There's something reassuring about knowing that the end is near. Not the end of life, but the end of a long trip or the last pages of a book. Television viewers are no different.

The very idea that the upcoming return of 'Lost' -- it premieres Tuesday at 8 p.m. (ET) -- will be the beginning of the end, the build up to the grande finale is both a joyful and bittersweet experience.

To make sure it's more of the former and less of the latter, here's a few keys that will ensure you will savor the return of 'Lost' so that it will be good to the last drop.

Right before the Conan "piss off, NBC" letter exploded all over the place, ABC had started their day at the TCAs with the critics' full attention. Why? Because the first panel of the day was the last time that the producers and crew of Lost would be in front of the critics answering questions about their confoundingly complicated show.

It almost felt like a collective valedictory speech, as the cast was given a chance to talk about their biggest memories from six years of shooting the show in Hawaii, and EPs Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof waxed poetic over what they think the legacy of the show is going to be.

But the big takeaways? The final season is not going to answer every question surrounding the show. The story arc this year will be told in a way that might not actually confuse anyone who's decided to finally jump on board and watch. And Lindelof's reaction to the possibility that the premiere might be pre-empted by the State of the Union address was priceless.

Looks like the island wasn't the only thing that got moved.

Mark your calendars, set your DVRs, and don't make any plans. The two-hour season premiere (it's called "LA X") of the sixth, and final, season of Lost has been scheduled to air on Tuesday, Februrary 2nd at 9 p.m. ET according to Executive Producer Carlton Cuse via Twitter. Cuse also confirmed that Tuesdays at 9 would be the regular time-slot in subsequent weeks.

There really isn't much to say here except wow. It feels real now, doesn't it? With only 18 hours left in the series' run, there are still so many questions left that need answering and hopefully we'll get some serious debriefing come 2/2/2010.

Let's get this out of the way. If you don't want to know anything about the upcoming final season of The Shield, then stop reading right now because this is 100% as spoiler-ish as it gets. First FX teased us with some uninformative promos, then they threw us some cast interviews, and they finally set a premiere date of Tuesday, September 2nd. That's not all though. Now FX has added a ton of scenes and clips from the final season to The Shield's website. So - I say it again - stop now if you don't want to be spoiled. But if you're weak like me, fun starts after the jump.

And so it begins. The countdown to the final nine episodes of one of the finest dramas to ever grace our TV screens. I'll be honest -- I'm very impressed with the simplicity of the ad campaign that HBO is now running to promote The Sopranos farewell. Nothing too flashy. Just black and white. Tony all by himself. Pondering. It makes you think. Plus, I love the "Made in America" tagline. It has such an obvious double meaning, but it fits perfectly. There's actually another ad floating around too. I found a snapshot of it here. Equally simple but also a little creepy. Just a family photo... but everyone is staring you in the face. You have to wonder though. Generally, past ads for The Sopranos hold some kind of meaning regarding the season to come. Is this one any different? Who do you think Tony is looking off to the right at? You know what I mean? If you zoomed out on the photo, what else is around him?