How Did "Lost" Lose It's Way?

By Rob Mead

At the very beginning of "Lost", ABC had a major hit on it's hands thanks to JJ Abrams' deft execution of a Twilight Zone- type serial drama based on what happened when a jet airliner crashes somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. On that great first season, there was a real sense of desperation on behalf all of the main characters who needed answers immediately about what happened to them and exactly where they were. The quick glances of a huge smoke monster, and other predators on the island was a huge thrill to all viewers of the first season. Even the back stories of Locke, who mysteriously gained back use of his legs on the island, when he was crippled before, was a fascinating mystery which needed to be unlocked. There is no such sense of urgency now.

This is the second part of the third season's final gasps, and what a huge letdown it has been! The quick addition of characters like 'Niki" from this season, who came and went with no interest from anybody at all, symbolizes the problem with "Lost". The writers have gotten very lazy and full of themselves, believing that everybody who loved the 1st two seasons will definitely hang around to see how the final two seasons will clear everything up. They are dead wrong. The series has been losing viewers in record numbers ever since they went on hiatus in December of 2006. Their numbers are more than a third off since the beginning of the series, and there is no indication that they will ever get any of those early viewers back.

The great brain trust at ABC also did not help matters when they were scared of the "American Idol" juggernaut and pulled back the time of "Lost" to 10 PM instead of the more viewer-friendly 9 PM time slot. The departure of JJ Abrams put the final nail in the creative coffin that once was a shining beacon of hope for ABC. The back stories for these characters are getting deadly dull. After finding out all about the hatch, the writers gave up revealing anything else remotely interesting about the rest of the island. After the "others" kidnapped Kate and Jack, all the viewers ever wanted to see was more revelations about who the 'others" are, but the writers would not give anything up except for the murkiest of reasons that nobody can figure out!

I believe that "Lost" should be canceled after this season unless JJ Abrams returns next season, figures out a very compelling story arc to finish it all up on the fourth and final season, and gets rid of all the excess fat of the newer characters that nobody seems to care about, even the writers.

That is the only hope that a dedicated viewer can expect.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rob_Mead
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-Did-Lost-Lose-Its-Way?&id=550694