You could also be considering, “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 beloved our nights huddled across the TV to observe our favourite TV exhibits reside. For us, that meant American Idol, Dexter and, after all, ABC’s community hit Lost.
There’s an excellent likelihood you watched Lost within the early 2000s, too. And there’s a fair higher likelihood you suppose it received dangerous. Or you might have some type of perspective that it began robust 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 was a person, or whenever 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 after 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, nicely, it remodeled 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 actually mad at myself for losing a lot time considering this present was a disappointment. In reality, 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.
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No, the ending will not be what you suppose
The very last thing I wish to do is spoil the ending of a present I’m attempting to get you to rewatch. But I really feel like I would like to handle this early since one of many major causes audiences in the end turned on the present was a false impression concerning 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 lifeless the entire sequence 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 sequence finale itself.
A twist ending like that — revealing that they had all died within the aircraft crash proper at first — 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 may simply benefit from the present figuring out that all of it issues.
The cinematography of Lost is a number of the finest ever put to tv.
TV in 2004 did not seem like 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 an enormous ensemble solid 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 exhibits and formulaic TV, Lost was a danger.
Lost is a sci-fi present (I believe lots of people neglect that) with horror and supernatural parts. It’s serialized, which means you will need to see every episode to know the following one, not like so many exhibits that had been airing on community TV on the time.
The present follows a bunch of drastically completely different individuals who have simply survived a aircraft 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 reside collectively with a purpose to survive. (I can vividly bear in mind listening to protagonist Jack Shepard say, “If we do not study to reside collectively… we’re gonna die alone.”)
These characters come along with their variations, their pasts (superbly depicted in flashback scenes), their traumas, their hopes and their needs, to collectively navigate this horrible state of affairs. 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 exhibits now to be cinematic. Shows like The Last of Us, Succession, Stranger Things and Severance all make use of massive budgets, high-quality manufacturing, engrossing performances and groups of insanely gifted writers. But Lost was doing that in 2004 on ABC, which suggests the showrunners had been coping with the numerous obstacles and restrictions of community tv.
For occasion, the present’s creators — J.J. Abrams, Jeffrey Lieber and Damon Lindelof — wished Lost to solely be three seasons, however ABC stated no, and pushed them to do 10 seasons once they noticed what successful the present had turn out to be. They finally negotiated right down to the six seasons now we have at this time. But that is twice the quantity of runtime the unique creators meant.
Despite this, the writers crafted compelling story strains and launched a number of the most intriguing characters (Ben, Juliet, Jacob, Penny, Miles) into the later seasons. It’s straightforward to neglect 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 give attention to facet 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 significantly better now that Lost is on streaming providers. It’s a present that basically ought to be binged, so to actually admire the nuance and hidden particulars of the writing. The issues that made Lost so good on the time are why it hasn’t been absolutely 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 danger, 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 likelihood 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 would not really feel dated. The sequence nonetheless seems and sounds unimaginable.
Because it was filmed on 35mm, which will be upscaled and remastered. Plus, shot on-location in Hawaii, the sequence nonetheless seems attractive.
Lost was shot on 35mm movie, which suggests it may be upscaled and nonetheless look model new 20 years later.
The performances of the 14 frequently recurring leads of the solid are completely sensible, too. Even although this was a solid 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 sequence.
And the music is totally exceptional. Michael Giacchino (The Incredibles, Up, Coco, Inside Out) created what I believe is the very best TV rating of all time for Lost. I imply, he used particles from the crashed aircraft 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 the rest, 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 steadiness, Lost is without doubt one of the most formidable, unusual, stunning 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 laborious to think about Severance, Stranger Things or different TV sci-fi faves.
So if you have not watched it since 2010 — or in case you’ve by no means watched it in any respect — now’s the time. The total sequence is out there to stream on Hulu, Netflix, Disney Plus and Prime Video for hire. Skip the Reddit threads. Forget the new takes. Just hit play.
And perhaps, simply perhaps, you may discover that Lost did not lose its approach. We simply did not know watch it but.
For extra, you may discover the 13 finest sci-fi exhibits on Apple TV Plus and the 18 finest sci-fi exhibits on Prime Video.
