'The Event' deals with a young man -- Jason Ritter -- who's thrust into the middle of mystical game of espionage as he tries to find his missing girlfriend.

Most of the panel for the NBC series that's best described as part 'Lost' and part '24' was taken up by the screening of the show's pilot. Fans had only about 15 minutes for a moderator-conducted Q&A with the ensemble show's cast, which is headlined by Jason Ritter, Blair Underwood and Laura Innes.

But the good news is that If the crowd reaction was any indication, THIS is the must-see series of the fall. If you're still going through Jack Bauer and Jack Shephard withdrawal, trust us -- Ritter's Sean Walker is your new hero.

Each act break ended on a compelling cliffhanger, the biggest one was saved for the end of the show. Kudos to producers for informing viewers as to when a scene was set by starting each one off with "eight days ago" or "13 hours ago." It would be nice if 'Lost' had done that all shows with big casts and lots of flashbacks would do that.

Creator Nick Wauters explained that there are definitely elements of "mystery, sci-fi, thrillers, and a love story" to 'The Event.' "We wanted to create something that' has a little bit of something for everyone."

As different as CBS' new fall action reboot 'Hawaii Five-0' is in story, style and structure from 'Lost,' they do share a key thing in common -- location, location, location.

That's partially what drew 'Lost' star Daniel Dae Kim to the project. "I've made no secret of the fact that I really loved living in Hawaii and I wanted to stay," he told a hall full of fans at San Diego's Comic-Con. "But I wasn't going to unless it was a project I really cared about."

The producers aren't shy about the fact they're hoping some of the 'Lost' magic rubs off on their show. As executive producer Roberto Orci joked, "Luckily the rest of the cast of 'Lost' need jobs."

J.J and Joss ... sounds like one hell of a team, doesn't it?

The two "Visionaries," as labeled by Entertainment Weekly, came together for one geektastic Comic-Con panel Thursday. And the creators of 'Lost,' 'Buffy,' 'Alias,' 'Firefly' and the 'Star Trek' movie only disappointed the hall full of fans in one way -- they sadly aren't collaborating on a project. (Yet.)

Whedon confirmed what has been long suspected -- that he's directing 'The Avengers' movie with Marvel. It's too soon for much info, he said. He's still writing an outline and thoroughly researching the comics, but was enthusiastic about the movie's development. "These people shouldn't even be in the same room together, let alone on a team; isn't that the definition of family?" he reasoned wryly.

Meanwhile, Abrams talked about his new show 'Undercovers,' which will be both "case of the week" and serialized. He also revealed a few (very sparse) tidbits about his upcoming movie 'Super 8,' which is being produced by Steven Spielberg. The movie hasn't begun shooting and may feature an interactive element. Abrams cryptically said, "My favorite thing about the movie is that someone will go to the theater and see the trailer and hopefully go, oh my God, that looks bitchin', and have no idea they will be starring in it." What could he mean?

Whedon also discussed the prospects for future editions of 'Dr. Horrible,' saying he needed to find time to get the whole gang back together as well as find a studio to finance it. But some songs have been written, and Whedon referred to the project as "the movie," which may give a hint to the project's ultimate scope.

For the next few days, I'll be listing the Emmy nominees in the major categories and giving you picks and possible dark horses. Feel free to agree, disagree, and make your own picks in the comments.

Yesterday, I made my pick in the Best Supporting Actress in a Drama category. Today, I look at their male counterparts in the Best Supporting Actress in a Drama category.

Nominees:
Andre Braugher, 'Men of a Certain Age'
Michael Emerson, 'Lost'
Terry O'Quinn, 'Lost'
Aaron Paul, 'Breaking Bad'
Martin Short, 'Damages'
John Slattery, 'Mad Men'


Who will win: As good a year as Aaron Paul had (more on that in a second), I can't see the Academy denying 'Lost' a statue in this category. Both Emerson and O'Quinn did excellent jobs in the series' last season, with its sideways time flashes and seeming parallel universes. And both have won in the past. So this is pretty much a toss-up; I'll give the nod to Emerson because of Dr. Linus' inherent creepiness.

Of all the Emmy nominations announced today, none surprised me more than Matthew Fox's nomination in the Best Leading Actor (Drama) category.

I say that in the best way possible, as I've been rooting for him to get nominated for the past five seasons. I've always considered Jack Shephard to be the best and most underrated character on 'Lost,' and that Fox never received any major recognition outside of a Golden Globe nomination in 2006 never made any sense to me.

So kudos to the Emmy voters for finally recognizing one of the best TV performances of the last decade. Whether it was the result of 'Lost' nostalgia remains to be seen, but either way, I'll take it.

To celebrate his nomination, relive the final scene from 'Lost' (after the jump), then tell us: What's your pick for this year's most deserving Emmy nomination?

Tony Shalhoub again? Really?

Leave it to the folks at the Television Academy to always look for a safe port in the storm when it comes to the Emmy nominations.

In a year that saw an almost record number of quality new shows debut, established shows have fantastic seasons, fan favorites like 'Lost' and '24' bow out and network comedy making a comeback, you would think that the Academy's voters would have plenty of opportunities to throw caution to the wind and nominate a bunch of deserving shows that were either new or never got much Emmy recognition before.

