"Lost" fans can breath a little easier. The ABC show does have a set end in sight, but it's not coming any time soon.
According to an article on SyFy Portal, the show still has 48 episodes to go, which will air over the course of three mini-seasons. The JJ Abrams vehicle will end its third season shortly.
"I always said that we would allow the series to grow and give viewers the most compelling hour possible," Steve McPherson, president of ABC Entertainment, has been quoted as saying. "And, due to the unique nature of the series, we knew it would require an end date to keep the integrity and strength of the show consistent throughout, and to give the audience the payoff they deserve."
With some very unusual twists and turns, "Lost" has a strong and loyal fan following. Yet, the show has slumped in the ratings as of late.
The ending deal appears to be a bit of a compromise between producers and ABC that will allow the ending to be told the way the creative forces behind "Lost" desired.
While the ending being announced likely won't make some fans happy, the deal to preserve the integrity of the story is good news. Unlike other shows that have been forced to wrap up quickly, it sounds like "Lost" might not leave fans feeling that way.
The show airs on ABC on Wednesdays. It can be viewed online via iTunes and other locations, as well.
ABC’s high-charged answer to “American Idol” returns to television tonight starting at 8 p.m. EST.
This season’s entry features an unusual group of dancers, including a female boxer, a basketball player and a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador. The premiere episode will be a two-hour entry, which will be followed up by another two-hour show March 26.
ABC’s handling the voting a bit different this time out, giving viewers more time to decide upon their favorites.
“To offer viewers two weeks to see the performers in action before the first elimination, the first results show will air on Week Two. The second performance show, airing Monday, March 26, will also be two hours in length (8:00-10:00 p.m.), and the first results show will air Tuesday, March 27 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET),” according to the network’s web site.
It’s unclear right now as to whether or not ABC will have the full two-hour shows available for steam on its site, or just clips. Voting, however, is accepted online and with the two-week time frame, it seems feasible episodes will be offered in full.
At least one TV analyst sees the nail already poking out of the coffin for ABC’s “Lost.”
Marc Berman, an analyst for Media Week Online, has called the show the “tragedy of the season.” He’s also said ABC is responsible for mishandling the J.J. Abrams creation. “It’s too late to save it.”
Berman’s quotes come on the heels of the lowest ratings for “Lost.” The Feb. 14 episode drew only 12.8 million viewers. The show, which now airs at 10 p.m. EST on Wednesdays, has been known to pull down more than 20 million.
While Berman predicts only one more season for the show (and he could be right), widespread panic over the drop might be a little premature. It’s possible “Lost” might have taken a big hit due to Valentine’s Day. That particular espisode is the No. 1 ranked on iTunes TV for downloads this week.
Perhaps “Lost” isn’t so lost after all. Maybe, just maybe, its fan base is switching the way it’s viewing?
If you’ve found yourself wondering how many bloopers took place during the season one filming or you missed the backstories of some of the main castaways, there’s a new place to turn where everything “Lost” is found.
A new YouTube channel is dedicated solely to the ABC show, featuring tons of videos snips from the past three seasons. Right now there are 42 different videos up ranging from Kate and Jack’s backstories to some behind-the-scenes looks and bloopers.
The channel’s been up and running for a few short weeks and already has hosted about 32,000 visitors. With more videos coming online at a pretty fast pace, it looks like this will be a fan favorite and a great source of information for people who want to catch up on the action quickly.
It might be hard for a network to top what CBS has done with its Innertube site, but it sounds like ABC intends to try.
The network has plans to really beef up its online presence in the coming months. Included on its agenda are such things as streaming national news broadcasts, more affiliate news program streams, more television shows, an online channel dedicated to “America’s Funniest Home Videos” and even user-generated content, according to an article in Marketing Vox.
To make the site’s videos more user friendly, ABC will also offer two viewing modes – full screen or mini. There’s even a new ad format being touted. The “pause ad” concept will bring up ads over the shows when the pause function is activated.
It sounds like ABC is well on its way to fully embracing the online revolution, which is a good thing for fans of shows like “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives.” Already, ABC has improved its full episode area on ABC.com. Streaming shows now include pretty much the entire primetime lineup and a few shows that have their entire seasons to date available.
This is great news for slackers like me who just can’t seem to sit down and watch shows at the set airtime.
TeevBlogger is dedicated to discussing TV online. This includes what shows are available, how and why we watch TV in the online format, technological issues and advancements in this market, and most importantly the enjoyment of television...
May 07, 2007
"Lost" fans can breath a little easier. The ABC show does have a set end in sight, but it's not coming any time soon.
ABC’s high-charged answer to “American Idol” returns to television tonight starting at 8 p.m. EST.
At least one TV analyst sees the nail already poking out of the coffin for ABC’s “Lost.”
It might be hard for a network to top what CBS has done with its Innertube site, but it sounds like ABC intends to try.
