Channel Surfing: Team Darlton Talks "Lost," Details About Amy Poehler NBC Comedy, Olmstead Talks "Prison Break" End, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing. I'll have another post up in just a bit recapping the news at yesterday's FOX panel at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour, including news about Prison Break wrapping its run, so sit tight.

TV maven Maureen Ryan talks with Lost masterminds Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse about the new season. In this phenomenal interview, Team Darlton talks about finding the balance between mythology-based storylines and character-driven ones, time travel, "The Constant," the Dharma Initiative, why they have to go back to the island, Daniel Dae Kim, and, well, cherry pie. (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Elsewhere, Matthew Fox talks to Details magazine about whether there is, in fact, life after Lost, which will end its six-season run next year. "When it's all said and done, you'll be able to look at the six seasons of Lost and see a pretty amazing character arc," said Fox. "Jack has been evolving, and not necessarily into a good place. We started the show with him being this hero who had no concept of what that required, sort of trying to live up to the expectations... and then finding the way to redeem himself." (Details)

The 2009 William S. Paley Festival will take place April 10-23 here in Los Angeles and while the Paley Center has yet to announce the full lineup (they'll do so on February 18th), they have disclosed that FOX's Fringe and HBO's True Blood will be featured. Tickets go on sale to members on February 26th and to the general public on March 1st. (Variety)

Some news about the untitled NBC comedy from Greg Daniels that stars Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, and Aziz Ansari. ""We start shooting in February and it's on in April," Poehler tells People about the series, which she describes "like Tina Turner in [1985's Mad Max] Beyond Thunderdome. I am a boss; I have an office. It's a whole different world. It's not a spin-off, it's a whole different place. [The Office's] Rashida Jones plays my friend." (People)

Entertainment Weekly's Lynette Rice talks exclusively with Prison Break executive producer Matt Olmstead about FOX's decision to end the series. Olmstead admits that there was "nowhere to go beyond this season" and says that he "didn't want the show to become a parody of itself." Prison Break returns with additional episodes (though the number is, apparently, under discussion) on April 17th and Olmstead hints that "there will be deaths." (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

Rhea Seehorn (The Starter Wife) has been cast as the lead in FOX drama pilot Eva Adams, based on Argentinean telenovela Lalola. Seehorn will star opposite James Van Der Beek and David Denman in the Sony Pictures Television-produced pilot, written and executive produced by Kevin Falls (Journeyman), about a sexist sports agent who, following a witch's curse, turns into a woman in order to "endure the harassment he has been dishing out." (Hollywood Reporter)

One Tree Hill creator Mark Schwahn will now NOT be involved in the CW's planned 90210 spinoff Melrose Place. Dawn Ostroff said the network is in talks with a writer but wouldn't say who. "We're in the process of negotiating with someone," said Ostroff, "but I can't say who yet because the deal's not done." Ostroff also discusses the tone of the new Melrose Place and a "stylized" feel for the series. (Zap2it)

Hollywood Reporter has a rundown of the pilot scripts gathering the most buzz at the networks, including:

FOX: Paul Scheuring's thriller Masterwork, which is said to be reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code, Jon Steinberg's Human Target, David Hudgins' Reincarnationist, Jason Richman's Forge, Carlos Coto's Wild Boys, and untitled projects from Jack Orman, Ian Biederman, Adi Hasak, and one from Manny Coto and Brian Helgeland. On the comedy side: Mike Binder's Two Dollar Beer, Kevin Napier's The Station, Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka's Walorsky, Dave Hemingson and Nahnatchka Khan's Don't Trust the Bitch at Apt. #23, and Greg Bratman and Tommy Dewey's Sons of Tucson.

NBC: Jesse Alexander's Day One, Kerry Ehrin's Girls Chasing Men, Ben Elton's Garrick, Dario Scardapane and Peter Berg's Trauma, and an untitled Hank Steinberg drama.

ABC: Scott Rosenberg, Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec's Happy Town, The Witches of Eastwick, Rene Echevarria and Greg Berlanti's The Return, and Richard Hatem's The Gates. Comedy: US adapation of British series No Heroics from Jeff Greenstein and Drew Pearce.

CBS: Untitled NCIS spinoff, The Streets of San Francisco, Hawaii 5.0, Confessions of a Contractor, untitled Curtis Hanson/Carol Barbee medical drama, and untitled Jerry Bruckheimer/Jeffrey Lieber medical drama.

CW: Kevin Williamson's Vampire Diaries and the updated Melrose Place. (Hollywood Reporter)

The Onion's A.V. Club talks to Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement of HBO's Flight of the Conchords, which returns for Season Two this weekend. (The Onion's A.V. Club)

Steve Carell's Carousel Prods. Prods. has signed a three-year overall deal with Universal Media Studios. Former Daily Show producers Thom Hinkle and Campbell Smith will run Carousel's TV operations. (Variety)

Fox's global channels division will launch The Listener, which will air later this year on NBC and Canada's CTV, in a near-simultaneous premiere across 180 foreign broadcast outlets in March, ahead of its US release. (Hollywood Reporter)

Sony Pictures Television has purchased Michael Davies' reality shingle Embassy Row following the close of a deal in the works for over a year. Davies' own overall deal with the studio recently expired after three years. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.