David Bianculli

New mysteries, new jeopardies and only eight episodes to explore them: The survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 are back, but the ongoing Hollywood writers strike means a shorter season than planned. Fresh Air's TV critic — and him you can trust — previews the season premiere of Lost, airing tonight on ABC.

HBO, once home to The Sopranos, has some experience with conflicted psychoanalysts. The latest one on the lineup: Paul Weston, played by Gabriel Byrne. The central figure of In Treatment, a nightly half-hour serial adapted from an Israeli TV drama, Weston is a calm, collected counselor on the outside — and an emotional mess on the inside. Fresh Air's TV critic offers a diagnosis.

Fresh Air's TV critic previews the new series Breaking Bad, about a cancer-stricken chemistry teacher who decides that cooking crystal meth is the best way to support his family after he's gone. The show premieres on the AMC cable channel on Jan. 20.

The writers' strike knocked late-night television shows like the Late Show and The Tonight Show into reruns. Now these pillars of the talk-show genre are back on the air with fresh material.

The fifth and final season of the acclaimed HBO drama The Wire has its season premiere Jan. 6. Fresh Air's TV critic has a preview.

Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick, creators of Thirtysomething and executive producers of My So-Called Life, are making news again with a new series.

It's called Quarterlife, and it's airing not on TV, but in short, six-to-an-hour episodes on the Web. Some pundits are touting it as an alternative for audiences during the ongoing Hollywood writers' strike.

Critic David Bianculli, who's working on the Web himself now at TVWorthWatching.com, has a review.

Fresh Air's TV critic finds his attention drawn this week to three lavish DVD box sets from three high-impact network TV shows: David Lynch's deliciously eccentric Twin Peaks, the legendary '90s comedy Seinfeld, and the cult-classic teen drama My So-Called Life.

Each is crammed with bonus materials, including lost and deleted scenes, documentaries, and other features.

Fresh Air's TV critic reviews the fall season. New shows include the sitcom Aliens in America, premiering Oct. 1 on the CW Network, and ABC's comedy drama Pushing Daisies, making its debut Wednesday, Oct. 3.

Fresh Air's TV critic previews The War, the new documentary series about World War II from filmmaker Ken Burns (The Civil War). It premieres Sept. 23 on PBS.

Fresh Air's TV critic previews a new series, a new special and a season premiere — all on HBO this weekend. They are, respectively:

Tell Me You Love Me, about a therapist and the couples she counsels
Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq, in which Sopranos star James Gandolfini (the special's executive producer) interviews 10 injured war vets
Curb Your Enthusiasm, which begins its sixth season.