Lost

At first blush, "Lost" seems like an impossible concept: a bunch of people stranded on a mysterious island. How many story lines can you POSSIBLY take from that before the idea's been sapped completely dry?

It's a legitimate concern, but in the case of "Lost," totally unwarranted. "Lost," unlike many shows today where the plot drives the characters, is in fact the opposite: the characters drive the plot. This isn't "CSI" or "Law and Order," where each week is a variation on the same theme. On "Lost," you have a group of fascinatingly different, tragically flawed characters who must somehow learn to survive together, while at the same time trying to keep their secrets hidden. That's a method for disaster. After living together for a long time, the characters are going to find out it's impossible to keep their pasts a secret.

Yes, there's a monster on the island. Yes, there are mysterious happenings.

Yes, a sense of dread often hangs thick in the air. But to me, the exterior problems presented by the island itself are NOTHING compared to the INTERNAL problems the characters must face, both with themselves and with each other. That's where the REAL drama lies. And it's fascinating to watch.

LOST transcended TV Drama writing and encapsulated theme theroy when it burst onto the scene in 2004. That's 14 freakin years ago, and the show still holds up. Seriously. Jack, Kate, Saywer, Hugo, Locke, Sayid and yes, even Benjamin Linus' story lined were crafted in a manner few, in any have since. My then-16 year old Son said it was the best written show of its time, and now that he's 30, and a writer himself, maintains that commitment to this day: all the other show follow in the shadows of LOST

With so many high-quality shows ending or getting cancelled recently (Friends, Frasier, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel), and with the decline in quality of many others (The West Wing, Smallville), not to mention the egregious rise of turgid and tasteless "reality" programming, I'd just about written off TV as an entertainment medium. I was seriously considering ditching my TV and cable subscription in favour of my computer screen and broadband Internet connection.

Then along comes "Lost". I missed the first few episodes, but was able to catch up thanks to BitTorrent. Now I'm hooked. There are several things to like about this show, but here's a quick list:

1) Outstanding, intelligent, layered writing. There are multiple mysteries here, and for every answer we get, more questions emerge.

2) Rich, complex characters. Just when you think you've got a character pegged, you find out something new about them that's often surprising or even shocking. I'm enjoying watching the various relationships emerge and develop.

3) Strong performances. This is a remarkable cast of mostly journeymen actors with a couple of newcomers, and they're all turning in star-making work. Even some of the cameos have featured recognizeable, talented actors (e.g. Mira Furlan, Victoria Hamel).

4) A mysterious and fascinating setting. Of the four main story elements you learned in school, plot, character, theme, and setting, the latter is often the poor, neglected cousin. Not here. The island is dangerous, beautiful, creepy, and undeniably intriguing. It's like a character unto itself. Part of the fun of this show will be unravelling the Island's secrets.

5) Thematic depth. This isn't just a soap opera on a desert island. There are rich metaphors and themes to be mined here, such as on the challenges of morality; on the nature of communities and civilization; on our relationship with nature/the environment; and on spirituality, even mysticism, as well.

I'm grateful to see this show is a hit. Too often lately I've committed to a quality show early on ("Wonderfalls" being the most recent and much-lamented example) only to have a jittery network cancel it prematurely. I'm hoping "Lost" will have a long, successful run--if its creators, cast, and crew keep up the level of quality they've shown so far, I'm sure it will.

This is a really good program with very good writers. There are many subplots that keep you interested and waiting for next week for more answers to the many growing mysteries surrounding the island where a group of plane-crash survivors have wrecked.

I also like how the writers go into the history of each main character, making them more interesting for the watcher. This looks to be a hit.

There are a lot of mysterious goings-on at the island and a lot of drama between the characters of the show.

Great to have some TV that doesn't involve CSI, cops, lawyers or doctors!

Lost is absolutely, without a doubt, among the best tv series I've ever seen. What can possibly be said about this amazing show that hasn't already been said. If you read any best show's of all-time list I guarantee you that Lost will be on that list. The one thing I recommend though isn't don't be doing other things while watching this show, give it your undivided attention because there is so many twists, easter eggs and little details that you'll miss if you aren't paying attention. Now, the ending wasn't as good as people hoped for but that doesn't take away from the 6 seasons and 120 episodes that came before it. I'll never understand why people will rate a show low just because the ending wasn't great. Lost was on 6 years and over 120 hours of tv that you enjoyed, a few bad moments at the end doesn't take away all that time you loved it. Obviously it would be better if the ending was as great as the show was but when a show is as good as Lost it's hard to satisfy all the fans. I didn't even think the ending was that bad, it just could've been better. As a whole though, Lost is among the best television series ever and is a must watch.