Much as I (and many other Lost-ies) would like to continue watching Lost for years to come, I’m actually relieved by the announcement that the show will run exactly three more seasons. Similarly, I’m glad the producers are going for quality over quantity by making each season just 16 episodes long. (Lost conspiracy theorists take note: 16 is one of the six cursed numbers, multiplied by three seasons is 48, whose digits are two more of the numbers…)
Variety calls the move a "potentially paradigm-shifting play," which I think would be great. There are a lot of cinematic, serialized dramas that would benefit from having a fixed end date. Not just because it would force discipline on the writers, but also because it might encourage viewers to tune in. I know that sounds like a paradox (get invested in a show you know won’t last?), but I bet that one reason 2006-07 shows like Vanished, Kidnapped, and The Nine failed to find audiences is that viewers couldn’t imagine how they could work as open-ended shows, so they didn’t bother trying to get to know the characters. I still can’t figure out how Jericho is going to keep going, and I have the same problem with ABC’s new Traveler (which debuts Thursday after sitting on the shelf for a year, after the network watched one serialized drama after another bite the dust this season).
Do you think, PopWatchers, that more shows should come with built-in end dates? Are you more likely to watch Lost if you know there are only a set number of future installments? (I can just imagine ABC’s promo announcer saying, "Only 47 more episodes of Lost!") And which current shows do you think would benefit most from having fixed-date finales?
Prison Break. How long can he stay on the run for?
Too bad there will be 120 episodes total – should have been 108. I like the idea of limited run series, I think there would be much less cancellation. Take The Nine for instance: if it was only a one year show I think loads more people would have watched it. Call it an extended miniseries or some such name to make it more palatable for the network and the viewer.
I agree that The Nine would have benefitted from a limited run, and I would also add Drive to that list.
I’m tired of getting invested in shows that are suddenly pulled from the schedule.
I’m a huge fan of the show, but I had the exact same reaction as Gary did…I was relieved. I totally agree that it’ll benefit both the audience (who’ll now KNOW the writers have an endpoint in sight and aren’t just rambling) and the writers (who get to end the show when THEY want, as opposed to spontaneously coming up with new ideas if ABC decided to renew the show over and over again).
As for a current show that could use an end-date, I’d vote for “24″. In years past, each “day” was more of a stand-along thing and the writers freely admitted that they didn’t exactly know where the season was headed. But since plotlines have recently been sprawling over more than season, it’d be nice to know that they actually know where they’re going with the series overall.
16 EPISODES! 16 EPISODES! I cannot take another fall season/spring season of LOST! Blargh!!!
With respect to Jericho lasting, I believe that it has a greater potential for Longevity becasue the conecpt of rebuilding is a very open ended idea that will take decades to accomplish, certainly 100 episodes wouldnt be that hard to pull off.
“(Lost conspiracy theorists take note: 16 is one of the six cursed numbers, multiplied by three seasons is 48, whose digits are two more of the numbers…)…”
Yeah, and if you take the inversion of the product of 4×8 from 48, you get…OMG: The Number 23! The number! It’s everywhere!
Lost has gotten insane and I’ve pretty much stopped watching.
I also think this is a fantastic idea, and I applaud ABC for for making this commitment for the benefit of the fans. 16 episodes for 3 years may not sound like a lot, but all Lost fans know just how much mystery, resolution, and twists the writer’s can pack in to make it worth our while!
Patti – I agree. Much in the same way my mother and her family gets excited watching Spanish Novellas, I admire their structure. These are shows you can invest yourself in because you know they won’t be on the air long (a year at most). Not that I watch Spanish Novellas because can you say: CHEESY! But still, I don’t think it would hurt American TV-storytelling much if they followed the same route.
If a serialized show such as LOST or Heroes is a hit after its first season, I believe the creators owe it to themselves and their audience to set a date of when the story will end. Twin Peaks should have been one season. The X-Files went 2 seasons too long. LOST is doing it the right way. Shows like Prison Break should learn from this decision as it’s the best example of a show that should have wrapped everything up in two seasons. Instead it’s dragging into a 3rd season with nothing really left to care about.
This is a smart play. The creators of “Prison Break” built the show on the premise that it was going to be a single season…which extended to two…and will be three in the fall. And I’m done with it.
Wow, Jason–great minds think alike, eh? =)
I think it’s great that Lost has an end date for the conclusion, and think more shows should be written this way. But I don’t think it’s a “potentially paradigm-shifting play.” Day Break, another time-investment show from ABC, was billed from the beginning as a show with only 13 episodes, but still failed to find its audience and was yanked before its conclusion.
So they will have been on the island for two years when the series ends…is it too early to throw out predictions about how it will end?
Overall, I’m happy with this news. It does give a firm direction for the show and cuts out some filler.
I’ll probably have to hibernate like a polar bear (do polar bears hibernate?) during the off time (8 frakin’ months!), but if the quality is there, then I’ll be one happy camper.
As far as the effect on television, I think this will improve viewership knowing that there is a plan to reveal all the secrets. Look for a bump in numbers next season once everyone (old and new) catches up on one of the best shows ever made. The folks behind ‘Lost’ have changed the rules of television once again.