How “Lost” Can Reward Viewers and Strengthen Broadcast Television (Hint: Look to “Doctor Who”) - Ed Martin - MediaBizBloggers

If not for the inescapable influence of Foxamp8217s American Idol I would choose ABCamp8217s Lost as the top show of the last decadeamp160Why this acclaim I canamp8217t think of another scripted series during that time and perhaps ever that demanded so much of its viewers yet retained their loyalty all the while doing so much to alter the perception of what a scripted television series actually could be Foxamp8217s 24 winningly played with the format but one must go all the way back to that fabulous failure Twin Peaks to come close to the mad complexity of Lostamp160Twin Peaks was ultimately a flop largely because of its legendarily loopy if intermittently brilliant storytelling Lost on the other hand proved to be a popculture phenomenon on arrival and has remained a media sensation ever since Seriously with its fascinating and frustrating primary story set in the midAughts its flashbacks flashforwards and alternate timelines its multiple character arcs and their occasional mindbending collisions and its everexpanding list of questions that demand to be answered but likely never will be not even to the satisfaction of its most forgiving fans there has never been anything like this showamp160An aside I spent time in Los Angeles New York and New Haven in the days leading up to Tuesdayamp8217s season premiere and everywhere I went it seemed everyone was talking about Lost I havenamp8217t sensed so much excitement about the arrival of a filmed entertainment product since last November during the runup to the arrival in theaters of The Twilight Saga New Moon Who says broadcast television has lost its punchamp160All I can say after watching the season premiere of this already iconic television series other than to ask if Juliet is really a mass murderer is that I hope the series finale in May is as satisfying for and respectful of its viewers as The End of Time the recent conclusion of David Tennantamp8217s spectacular fouryear run on BBC Americaamp8217s Doctor Who a sciencefiction adventure every bit as exciting and as emotionally fulfilling as Lost I traveled quite a bit during January so I only recently caught up with the twopart saga that ended with Tennantamp8217s beloved title character regenerating into someone else as have all of the Doctors throughout this franchiseamp8217s remarkable 47year historyamp160It wasnamp8217t exactly a series finale but it was the end of a cycle that spanned three years in series form and a fourth with four television movies one telecast in two parts all starring Tennant and collectively the best flight ever in the hallowed history of Who In truth Iamp8217d say the stellar Tennant years were so good they qualify as one of the best television series of all time though only if they are separated out from the various incarnations of the Doctor Who franchise that came and went during the previous four decadesamp160Anyway during the final 15 minutes of The End of Time as Tennantamp8217s Doctor realized he was about to regenerate into someone new the character travelled through time and space to bid a mostly silent farewell to the many people with whom he had memorably interacted during the last few years some of them not seen in a very long time They included Martha Jones Freema Agyeman now married to Roseamp8217s old friend Mickey Smith Noel Clarke Captain Jack Harkness John Barrowman who was seen drinking in an otherworldly bar filled with unforgettable alien species amp160viewers had met over the seasons including my favorites the Slitheen and the Adipose in a sequence that recalled the legendary cantina scene in the 1977 classic Star Wars Sarah Jane Smith Elisabeth Sladen the actress who has played this role since an earlier version of Doctor Who way back in 1973 recent travel companions Donna Noble Catherine Tate and Rose Tyler Billie Piper plus a host of recurring characters from the Tennant eraamp160These scenes were in a word lovely Iamp8217ll admit they choked me up in part because of nostalgia in part because I hated to see Tennant go in part because I realized I would likely not see most of these wonderful characters again amp8211 but mainly because I was so moved by the obvious affection writer and executive producer Russell T Davies has not only for his creations but for the millions of viewers who embraced them Davies the creative force behind the midAughts revival of Doctor Who which began with a season starring Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor and its spinoffs Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures is leaving the series as well so The End of Time was clearly a love note to his legion of loyal fans Doctor Who will continue with a new showrunner Steven Moffat and a new Doctor played by a young actor named Matt Smithamp160This kind of huge emotional payoff amp8211 a great big amp8220thank youamp8221 if you will is what I want from the final episodes of Lost Iamp8217m certain that executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse are up to that challenge Under their guidance Lost has enthralled its loyal audience since September 24 2004 and engaged fans in a wholly unique way that has yet to be duplicated though dozens of series have since tried including FlashForward and V two ABC freshmen currently on hiatus and none of them have enjoyed anywhere near its successamp160I hope Lindelof and Cuse take as much care with their characters and their viewers as Davies did with his They canamp8217t possibly address every one of the hundreds of burning questions and puzzling observations fans have about the show after five pulsepounding years but they can certainly give it a grand and glorious send off that will keep people talking for years to come If they do theyamp8217ll leave millions of viewers satisfied and ready to commit all over again to tantalizing serialized dramas that strengthen broadcast television If they donamp8217t there will be so many pissed off viewers out there we may never again be able to enjoy a show as complex and uniquely entertaining as theirs Such is the legacy of Lost amp160

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How “Lost” Can Reward Viewers and Strengthen Broadcast Television (Hint: Look to “Doctor Who”) - Ed Martin - MediaBizBloggers

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