Where could they be found before they were Lost? While some stars of the ABC smash are genuine newcomers (Josh Holloway, Evangeline Lilly), most have long resumes including short-lived TV shows to inspire that seen-'em-before feeling. Here's your own flashback as ABC airs the two-hour Lost season-finale this Thursday (May 29).

OK, so Army Wives may not be the most representative military show for us to salute this Memorial Day (which is probably why this soap-o-rama does so well on Lifetime, where it starts a new season June 8). We'll have to suggest the underseen Iraq war drama Over There, which went 13 episodes and out on FX three summers back. (It's out on DVD from Fox Home Entertainment.)

They're outta here. Over and gone. Last year's news. In the words of Monty Python's parrot sketch, these shows have ceased to be. Kicked the bucket, shuffled off the mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisible.

They are ex-shows.

Quirky is a weird thing in a TV show. A good thing. And a bad thing. It's fun for those in-the-know to savor. But it can be off-putting for folks who feel on the outside looking in.

Is that the fate befalling Reaper, the CW delight that remains on the bubble as the struggling netlet prepares to announce its fall schedule Tuesday evening?

Hmm. Boston Legal got renewed in March last year. Here it is May, and still no word if producer David E. Kelley's law-'n'-sex romp will make ABC's fall lineup. Since the network announced renewals of half its current slate in February, one has to wonder if William Shatner will have a place to play this fall.

Oh, wait. Shatner always has a place to play.

Will legendary TV creator Norman Lear make a comeback on NBC? At an April 28 talk at New York's 92nd Street Y, Lear admitted that he has been talking with NBC Entertainment head Ben Silverman about returning to primetime with the Peacock network. No word yet on a timeline for his return, but possible ideas for the show include a fictional hedge fund. He seems to be impressed with the current state of television, repeatedly saying that he LOVES South Park and thinks it's the smartest show on television: "They have a message and they have something to say and they say it." He is also a huge fan of Family Guy, 30 Rock and Curb Your Enthusiasm and never goes to sleep during the week without watching the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He thinks it's a great show and also informs young people on politics.

Ah, sometimes synergy has its rewards. The much-derided corporate cooperation game may yet give us another season of the hospital comedy Scrubs, despite NBC having "cancelled" it.

Thursday, May 8, 2008 could have gone down in history as the comedy's final telecast if that network had its way. And no wonder. Despite its cult fanbase, Scrubs still draws relatively miniscule ratings in NBC's Thursday comedy lineup. (Which is saying something, considering how not-well most of the other series do.) And there's no upside, right? The show's been on the air for seven years. It's not like it's going to "grow" ratings.