Lost aired from 2004 to 2010 on ABC and is still discussed today, thanks to its popularity and large fan base. Although the show has been off the air for over 10 years, its DVD sales and streaming availability garnered a whole new audience. Although the last few seasons were divisive, the show made some bold choices and introduced a lot of new elements.
Some of these elements included time travel, flash-forward storytelling, and even flash-sideways storytelling. Lost was successful due to its combination of humor, drama, and science fiction. The sci-fi genre is best known on the big screen but Lost brought it to television. The show may have lost some steam at the end of its run, but there are many reasons why it’s the best TV show of the science fiction genre.
10 Co-Creators JJ Abrams, Damon Lindelof, & Jeffrey Lieber Know A Thing Or Two About Sci-Fi
ABC originally tasked Jeffrey Lieber with writing the pilot episodes of Lost, which he completed. However, they asked JJ Abrams and Damon Lindelof to rewrite some of the scripts and all three of them were credited with creating Lost. Although Abrams and Lindelof did rewrite the script, Lieber was still credited with co-creating the show and all three of them received Emmys for their work on Season 1.
Many of Lieber’s ideas were kept in and improved on by the more experienced Abrams and Lindelof. Before Lost, Abrams worked on successful projects like Armageddon and Alias so he was already a well-known sci-fi writer. Lindelof also worked on a few major network shows, such as Nash Bridges and Crossing Jordan. Luckily for Lost fans, these three minds came together to create one of the most unique and popular shows of all time.
9 Creative Storytelling Involved Flash-Forwards, Flash-Backwards, & Flash-Sideways
Lost wasn’t the first TV or film project that used flashbacks, but they were the only show that used them on every episode. After perfecting flashback storytelling in the first couple of seasons, the writers decided to spice it up and added flashforwards and even flash-sideways in later seasons. Each episode featured a story on the island and another story that took place before or after the plane crash. The flash-sideways told alternative stories with the main cast and what would have happened if Oceanic 815 never crashed on the island.
The flash method of storytelling gave the audience a more in-depth look at each character, which helped in understanding why each character acted the way they did. Perhaps the greatest flashbacks featured Hurley, the lovable teddy bear who was in a mental institution before the crash. Hurley had a friend in the institution who repeated the numbers 4,8,15,16,23, and 42. Although these numbers helped Hurley win $150 million dollars, he was convinced they were cursed and brought him and his family nothing but bad luck.
8 Time Travel & The Introduction Of The DHARMA Initiative
The first hatch, later revealed as the Swan station, was blown open by Locke, Jack, Kate, and Hurley at the end of Season 1. Upon finding Desmond in the hatch, Jack and Locke learn that the DHARMA Initiative had been on the island since the ’70s, conducting science experiments and learning about human behavior. After discovering there are six hatches on the island, the viewers learned that time travel was being studied.
Time Travel can be a fickle beast in any type of media, yet many movies and TV shows in the sci-fi genre seem to use it. Lost followed suit and introduced the idea, first hinting at it in “The Long Con” episode of Season 2. It’s later revealed that the island constantly moves and under one of the DHARMA stations is an ancient wheel. This wheel has an electromagnetic power that allows some of the islanders the ability to time travel. Some fans felt time travel in Lost was considered jumping the shark and many viewers didn’t understand while viewing it the first time.
7 The Monsters, Creatures, & Animals
Lost became an overnight sensation after its pilot episode, which introduced the smoke monster. Although the smoke monster isn’t seen until the end of the season, its loud noises and lightning effects haunt the survivors. In addition to the smoke monster, one of the earlier episodes featured a polar bear, which Sawyer shoots and kills. Later, a boar shows up and destroys the campsite, which leads to John Locke hunting them and using them for food.
In Season 2, Kate sees a black horse in the jungle but she believes she’s seeing things due to lack of sleep. Sawyer later sees the black horse, confirming Kate wasn’t imagining it. All the creatures and monsters added drama to the already mysterious island, especially the smoke monster. It’s revealed later on that the smoke monster could take on a human form, including Walt, Jack’s dad, and even a deceased John Locke.
