Why LOST Still Matters

Full disclosure: I'm a LOST nerd. No really, I'm that guy. The one who has all the crazy theories about the Island, who Jacob is, etc. I'm going to try to be objective about my appreciation for this show...actually I won't.

For those of you not similarly addicted, here's a brief summary (is that possible?) from Wikipedia:

LOST is an American serial drama television series. It follows the lives of plane crash survivors on a mysterious tropical island, after a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney, Australia and Los Angeles, United States crashes somewhere in the South Pacific. Each episode typically features a primary storyline on the island as well as a secondary storyline from another point in a character's life, though other time-related plot devices change this formula in later episodes. The pilot episode was first broadcast on September 22, 2004, and since then five full seasons have aired.

When ratings began to drift in season two and early season three and accusations flew that the writers didn't know where the show was going, ABC did something unprecedented. They allowed the writers to set an end date for a successful show.

Now LOST did shed some viewers in the process (in the five seasons, they've gone from 16 million viewers to 11 million). LOST is essentially a niche show on a broadcast channel, yet it has managed to be relatively successful both by critics and viewers. How has it done that? I have no clue. But I have some ideas about why the show still matters:

(1) The writers of LOST, unlike most other broadcast shows, have decided to reward obsessive compulsive viewers like me, while leaving causal viewers in the dust. Some studies have shown that though LOST doesn't have the best ratings during the broadcast hour, it does fabulous online. It's one of the highest recorded shows on DVR, frequently tops iTunes for downloads and tops hulu in views as well. So despite the moves other shows have taken to become more procedural on broadcast, LOST has maintained it's serial nature.

(2) LOST has complex heroes. Usually the idea of the hero who saves the day is ceded to procedurals. Serial shows win awards, procedurals don't. Serials are the "don't-miss-an-episode-or-die-shows" (24, Gossip Girl, Mad Men, etc.). Procedurals are your typical cop/hospital dramas (CSI, CSI:Miami, CSI: New York, CSI: Humpsville, Ill., etc.) On the other hand, procedurals get higher viewers. There are a lot of people willing to see Horatio rip off his glasses and deliver dead-pan lines night after night (example: Horatio walks into a bedroom and finds a woman dead. He whips off his sunglasses, "Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed"). Here's the LA Times take on that:

"Procedurals offer the basics of storytelling that people want to
hear," says "Criminal Minds' " Bernero. "It's very Arthurian and basic
to human experience. People like to think that, while they can be
scared and pull the blanket up around them, there are heroes out there
who will save the day. It's very comforting, and that's why there will
always be a huge market for cop shows: People need to know there are
heroes."

I'm not sure all viewers want that. Certainly not those in the younger generation who watch online. Serial shows play to the strengths of the online medium. "What did that smoke monster look like? Lets rewind and look again." And there's a reason LOST has been successful online. It has heroes whocontinue to be heroic despite hefty character development.

(3) LOST knows how to play the current television game. In the aftermath of ER, the idea that any show will command a majority of the viewership is pretty clearly dead.The current game is how to get people excited about your show online, but preferably watching during the actual airing. This is easier on some channels than others. Gossip Girl can afford to be serial because on the CW, the timeslot only requires them to nail down 1-2 million viewers. FOX, NBC, ABC, and CBS still want to be top dogs. But LOST will be remembered for being able to stick it out with the big networks while being able to stay true to a storyline. Not every serial in the same scenario has been able to (Heroes, I'm talking about at you. How did serial-killer Sylar end up a donut munching cop for half a season?)

(4) The writing is still spot on. A lot of shows have jumped the shark long before this point. It takes a great writer to keep a serial going this long and this well.