A strange, semi-deserted town. A group of strangers who wake up one day in a hotel with no idea of how they've arrived there. A sinister, overarching conspiracy which our heroes cannot understand.

'Persons Unknown' (Mon., 8PM ET on NBC) is the new 'Lost'-style series involving a group of random people who must unravel an ongoing mystery. They're trapped in a small town which is surrounded by an invisible "gate" that will kill them if they cross it. So our group of heroes must work together to survive. And no one understands what is going on. ... Or so you would think.

[Spoiler alert.]

This summer's return of 'True Blood', 'Entourage' , 'Rescue Me', 'Mad Men' and 'Weeds' has us excited, but worried. Some of these series are winding down and some kill off characters without warning. What will become of our favorite characters? We've recently lost so many and we still haven't gotten over some losses from the past.

If 'Family Guy' can spin off 'The Cleveland Show' and 'Battlestar Galactica' can birth 'Caprica,' then these 10 (or 11) characters deserve their own spin off series.

This is Spoilers Anonymous, a weekly column here at TV Squad where we supply you with the dirt on some of the more popular shows on the air. We'll never put spoilers up here on the main page in order to help the reformed stay unspoiled. If you have anything to add to the group, feel free to step up and let yourself be heard, either with our tips form or by e-mailing us at tvsquad@gmail.com. Your anonymity is guaranteed, if you wish to remain as such.

This week we have spoilers for: 'Burn Notice,' Dexter,' 'Drop Dead Dive,' 'In Treatment,' 'Lie to Me,' 'Lost,' 'Parks & Recreations' and 'True Blood.'

'Lost' star Michael Emerson (the ever-mysterious Benjamin Linus) was a guest on G4's 'Attack of the Show' last night and talked about the series finale of the ABC drama. What, you thought he was going to talk about politics?

Besides talking about what he was doing the night of the finale and showing that great prison video he made years ago, he gave some info about what's going to be on the complete series DVD set that's coming out in August, and it's not clear on whether he was supposed to or not.

Emerson says that there's going to be a special feature on the set, a 14-minute scene that explains the time that Hurley and Ben spent on the island as "Number One" and "Number Two."

Now that some time has passed, here's a few thoughts about a few season finales -- including two series finales -- and what writers and producers might learn for future programs (Warning: Spoilers ahead!).

1. Stick to your strengths: 'The Big Bang Theory' smartly addressed the ongoing romance of Penny and Leonard in the finale, but kept us laughing at his and her frustrations over it. They didn't promise a reconciliation, but it sure implied that there's still a lot of simmering romance there. It wouldn't be surprising if they get back together in season four or not. That's smart writing.

They also stuck to their strengths by saving the best gag, Sheldon meeting the female Sheldon, for the pseudo-cliffhanger ending. You don't expect cliffhangers in sitcoms, but this one works. You can't wait to see if Sheldon will have a new relationship with this woman, or if it's just a fleeting social experiment for the scientists.

Spoiler Alert! The 'Lost' finale engages in mumbo-jumbo. Also: hocus-pocus, rigmarole, chicanery and (perhaps worst of all) gobbledygook.

Last Sunday's 'Lost' contained the most shocking revelation in the show's history: that after we die, we meet our loved ones and then walk into a big, bright light. Yes! Shocking! Did you just have your mind blown?! Er...

Fact is, Sunday saw the moment when one of America's greatest science fiction shows decided to end its run with fifteen minutes of uncomplicated non-denominational spiritualism that wouldn't be out of place on a mid-season episode of 'The Ghost Whisperer.'

As a science fiction fan, I'm offended by this ending, the same way I was offended by the last episode of 'Battlestar Galactica.' It's not because I'm opposed to gobbledygook (I am, after all, a Catholic), it's because both shows used their finale episodes to pretend that they weren't really science fiction, but something more.

And I call BS.

But we're all reading a bit too much into that 'Lost' finale, as it turns out. Those final images of the Oceanic 815 plane crash that aired after -- SPOILER ALERT if you've somehow managed to not watch the show and avoid spoilers so far -- Dr. Jack (Matthew Fox) closed his eye? Just photos. Nice pictures meant to transition from the powerful ending of one of TV's greatest dramas into the local news.

If Whoopi Goldberg was a fan of 'Lost' before the finale, she certainly doesn't appear to be one now. On 'The View' (weekdays, syndicated), Goldberg went off on an extended rant about the show's recent finale, criticizing it for being full of confusing plot turns.

'Lost's' finale, like the rest of the series, was a Rorschach test. What you think it means says more about you than it does about what 'Lost' masterminds Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse actually put on the screen. Even after they'd given viewers some definitive answers, so many questions remained. Which isn't necessarily bad; the lack of resolution means we'll be able to continue to play the parlor game of deciphering 'Lost's' riddles, anagrams and puzzles for years to come as we watch the reruns.

Still, if the finale didn't explain all the show's mysteries, it resolved enough of them to provide audiences with a satisfying catharsis -- satisfying both for the explanations provided to us and for the emotional closure given to characters who'd sought it for years.

Here's what we finally know -- and what we know about what we don't know.