‘Lost’ returning for final season

NEW YORK (AP) — You got a sense of how “Lost” ranks in the scheme of things when President Barack Obama saw it coming — and blinked.

Sure, this wasn’t exactly a showdown between the leader of the free world (with his State of the Union address) and a TV series about people on an island.

But Obama could have scheduled his annual address for, say, this coming Tuesday night if he’d wanted to — the same night “Lost” was already scheduled by ABC to start its final season — which would have left millions of “Lost” fans wondering where the island went this time.

Despite fans fretting that such a bit of presidential one-upmanship might actually happen, Obama saw fit to do his State of the Union address a week before.

And, like it was always intended, “Lost” will do its thing Tuesday at 8 p.m. Then “Lost” fans can take satisfaction, however fanciful, that, instead of someone moving the island, Obama moved his speech.

Make no mistake, this is a big deal to “Lost” fans: the beginning of the end of an epic mystery-thriller-what-have-you after six thrilling, mystical seasons.

Just 18 episodes remain, after which the series, and a certain brand of national obsession, will be over. The vast “Lost” lore — or most of it, or a teeny-weeny smidgen, at least — will finally make sense.

Or not.