Prepare for the farewell

With only about three weeks remaining in the current television season, most shows are going all-out to get your attention. But as I think about it more, you’re probably at a point where you’re watching shows or you aren’t. Therefore, this column will focus on the four shows that will deliver the best season-ending story lines. For many of you, see this as a quick preview of the end. For those not watching, shame on you.

SHOW: “Fringe”
EPISODES REMAINING:  3
WHEN: 9 p.m. Thursdays on FOX
It started slow and features one of the coldest lead characters on television, but damn it if “Fringe” isn’t one mysterious, enjoyable beast. The second half of the season has ramped up the mythology a bit more, but the promise for more in the final run is what keeps me coming back.
It is understandable that the show and the network wanted to bring in casual viewers with standalone episodes, but they’ve done that enough. The show is a certifiable hit, and the audience is there – so give us some hints about the pattern, William Bell or Joshua Jackson’s Peter. Please?

SHOW: “Lost”
EPISODES REMAINING: 3, including a two-hour finale
WHEN: 9 p.m. Wednesdays on ABC
As if there was any question.
Much like season two, this year “Lost” has taken a lot of risks that alienated some fans, but unlike season two, there hasn’t been a number of plodding, weak episodes. Strong writing has supported this arc.
Season five has been compartmentalized into two stories so far – getting back to the island during episodes one through seven, trapped in the 1970s for episodes eight through 13 – and there are rumblings that the final four hours will mix things up yet again.
In the final run, expect a major information download from Faraday about the island and time travel, repercussions from Kate’s horrible decision-making, an appearance by Jacob and even a significant death. You’d imagine the two timelines would converge by season’s end, but at what cost?

SHOW: “Southland”
EPISODES REMAINING: 5
WHEN: 10 p.m. Thursdays on NBC
Yeah, it’s a cop show. But it is one of the better network police dramas to come down the pike in recent years.
“Southland” probably won’t have an overarching thread in its final few episodes, simply because it’s only two episodes in and is still trying to build an audience.
However, it is a near-guarantee that the final handful of episodes will be compelling, gritty and emotionally charged in a way I don’t remember any current police procedural being. It will be interesting to see what NBC does with the show, because Jay Leno comes to 10 p.m. in the fall and the content of “Southland” doesn’t quite lend itself to the 9 p.m. slot.
Watch it while you can; sadly, it might not return.

SHOW: “House”
EPISODES REMAINING: 3
WHEN: 8 p.m. Mondays on FOX
Though this season has been tremendously uneven, “House” is still “House” – one of the best dramas on television.
The death of Kutner (Kal Penn) was obviously a huge development for the show and for House, and from the looks of things, Dr. Meany-Pants is in for a major mental breakdown.
As shown in the final scene of the last episode, he’s having hallucinations about Amber, and though he believes it to be insomnia, expect it to be something much worse.
Hopefully we’ll see a significant amount of House, Cuddy and Wilson and less of Foreman and Thirteen, who have officially turned even me off, even after I campaigned in this very spot for fans to shut up about the show’s focus on them. Could House really be losing his mind? And maybe a bigger question – if he does, will the show’s writers actually let it play out over time instead of wrapping it up in two episodes like they do with every other trauma?