6 A Strong Supporting Cast & Special Guest Roles
All characters are a vital point of any TV show, but Lost had so many main characters that it would have been easy to overlook the supporting cast. Surprisingly, that wasn’t the case and Lost’s supporting characters played a huge role throughout the course of the show. Some of the more important supporting characters were Christian Shephard, Helen, Liam, Anthony Cooper, Sarah, Nadia, Hurley’s parents, Sun’s father, Penny, and many more.
These characters would have recurring roles and helped viewers understand why the crash survivors acted the way they did. Perhaps these characters really stood out because they were played by amazing actors and actresses, including award winners and successful film actors.
5 The Visual Effects & Money Spent On The Pilot
Debuting on September 24th, 2004, Lost caught the eye of many fans and would remain popular throughout its six seasons. The Pilot was a two-parter and was the most expensive TV pilot of all time, costing $14 million dollars to make, which included filming on location in Hawaii. Parts of a real airplane were flown piece by piece to the Hawaiian beach, adding to the authenticity of the show.
ABC had some powerful commercials and trailers for the show, which amped up the viewers and made it a must-watch event. Although the CGI wasn’t great after the pilot episode, the filming locations in addition to the character development were enough to hook fans.
4 Michael Giacchino’s Beautiful & Often Scary Musical Score
There hasn’t been a show, before or after, that had so many emotional reunions, heartbreaking deaths, and frightening scares as Lost. However, the rollercoaster of emotions wouldn’t have worked as well without a beautiful soundtrack. Michael Giacchino created themes for every feeling the characters went through, especially for the happy moments and certain characters reuniting.
As beautiful as his happy score was, his score for the scary moments was just as powerful. Anytime something mysterious happened, a few simple piano chords added to the scene. Giacchino’s main theme for the show was used several times, especially when a character returned from a dangerous journey. When the raft is launched at the end of Season 1, the score is so beautiful and made viewers believe they were going to make it off the island.
3 A Big Main Cast With Interesting Character Arcs
There haven’t been a lot of successful shows that have had such a large cast, but Lost made it work and was simple enough to understand. Lost took the time to introduce and explore each character in-depth, allowing the audience a chance to understand their favorite castaways. Each character had a beginning and an end, but some stood out more than others.
Charlie had his ups and downs but he sacrificed himself at the end of Season 3 to help save the survivors. Sawyer went from being hated to being loved multiple times and eventually made peace with everyone. Everyone from Jack to Locke and Claire to Kate seemed to have a tragic past but always seemed to come together to help out. Perhaps Jin had the best arc, going from an aggressive overprotective husband to becoming a loving, heroic member of the group.
2 The Island Setting Provided Stories On The Beach, The Caves, & The Jungle
The perks of filming on Hawaii included using its beautiful beaches, rocky cliffs, and green jungles to add to the story. Although the character development was important, the story wouldn’t have worked as well if the group crashed in a flat desert. The island provided a lot of nooks and crannies, where people could hide from smoke monsters and electromagnetic buttons.
As if a traumatic plane crash wasn’t enough, the island’s mysterious powers and wild creatures kept fans guessing what would be next in every episode. Honestly, who wouldn’t get excited when Jack, Kate, Sayid, and the others would pack some water and head out to explore the jungle? Despite its beauty, the island was filled with a boatload of scary things and a boatload of scary people, especially the Others and Ben Linus.
1 The Twists & Suspense That Kept Viewers Watching
Just when fans thought they knew the right answers, Lost changed the questions. Lost spanned 6 seasons, which allowed multiple storylines from all the main characters and constant layers to be pulled back. At the end of the show, it’s revealed that all the people from the island were somehow connected and were always meant to end up together. Whether it was small things like Hurley on TV in Jin’s flashback, Kate’s mom serving Sawyer in his flashback, or Jack meeting Desmond in the stadium, they all served a greater purpose.
At the end of Season 1, Sawyer meets Christian Shephard in a bar and Christian tells him he has a son his age and that he’s proud of him. Jack, thinking his dad hates him after reporting his alcohol use during work, talks with Sawyer before they say goodbye. Sawyer and Jack fought like brothers during the course of the show, yet they were destined to meet and Jack had closure with his father’s death.
About The Author
