"Lost" (8 p.m. recap, 9 p.m. season debut Jan. 21, WXYZ-TV, Channel 7, ABC). How would executive producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof describe the opening scenes of the season premiere of "Lost"?
Compelling, says Cuse.
Groovy, says Lindelof.
Sounds intriguing, but then again, that's what makes "Lost" special. "What we don't want to do in season five is basically stand around sort of shifting from one foot to another waiting for the last season of the show," says Cuse of the acclaimed ABC series that's set to wrap in 2010. "Like it or not, we decided to take some chances this year and be bold in our storytelling and we're willing to accept the consequences of that."
As the story picks up again, Jack and Ben are trying to reunite the Oceanic 6 and return them to the island, with Locke's body in tow, in a quest to save the remaining castaways. But it's going to be tricky convincing everyone to cooperate. And since Ben moved the island at the end of last season's finale, they'll have to figure out where -- and when -- it went.
Expect a lot of interesting things to happen sooner rather than later. But "Lost" is a character-driven journey, too, so there'll be plenty of focus on the romantic quadrangle of Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Juliet.
Speaking of sardonic hunk Sawyer, will he get the screen time he deserves? "We really feel it's the year of Sawyer," says Lindelof. "He's really stepping up in a major way."