It has been a while since we’ve done one of these, but welcome back to The Pit!

• Have a mentioned recently how freaking awesome it is that Lost got an extra half hour added to its finale. Any additional Lost will make me excited! Nervously awaiting the finale.

• MTV has put into production their own (tamed down) version of the hit UK series, Skins. The network also recently announced a TV adaptation of one of the best horror/zombie films of all time, Dawn of the Dead. I doubt Dead will ever see the air (and I hope it doesn’t).

• Looking for a fun online Hollywood simulation game? Give Hollywood the Game a try!

• Chuck hasn’t been renewed yet, WTF. Help support the show by watching it Online. We’ve added the latest episodes to our side bar via Hulu. Every viewer (both Online and on TV) helps!

• Comic Preview: Amazing Spider-Man #631.  Hitting stores on May 12th, 2010, “Shed” continues as does the “Gauntlet” as Spider-Man is forced to battle the Lizard.  Will Curt Connors be able to regain control? Or will he make the biggest mistake of his life?

• It was great to see Martha Kent and Perry White back on Smallville (even if they were awkwardly together). Here is hoping that either one of them returns to the show next season (Perry would make an awesome regular!!!).  Click here to watch the episode on the CW website.

We’ll be back with another edition of The Pit this weekend!

Lots of stuff is going on, but most importantly…

• LOST! If you haven’t watched the new episode yet, click here! Tuesday night revealed… Just watch…

• The Siskel & Ebert less At The Movies has been canceled. Without either of them, the show never felt right, and while it is sad to see the classic thumbs up/thumbs down review show end, I guess it was about time.

• TV Tonight: Jason Sudeikis returns to 30 Rock. The show has had a rocky season, but it is still funnier than most things on TV. Catch it on NBC’s comedy block at 9:30p.

• Yesterday from DC Comics, Green Lantern #52 was released with the penultimate chapter to Black Night. Also released (from Marvel Comics) was Amazing Spider-Man #626, introducing the all new (and female?) SCORPION. “The Gauntlet” has been kicking poor Peter Parker in the butt.

• It is a done deal! Scream 4 is happening with the original cast returning along with writer Kevin Williamson and director Wes Craven! I can not wait for this film to come out.

I feel like the current season of TV is flying by! Can you believe that we are 4 hours into the last 17 hours of Lost ever? And how great has the new season of Chuck been?  Who would have thought that both Brandon Routh and Kristen Kreuk would fit seamlessly into the cast? I want them both to join up full time (esp the ex-Superman).

So, have you been too busy? Miss some TV? Well, be thankful for the Internet, cause most of the good stuff is offered online for free viewing!

In the latest episode of Lost, we get a look at the life of John Locke in the “other world”, while Sawyer learns more about the island from the Smoke Monster.  I have to admit, the “other world” Locke has been the most interesting stuff about the character since season 1.  I haven’t been much of a fan of his, but I like where they are going with this and for the first time I’m interested to see where he will end up.

Over on Chuck, our favorite nerd herder is getting pretty damn good at the spy game.  “Chuck versus the Mask” sees Chuck and new (sorta almost) galpal Hannah (Kristin Kreuk) on a mission together, the only problem is that she isn’t a spy.

In the new episode of The Office, THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE! Manager that is. Who will keep the job? Michael or Jim? Is there really any question here?  I also have to add, I’ve really been enjoying Kathy Bates on the show. She’s a nice addition to the cast.

This next link is from Phasekitty, Life Unexpected on the CW. The show is in the vein of old school WB shows (Dawson’s Creek anyone?).

What did you watch this week?

Sorry about the slow updates. There really hasn’t been much to talk about and I’ve been distracted by the returns to two of my favorite shows, Lost and Chuck. In fact, if you haven’t yet, you should really watch the first 6 (awesome) episodes of the new Chuck season! (Note: See the previous article for a link to the new Lost episodes)

• Howard Stern to replace Simon Cowell on American Idol? Sure, Stern has been in radio for as long as I can rememeber and is just as mean as Cowell, but would you call him a music genius? Or even an expert? He is not a record producer, he hasn’t ushered into countless talents. If they choose him, the show is becoming even more of a joke than when they announced Ellen replacing Paula. When will this show end? With X-Factor coming, is it really needed?

• The Super Bowl is on tonight, and that means there is another Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet! ABC brings us a Modern Family marathon (with reruns of Cougar Town and The Middle thrown into the mix). Fox has reruns of their usual Sunday toons. And CBS is following the big game with the new reality show, Undercover Boss.

• Over at Marvel Comics, the Avengers are changing things up again and relaunching with a new #1. Who has been revealed on the new team so far? We have Captain America (looks like it’s the Bucky version), Jessica Drew the Spider-Woman, Iron-Man, the recently revived Hawkeye, and the soon to be a big motion picture Thor! None of these guys are unexpected, but it shows that Marvel is getting away from the “Dark Marvel” age and bringing back the traditional “Hero” aspect of their universe.

• Looking for a fun online Hollywood simulation game? Give Hollywood the Game a try!

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #32 hit stands earlier this week. This is part 1 of “Twilight”, the story that will finally reveal the identity of Season 8’s “big bad”.

Even Ben didn't know what the heck was going on during the first new episodes of Lost's final season.

But I loved every minute of it.  We finally get some answers (“I didn’t want you to see me like that”) and right when I thought I knew where they were going with the series, the rug was pulled out from under me.  Well done. There are a ton of places that you can go on the Internet to read what happened, but you should really just watch it for yourself. If you stopped watching the show at some point, buy the DVDs, watch it on Netflix, just catch up because this show is everything that a TV series should be.  After you watch the premiere, take a look at this awesome video comparing a scene in it with the pilot.

