20 Years of Lost: 3 Fun Things About It

Twenty years ago this month, LOST premiered on ABC and soon became a global phenomenon, winning a Best Drama award at the 2005 Emmys, creating a massive and dedicated fandom that speculated and theorized to no end, and launching its showrunners into a rare level of fame, which included skits with The Muppets and multiple appearances on The Jimmy Kimmel Show. LOST used new media, such as an alternative reality game, to enhance the fan experience. ABC created an Official Lost podcast before podcasts became mainstream. There were tie-in novels and websites. 

LOST represents the apotheosis of the shared viewing experience series, which critics and TV aficionados still try to find in this current era of infrequent and shortened TV seasons, because watching, talking, and writing about LOST every week for six years was so much fun, however agonizing the long wait between seasons was. We watched the week’s episode, went to The Fuselage or fan forums, read Billie Doux’s reviews, and then capped off the fun with Jeff Jensen’s epic and creative recaps. 

What about this show created such fervor, dedication, and love? Was it its convoluted plot, or the mystery of the polar bears, or the gorgeous, diverse cast or gorgeous setting that drew people to the series, or its creative storytelling structure, or how it reinvented the TV model? All of those things drew people to the series and inspired devotion, and there are books and podcasts that exhaustively explain and celebrate LOST’s timeless appeal. 

For my own anniversary post about LOST, I’ll share three things that I loved about this show. 

Its Absorbing Characters

Season 1 of LOST is a masterful and elaborate character study, told in 25 captivating episodes. Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, believing that the network would cancel the series after thirteen episodes, wanted each episode to resemble a good New Yorker story. Each episode concentrates on a main character, their flaw, and their epiphany or redemptive moment. Each episode’s flashback parallels the island story. Sure, the episodes deepened the story’s mysteries and added suspense, but the series began and ended with its character drama. As the series progressed, plot did overtake characters from time to time, but it ultimately was about its characters and their arcs. Indeed, “The End” lets the mystery be while acting as a love letter for all the characters that we loved. 

Insane Surprises

LOST was insane fun–the good kind of insane fun. The cliffhangers were legendary. I remember running outside of my house after “Two for the Road” ended to collect myself. I would do the same after I read the red wedding chapter in A Storm of Swords. I immediately called my friend Mic and implored him to go home as soon as possible so that he could watch the episode because I wanted to talk to him about it. 

“Raised By Another” had another insanely fun cliffhanger. The episode aired before I went away for a few days on a high school religious retreat. I was breathless from the time Hurley frantically tells Jack about the manifesto and Ethan not being on the plane to Ethan standing before Charlie and Claire in the jungle. How did I make it through Kairos without seeing “All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues”? 

LOST saved the best cliffhangers for its season finales. “Exodus” had Mr. Friendly making a surprise visit to the folks on the raft. Season 3 had the infamous “We have to go back” reveal. Season 5 ended with time possibly being reinvented after Juliet detonated Jughead. Months of agonizing waiting followed these cliffhangers. During these long hiatuses, I used to dream about the show and what could happen when a new season started.

Gorgeous Production

If LOST had unsung heroes, it was the production crew led by Jean Higgins and Jack Bender. They could turn Hawaii into dusty Iraq, snowy London, or create a giant foot for Jacob to live in. Production assistants drove dailies early in the morning to the Los Angeles offices for the showrunners to review. The production crew on site in Hawaii drove all over the island, putting in 12-18 hour days. The LOST on Location features on the LOST DVDs are treasures, highlighting their dedication and expertise.

Happy 20 years, LOST!