You could also be pondering, “Really, Macy? You’re going to the mat over a present that got here out over 20 years in the past?” Well, sure. Because it merely is not given the respect it deserves.
Like many Americans, my household and I liked our nights huddled across the TV to observe our favourite TV reveals dwell. For us, that meant American Idol, Dexter and, in fact, ABC’s community hit, Lost.
There’s a great probability you watched Lost within the early 2000s, too. And there’s an excellent higher probability you suppose it received dangerous. Or you might have some form of perspective that it began sturdy however went off the rails after the primary three seasons. Somewhere alongside the best way — perhaps when the flash-sideways started, or when a smoke monster become a person, or if you realized there wasn’t going to be a clear-cut reply to each thriller — you bailed.
Maybe you noticed the finale and thought it ruined the entire present. (More on that later.)
I watched Lost once I was a child, however hadn’t revisited it for near a decade. Until it got here to streaming providers, first Hulu and now Netflix and Disney Plus. One day, I made a decision to replay the pilot episode and, effectively, it reworked me into the individual penning this 1,500-word protection. I binged the present after which instantly rotated and binged it once more.
I’m really mad at myself for losing a lot time pondering this present was a disappointment. In fact, it is a wonderful, formidable near-masterpiece. It’s my favourite present.
That’s why I’m penning this. I’m right here to ask you to do one thing radical: Rewatch Lost in 2025. Yes, all of it. And this time, go in with contemporary eyes — see it not as a weekly community drama, however as a serialized, character-driven odyssey that, together with The Sopranos and Mad Men, paved the best way for the status style TV we obsess over now.
Because the reality is, Lost wasn’t a failure. It was simply forward of its time. Here’s why.
It’s time to return to the island for a 2025 rewatch.
Looking for extra streaming suggestions? You also needs to watch my favourite film, a historic drama full of trendy themes, free of charge now.
No, the ending isn’t what you suppose
The very last thing I wish to do is spoil the ending of a present I’m making an attempt to get you to rewatch. But I really feel like I would like to deal with this early since one of many essential causes audiences finally turned on the present was a false impression in regards to the ending.
I’ll let you know proper now, spoilers be damned. They. Were. Not. All. Dead. The. Whole. Time.
The concept that the characters had been actually all useless the entire collection and that the island was only a purgatory-like state is totally unfaithful. It’s been debunked by the creators of the present, the actors who starred within the present and the dialogue within the collection finale itself.
A twist ending like that — revealing that they had all died within the airplane crash proper in the beginning — can be a horrible one. It would retroactively scale back the complete plot of the present to meaningless, empty nothingness. So, fortunately, that is not the way it truly ended.
Now, you’ll be able to simply benefit from the present realizing that all of it issues.
The cinematography of Lost is among the finest ever put to tv.
TV in 2004 did not appear to be Lost
When Lost premiered in 2004, there was nothing prefer it on community tv. A lush, cinematic sci-fi thriller shot on 35mm movie, with a large ensemble forged of largely unknown actors and an evolving mythology? On ABC, of all locations? In the period of CSI, Desperate Housewives, and the handfuls of different cop reveals and formulaic TV, Lost was a threat.
Lost is a sci-fi present (I feel lots of people overlook that) with horror and supernatural components. It’s serialized, which means you should see every episode to grasp the subsequent one, in contrast to so many reveals that had been airing on community TV on the time.
The present follows a bunch of drastically totally different individuals who have simply survived a airplane crash on a distant, tropical island that appears to harbor deep, darkish mysteries. But every survivor has secrets and techniques of their very own. And they need to dwell collectively in an effort to survive. (I can vividly bear in mind listening to protagonist Jack Shepard say, “If we do not study to dwell collectively… we’re gonna die alone.”)
These characters come along with their variations, their pasts (fantastically depicted in flashback scenes), their traumas, their hopes and their wishes, to collectively navigate this horrible scenario. What unfolds is six seasons of intense, heart-wrenching plot factors that subvert expectations and are wealthy with themes of religion, spirituality, dualism, philosophy and the paranormal.
