LOS ANGELES - Touched By an Angel will die and go to TV heaven in May.

The CBS drama will complete nine seasons with a two-hour show that could bring back more than a dozen guest stars who have been helped by Monica (Roma Downey) and Tess (Della Reese).

"We're inviting all of our angels (guest stars) back, and we'll see who accepts the invitation ... and then we'll write the story," executive producer Martha Williamson said at the Television Critics Association winter press tour.

Touched, one of the few TV series about spirituality, will give viewers "a glimpse of heaven" in the finale, she said.

Ms. Williamson has no regrets about leaving the air after nearly a decade. She said she would like to keep the franchise alive through annual Christmas movies.

TALK OF THE TOUR

"I'm very surprised to be here. As you know, my career is over." - Comedian Tim Conway, 70, who stars in an improvisational sitcom, On the Spot, on the youth-oriented WB network this spring.

"I think the timing is right (to end) ... and God's timing is always perfect," she said.

`Survivor' 6: For the fourth consecutive time, CBS' No. 1 Survivor market won't have a local contestant. Nobody from Ohio, Indiana or Kentucky will compete on Survivor: Amazon, premiering next month.

The 16 cast members range in age from a 21-year-old Pittsburgh swimsuit model to a 56-year-old California construction manager, one of five from California. Participants include a rocket scientist, "abstinence counselor," lawyer, accountant, actor and a hearing-impaired woman.

For the first time, Survivor will be a battle of the sexes, with the tribes split by gender.

Retro TV: WB's going ape over recycling Tarzan, The Lone Ranger and other shows older than the network's 18-34 core audience.

The Lone Ranger gallops into WB as a two-hour movie Feb. 26 starring Chad Michael Murray from the network's Dawson's Creek and Gilmore Girls.

On WB, Mr. Murray plays a Boston law student wounded in an ambush that killed his brother, a Texas Ranger. He is rescued by an Apache named Tonto (Nathaniel Arcand), who has a cute sister. TV's original Lone Ranger (1949-57) was a Texas Ranger left for dead after an ambush by desperadoes.

Radical changes also are in store for Tarzan. On WB, the Greystoke estate brings Young Tarzan to New York, where he falls in love with a detective named Jane. (Only on the WB!) Think of this as Beauty and the Beast, says Jordan Levin, WB Entertainment president.

The Warner Bros. network also plans a Young MacGyver and an updated Courtship of Eddie's Father.

The fall season started with remakes of Family Affair on WB, and Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone on UPN.

On Feb. 2, ABC revives Dragnet as a gritty Los Angeles Law & Order-style show starring Ed O'Neill. That's just the facts, ma'am.

More `Gilmore': A Gilmore Girls spinoff is in the works for Milo Ventimiglia's character, troubled teen Jess Mariano, and his distant father. The dad will be introduced this spring on Gilmore Girls (8 p.m. today, Channels 64, 26).

Radio note: Country singer John Michael Montgomery will be live in "Studio B" at WUBE-FM (105.1) 7-9 a.m. today to promote his new hit, "Till Nothing Comes Between Us."

TV today: Biography profiles Tom Selleck (8 p.m. A&E), whose Monte Walsh Western premieres Friday (8 p.m., TNT).

PBS' Nova follows scientists to the Siberian crash site of a U.S. World War II bomber (8 p.m., Channels 48, 16).

Talk shows: Today's guests:

Regis and Kelly (9 a.m., Channel 9): Jimmy Kimmel; Martin Lawrence.

Wayne Brady (10 a.m., Channel 9): Pat O'Brien; Sydney Tamiia Poitier; dog expert Dr. Patricia McConnell.

The View (11 a.m., Channel 9): Actor Simon Baker.

Caroline Rhea (3 p.m., Channel 19): Ray Liotta; comedian Ellen Cleghorne.

Tonight Show (11:35 p.m., Channels 5, 22): Nicole Kidman; Dame Edna; singer Shania Twain.

Late Show (11:35 p.m., Channels 12,7): Actress Claire Danes; comic Bob Sarlatte.

E-mail jkiesewetter@enquirer.com