Several weeks ago, two critically-acclaimed and extremely inventive television series aired their final episodes. With the new summer television season upon us and fall premieres just a few months away, we can only hope that these upcoming shows deliver in the same way that “24” and “Lost” did during their respective tenures, a way that maintained strong, loyal and passionate audiences that stuck for the long term. While many other programs focused on stories that resolved themselves in an hour’s time, both “Lost” and “24” presented topics that are not usually addressed on prime time, served their core audiences, kept them surprised, and will both be remembered for many years to come as strong examples of what prime-time television can accomplish.
In terms of their plots, “24” and “Lost” have very little in common. “24,” which ran for eight years on Fox, was about a counter-terrorism agent named Jack Bauer. Each episode detailed an hour in the life of Bauer and his work fighting against terrorists and threats to the United States. “Lost,” on the other hand, ran for six years on ABC and told the story of a group of plane crash survivors who land on a strange and mysterious island and had to learn to live on that island while dealing with a “smoke monster” and a group of mysterious individuals on the island’s other side.
Admittedly, I have not seen every episode of “Lost” (I recently watched the first few seasons and the sixth season when it aired), and I likely missed a few random episodes of “24” along the way, but it only takes an episode or two of each program for a viewer to realize that these shows are not typical network fare. Firstly, both addressed issues that are seldom brought up on network television. This USA Today article about “Lost” in mid-May noted:
“Lost covered topics not usually seen on series TV, with an array of references from the Casmir effect in physics to philosophers both famous, including John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and more obscure, such as Jeremy Bentham.”
“Lost” also dealt with questions of faith, destiny, and redemption and was not afraid to answer them. On the other hand, “24” dealt with the topic of counter-terrorism in this country. It had its own share of controversies (including the choice of villains) but it also added to the debate about torture and harsh interrogation techniques — a debate that will likely continue with references to “24.”
Neither of these popular shows was built as a typical episodic program, which is one of the best things about them. Both relied and celebrated viewer loyalty. With other shows, such as “CSI” or “Law & Order,” fans could watch on a casual basis. Many of the episodes are self-contained and formulaic. I have nothing against that format, but I applaud shows that decide to pursue a more unique course, as well.
With shows like “24” and “Lost,” watching an episode here or there was difficult. With “Lost,” there were clues and foreshadowing in varying episodes and a lot of the episodes and story-lines built off of one another. For instance, it’s difficult to fully understand John Locke, one of the lead characters, without being aware of his complete back-story. You had to watch a lot of episodes to see what happened to Locke before he crashed on the island. On the other hand, each season of “24” was a day in the life of its protagonist. Each episode built on the previous one, which in turn continued the excitement throughout the season. Missing an episode might mean that a viewer missed a resolution to a previously presented conflict or the death of a major character.
The willingness to kill off major characters was also an exciting part of both programs. With a lot of network shows, the same characters (both in major and minor roles) remain for long periods. However, both “24” and “Lost” were willing to write off certain characters to serve the purpose of the story and because of that there were a lot of casualties (some welcome, but many unwelcome). These deaths were sometimes shocking and showed viewers that the stories wouldn’t be predictable thanks to writers willing to make tough choices.
This is not the only similarity between the two. Both were also critically acclaimed and both won a Best Drama Emmy during their runs. They also featured large casts.
Finally, both should serve as encouraging signs that television can and should take risks and find success outside of normal formats. So let’s hope that this summer season has a few surprises on the schedule so we know the networks are still willing to take risks for the sake of a satisfying story.
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