It’s fairly regular for TV reveals now to be cinematic. Shows like The Last of Us, Succession, Stranger Things and Severance all make use of huge budgets, high-quality manufacturing, engrossing performances and groups of insanely proficient writers. But Lost was doing that in 2004 on ABC, which implies the showrunners had been coping with the various obstacles and restrictions of community tv.
For occasion, the present’s creators — J.J. Abrams, Jeffrey Lieber and Damon Lindelof — needed Lost to solely be three seasons, however ABC stated no, and pushed them to do 10 seasons after they noticed what a success the present had turn into. They finally negotiated right down to the six seasons we’ve at the moment. But that is twice the quantity of runtime the unique creators supposed.
Despite this, the writers crafted compelling story strains and launched among the most intriguing characters (Ben, Juliet, Jacob, Penny, Miles) into the later seasons. It’s straightforward to overlook that Lost was doing time jumps, shifting views and emotional bottle episodes lengthy earlier than The Leftovers, Dark or Severance existed. It experimented with construction consistently: a flashback right here, a flash-forward there, a time loop in season 5. Entire episodes would concentrate on aspect characters you hadn’t seen in weeks. It was difficult, certain, however thrillingly so.
The present trusted its viewers to maintain up, even when it was complicated. And sure, that led to frustration on the time, however belief me, it really works a lot better now that Lost is on streaming providers. It’s a present that basically must be binged, in an effort to really recognize the nuance and hidden particulars of the writing. The issues that made Lost so good on the time are why it hasn’t been totally appreciated. It was merely forward of its time.
Small plot seeds can be launched after which left unvisited for a number of episodes, making Lost a present that is good for binge-watching.
Lost certainly was a threat, however one which paid off in six seasons of untamed, genre-bending storytelling and a gut-punch, emotional ending that can land so long as you give it one other probability with an open thoughts.
Read additionally: The 21 Best Sci-Fi TV Shows to Stream on Netflix
It holds up in 2025
Part of what makes Lost such a rewarding rewatch in 2025 is that it does not really feel dated. The collection nonetheless appears to be like and sounds unbelievable.
Because it was filmed on 35mm, which might be upscaled and remastered. Plus, shot on-location in Hawaii, the collection nonetheless appears to be like attractive.
Lost was shot on 35mm movie, which implies it may be upscaled and nonetheless look model new 20 years later.
The performances of the 14 recurrently recurring leads of the forged are completely sensible, too. Even although this was a forged of largely unknown actors on the time, all of them, visitor actors included, reached a caliber of efficiency that’s nonetheless so uncommon to witness in a TV collection.
And the music is totally outstanding. Michael Giacchino (The Incredibles, Up, Coco, Inside Out) created what I feel is the most effective TV rating of all time for Lost. I imply, he used particles from the crashed airplane from the pilot episode to create the distinctive, weird sounds you hear every episode. The rating is an ideal match for a singular storyline.
More than anything, Lost is a present that can make you really feel.
Lost is a present that is stuffed with emotionally poignant moments.
Is each plotline good? No. Do the ultimate seasons get a bit advanced? Absolutely. But on stability, Lost is among the most formidable, unusual, lovely issues ever placed on tv, and it’s emotionally satisfying from begin to end.
Lost opened the door for serialized sci-fi and style storytelling on TV, particularly character-first narratives with bizarre, metaphysical themes. What I’m saying is that with out Lost, it is exhausting to think about Severance, Stranger Things or different TV sci-fi faves.
So if you have not watched it since 2010 — or in the event you’ve by no means watched it in any respect — now’s the time. The whole collection is offered to stream on Hulu, Netflix, Disney Plus and Prime Video for lease. Skip the Reddit threads. Forget the new takes. Just hit play.
And perhaps, simply perhaps, you may discover that Lost did not lose its manner. We simply did not know watch it but.
For extra, you’ll be able to discover the 13 finest sci-fi reveals on Apple TV Plus and the 18 finest sci-fi reveals on Prime Video.
