‘Martha’ will compete with ‘Idol,’ ‘Lost,’ ‘Alias’ finales

The last night of the 2004-05 television season just got a little more crowded.

We already knew that the season finales of “American Idol” and “Lost” would go head-to-head on May 25. Now CBS has joined the fray as well.

The network has scheduled its quickly assembled Martha Stewart movie, “Martha: Behind Bars,” for 9 p.m. that night. The film, in which Cybill Shepherd reprises the role of Stewart she played in a 2003 NBC movie, tracks the last few years of Stewart’s life, including, as the title implies, her five-month prison sentence that ended last month.

The movie’s first hour will compete directly with the final hours of “Lost” and “Idol,” and its conclusion will air opposite the fourth-season finale of “Alias” on ABC.

ABC plays catch-up

In an effort to re-introduce viewers to its two most talked-about shows – and to fill what normally would be a rerun slot for both – ABC is assembling clip-show specials for “Desperate Housewives” and “Lost.”

In addition to bringing newer viewers up to speed on what’s happened so far, the network says “Desperate Housewives: Sorting Out the Dirty Laundry” (next Sunday) and “Lost: The Journey” (April 27) might offer up some fresh insight for fans of the show – although there won’t be much new material in either one.

The “Housewives” special will look at each character’s story to date and recap some of the central mysteries of the show. It will also offer a preview of the season finale, scheduled for May 22.

“Lost: The Journey” will focus on the back stories of the stranded plane-crash survivors, giving a glimpse into the events that led them onto the doomed flight. It will also explore the mysterious island that’s now their home.

New chapter for Wyle

With his “ER” career winding down, Noah Wyle is set to play an unlikely action hero again.

Wyle will reprise his role as overeducated librarian Flynn Carsen in an upcoming sequel to TNT’s “The Librarian,” which was a hit for the cable network late last year.

The first “Librarian” movie, in which Wyle’s character became guardian of the historical and mythical treasures of mankind, drew nearly 7 million viewers when it premiered in December. It also starred Sonya Walger and comedy veterans Bob Newhart and Jane Curtin.