Comments on: ‘Lost’: The cult of ‘cult TV’ (Part 1)

By: Simon DelMonte

Simon DelMonte — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:51:32 +0000

1,000 points to Doc for referencing zeta beams, from the semi-classic Adam Strange comics.

By: Wickeddoll

Wickeddoll — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 08:51:01 +0000

OO OO! Lost owes a *HUGE* debt to "Sliders"! That one just occurred to me - it was about traveling through multiple dimensions. http://www.supernaturalusa.net

By: Tuzo

Tuzo — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 06:54:51 +0000

The Prisoner is absolutely brilliant. Well, except for that ending. Oh man. Maybe in the day it played alright (I doubt it!?) but it has not aged well. In terms of the ending, philosophically and metaphorically I don’t mind the idea of No. 1 being No. 6 but the execution just comes off as cheesy, dated and (for me) almost unwatchable. I sure hope Lost doesn’t go that way. McGoohan was always interesting in everything he did so I would like to see what he would bring.
.
Ark II! I remember watching that in the 70′s. It was live action with a jet pack plus sci-fi — what more does a kid need?

By: Bakehouse

Bakehouse — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 05:52:04 +0000

I agree with the comment that “Earth 2″ could have been an inspiration for “Lost.” The characters crash-landed on a planet that was supposed to be uninhabited, but they came across many mysterious native beings as well as other humans who were not who they claimed to be. It ended with a cliff-hanger and was cancelled after one season. I also loved “The Prisoner” and “The Avengers.”

By: J

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:58:58 +0000

Firefly!!!

By: swthompson

swthompson — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:14:34 +0000

There was a very short-lived show called Fantastic Journey which featured survivors on an island and ripples in time. I seem to recall the show fondly even though it barely lasted thirteen episodes.
In the same vein, ABC had a show called The New People which was about (mostly young) plane crash survivors on an island where nuclear testing once occurred. Closer in spirit to Lord of the Flies– but Jughead brought it back to my memory.

By: Rob Grizzly

Rob Grizzly — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:36:53 +0000

In regards to The Prisoner, this show was actually kind of neat! Impressive production value for a TV show, even in 196? Lots of LOST similarities; trapped in a location he can’t escape from, the mysterious group running The Village, the labs, the weird-clues, the big white balloon= smokey? The ending was indeed trippy, and it looks like this show was much to forward-thinking for it’s time. In truth, I feel LOST pulls these sorts of ambiguous reveals all the time, so it doesn’t take much to wonder what LOST would be like if it tried something like this. That’s basically all they do each and every week!
Twin Peaks is a major LOST precedent. Surprised it wasn’t mentioned here.
I don’t really follow Star Trek (or like it much) so I can’t comment on how different it would be. But I suspect if it had a longer run, there may have never been a ‘Next Generation.’ Shatner and co. would have been more mainstream, and its ‘cult’ status as we know it might be slightly different.

By: Will2

Will2 — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:02:00 +0000

@ Yogurt – despite your name, you are obviously not very cultured, at least in cult classic knowledge, but I do think your brain is curdled.

By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:53:01 +0000

For reading, something that I feel has a lot of Season 5 implications is Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut. Check it out!

By: Wickeddoll

Wickeddoll — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:44:38 +0000

"Twin Peaks" was brilliant its first year, but was make-it-up-as-you-go most of the second (final) season. That said, Kyle MacLachlan, Miguel Ferrer, and David Lynch himself turned in great performances that helped me overlook the sometimes terrible scripts. Kyle and Miguel rock, no matter what they do - they could read the phone book and make it interesting. http://www.supernaturalusa.net