.

At this point, so many questions have sprung up around that time-hoppin’, guardian-needin’, monster-makin’ island that the only thing we know for certain is that LOST will never be able to answer them all on Sunday night.

And we’re okay with that. Or at least trying to be.

But there are certain questions that absolutely, positively must be answered if viewers are to walk away feeling as if the entire mind-bending endeavor wasn’t a complete waste of time. With that in mind, what are the questions topping YOUR must list? Post them below, and next week, we’ll revisit which ones were resolved… and which left us hanging!