Wow. So much can happen in just a few days; dates have been announced for the returns of my two favorite shows, a series thought dead has gotten a couple more episodes and new hope for the future, a great series is coming to a close, and a popular show is getting a webseries offshoot.

Lost, the best show on TV, will be starting its final season on February 2nd, 2010 and will air its remaining 18 episodes on Tuesday nights at 9pm. I’m on the edge of my seat. I don’t read (or post) any news or spoilers about Lost, I just like to watch and be surprised. I can’t believe we are so close to its conclusion.

I can also barely hold in the excitement that Chuck will be coming back early, on Sunday Janruary 10th, with back to back episodes, and than another new episode the next night as it retakes its 8pm time slot on NBC’s Monday night schedule. This will push the ratings struggling Heroes back to 9pm, where hopefully it can regain some of its former numbers (and glory). With the network ordering additional episodes of Chuck, bringing it back early, and trusting the series with a strong lead off spot on the schedule, this gives me hope that NBC is getting behind the series and is ready to give it a big push to help it get the numbers that it deserves.  The list of guest stars for the upcoming season is amazing, with cult favorites Robert Patrick and Vinnie Jones, Superman himself Brandon Routh, Smallville‘s Kristin Kreuk, and former WWE wrestler Steve Austin to name a few. I can’t wait to see where Chuck and company go from here.

With Heroes moving to 9pm, that means that NBC’s Trauma is homeless. The freshmen Emergency medical drama, which was thought to have been canceled, just got 3 additional episodes ordered. Are they giving it a second chance? Or is this a sign that the network might be looking for shows to replace Jay Leno at 10pm? Trauma is better suited for the later hour just as ER benefited from a 10pm slot. Don’t get me wrong, I love Jay Leno, his show is just misplaced.

After eight seasons, Monk is coming to a close. There are just three episodes left! One of the last three airs tonight at 9pm on USA. In the new episode, Monk becomes Detective Monk after he is reinstated on the police force. Well, after 8 seasons, it is about time!

Finally, ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy is expanding online! Starting this week on ABC.com and airing until Janruary 21st of the new year is Seattle Grace: On Call, a webseries spinoff of the medical drama. The series is shot in a documentary-style with four minute episodes set in Joe’s bar. They focus on this year’s new interns (Mark Saul, Molly Kidder, Joseph Williamson, Gloria Garayua, Brandon Scott), a few of the doctors that were recently merged into Seattle Grace from another hospital (Nora Zehetner and Robert Baker), and of course Joe the Bartender (Steven Bailey). I’m a big fan of webseries, and I think this is a perfect way for a show to keep people tuning in when they are airing reruns.

It is an exciting time for TV, I just wish I could say the same about movies.

The 2009 Emmy nominees for Best Drama are: Big Love, Damages, Dexter, House, Lost, Breaking Bad, and Mad Men.

I have to start by asking why we have 7 nominated shows? They really couldn’t trim the list to the 5 best of the best dramas?  Having 7 nominated shows for best drama looks like they are trying to get as many famous people to come to the awards show as possible. It waters down the category and makes a nomination seem a lot less important. Anyhow, onto the list…

Big Love
I’m sorry, but this show never sucked me in and held onto me. I tried it out for a few episodes and I thought it was okay at best.  HBO gets a lot of love at the Emmys, but I think this was the wrong HBO show to get love this year. True Blood (from Six Feet Under‘s Alan Ball) was a series that got better with every episode. It had defined characters and a very interesting world. Everyone knows that the Emmys have a thing against vampires (Buffy never got any love), but they really have to get over their shit. Sorry Big Love fans, but I don’t agree with this nomination.

Damages
I really love this show. For me it is impossible to watch weekly, due to the slow roll out of events and the flashbacks/flashforwards that work towards each other to make each season a complete story.  Three episodes in I stopped watching it weekly and TIVOed the rest of the season. Right when it was finished, I watched the episodes back to back in one weekend. It is that good. Once you start watching it, you keep going.  Storywise, the show delievers a layered mystery with enough twists and turns (that all stem directly from the story) to keep you guessing. Rose Byrne and Glen Close bring their a-games to every episode.

Dexter
This is another show with such great characters.  Michael C. Hall’s Dexter is one of the most intriguing characters on television. We should hate him, but it is impossible. The show walks a very fine line, but walks it well. A very deserved nomination, but I don’t think it will win.

House
This is another well deserved nomination. It is one of only two broadcast shows to make the cut for Best Drama (the other being Lost). The cast is top notch and the stories are engaging and satisfying. It isn’t going to take home the award, but Hugh Laurie is very deserving of a Best Actor statue.

Breaking Bad & Mad Men
I have to be honest here, I have never seen an episode of either of these shows. Breaking Bad doesn’t interest me in the least, and while everything I have heard about Mad Men makes me want to see it, I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Either way, no matter how good either of these shows last seasons were, it would not chnge my opinion…

My Pick for Best Drama: Lost
If you read the site regulary, you know about my love for Lost. This past season was easily one of the best seasons of television for any show ever. The focus and narrative flow of the season was perfect, with a completely engaging storyline that never missed a beat. Unlike Damages which is good but hard to watch weekly, with Lost I had to see every episode right when I could. Sadly, I don’t think it will win.  While it has taken home Best Drama in the past, the show just aired its second to last season, if anything I think next year’s finale season will have a better shot at taking home the Best Drama award.

What show do you think will take home the Best Drama award? You can click here for a detailed list of Drama and Comedy Series nominations. More opinions and reactions will be posted daily about the 2009 Emmy Awards nominations.