Get Ready To Be Swept Away

May sweeps has officially begun! Brace yourself because the networks will pull out all the stops to get you to tune in and watch their shows. Get ready to be dazzled by special guest stars, like Britney Spears on "How I Met Your Mother" (yes, she's returning for another episode) or Steve Buscemi on "ER". You'll be intrigued by cliffhangers and possible deaths or departures (Are rumors true that a staff member is leaving The Office for a spinoff? Is Toby really moving to Costa Rica like he said after his embarrassing incident with Pam?). Even Oprah's getting into the swing of things with a much-hyped interview with sofa-jumping Tom Cruise. Cliffhangers haven't disappointed in the past, like 'Who shot Mr. Burns?' on "The Simpsons", or 'Who Shot J.R.?' on "Dallas", so I'm sure there'll be plenty to keep us on the edge of our seats all summer and tuning in come Fall. In addition, to the season finales for TV series, we also have season finales for perennial reality TV favorites, "American Idol", "Dancing With the Stars" and "Survivor". So if you're curious, you'll have to tune in and watch. Here's a run down of dates for some upcoming season finales:

American Idol, FOX, Tues. 5/20 (last performance); Wed. 5/21 results (2 hours)
Bones, FOX, Mon. 5/19
CSI, CBS, Thurs. 5/15
Dancing with the Stars, ABC, Mon. 5/19 (last dances); Tues. 5/20 results (2 hours)
Desperate Housewives, ABC, Sun. 5/18 (2 hours)
Grey's Anatomy, ABC, Thurs. 5/22
House, FOX, Mon. 5/12 (Pt. 1), Mon. 5/19 (Pt. 2)
How I Met Your Mother, CBS, Mon. 5/19
Lost, ABC, Thurs. 5/29 (2 hours)
Survivor: Micronesia, CBS, Sun. 5/11
The Office, NBC, Thurs. 5/15 (1 hour)
The Simpsons, FOX, Sun. 5/18