 |
| Lost -which premiered on ABC in 2004, helped change the model for how producers end their shows |
In 2004, ABC was having trouble finding success when it debuted two new shows: "Lost," a mystery series with a hint of science fiction that quickly gained popularity due to its mysterious numbers and the mystery surrounding the passengers of the downed plane.
Of the two, however, "Lost" was the one that, not in the way the show started, but rather in the way it concluded in 2010, profoundly altered television and the dynamic between the networks that aired TV shows and the creative talent behind them, igniting what could be called the novelization of television.
That actually started a few years prior, when executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse realised that the unpredictable, twisting series was starting to lose viewers due to the open-ended nature of their commitment. The fans wanted to know when we would hear back.
At their request, ABC granted them permission to reveal the official finale of the series, ordering 48 episodes spread across three seasons to wrap up the plot in what Variety dubbed a "paradigm-shifting play."
The announcement gave notice that the show was really heading somewhere, that there would be a reward for people who had invested so much time and thought—along with graduate-level analysis and thought—in the programme, and what it all meant.
Before then, the general consensus in the television industry was, to put it simply, don't repair what ain't broke. As if they were authors who had reached the end of their narrative, series ran until the viewers quit watching them, not when the makers indicated.
 |
| Episodes of Lost - featuring Josh Holloway and Sheila Kelley, will premiere July 1 on Netflix in the US |
"I think the audience wants to know when the story is going to be over for story-based shows like 'Lost,' as opposed to franchise-based shows like 'ER,' or 'CSI," Cuse said at the time, drawing attention to the intriguing analogy. "When J.K. Rowling announced that there would be seven 'Harry Potter' books, it gave the readers a clear sense of exactly what their investment would be," Cuse continued. We hope that our viewers will follow suit.
At the time, producer J.J. Abrams, who co-created the series with Lindelof and Jeffrey Lieber, praised ABC for having "real foresight and guts to make a call like this," calling the decision "the right choice."
Since then, there has undoubtedly been a shift in the nature of television, allowing more creative freedom to determine how long their programmes would run. As a result, there has been an increase in the number of limited series that promise resolution and finality and have distinct beginnings and ends.
Other television shows have done the same, such as "Game of Thrones," which concluded after two seasons, "Stranger Things," and most recently "The Boys," which revealed that the fifth season of its superhero spoof will conclude the plot.
That equation has made TV richer and more ambitious, as well as able to wrestle with different kinds of serialized storytelling.
Following that, the kids from "Lost"—many at first, as is typically the case when something unexpected succeeds—benefited from this hunger as networks ordered more mysteries-infused projects, even though few of them could live up to the hype.
Remarkably, even "Lost" failed to live up to expectations, with a satisfying climax that addressed a lot of unanswered concerns. Understanding when to give up is not the same as understanding how.
By then, though, the show’s legacy was secure. Bringing that full circle, all 121 episodes of the show are appropriately landing on Netflix, where they can be rediscovered – and binged in a more concentrated fashion – by those who don’t have to wait years to see how it all ends. Welcome to the 2020s.
The “Lost” finale might not have conjured an ending worthy of all the hype. By then, though, it had helped point TV toward a new approach to telling stories, which, never mind the numbers (for the record, 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42), might be the formula that really matters the most.
0 comments:
Post a Comment