Imagine a world whereLostfans didn’t have to sit through ad breaks, and wait a whole week for the next new episode. Well, according to showrunner Carlton Cuse,the beloved series couldn’t work without its network TV setting.Losthas recently gained asecond life after being added to Netflix.The series quickly dominated the streamer’s charts, as new audiences crashed on the Island for the first time. The show’s popularity has prompted much debate over how the series would fare if it had been made now, in the age of streaming,where it would not play to the rhythm of ad breaks and could be binged in one go. Kindly enough, the showrunners have added their weight to the matter.
Lost is a mystery drama series created for TV that follows a group of survivors of a plane crash and tells its story between the past, present, and future via flashbacks. When Oceanic Airlines Flight 815 crashes and lands on a mysterious island in the pacific ocean, the castaways discover their new temporary home may have a mind of its own, as strange supernatural events keep them locked to the island. From an unknown black smoke creature to dangerous islanders, the passengers must work together to survive the island’s seemingly deadly intentions.
Speaking toPopVerseto celebrate the show’s 20th anniversary, showrunners Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof were posed the What If? style question. While fans watching Lost back in 2004 would have done anything to know instantly what came next, Cuse believes thatthe network TV model was vital to the show’s format and its success.Remember ad breaks during a show? Those things that have recently started making a comeback on lower priced tiers of streaming platforms? While streaming has mostly made these a thing of the past, those breaks were once a vital tool for screenwriters and showrunners to help structure their episodes. Cuse explained:
“The restrictions [of network television] were part of what defined the content. Particularly the ad breaks… We wrote to those ad breaks, and so, when we were designing stories, it was always about ‘What’s going to make a great teaser out or what’s going to make a great Act One out. What’s going to make a great episode out that’s gonna make people come back next week. I think the format of network television with the commercial breaks was so central to the construction of the show, that it really helped make the show what it was. I don’t know that having the freedom of just having the episodes playing without commercial breaks would have been better.”
Lost Releasing on Netflix Would Have Drastically Improved One Major Character
In almost every episode ofLost, the passengers of Oceanic Flight 815 were faced with life-threatening circumstances as they tried to survive on the ominous island. Whilst trying to find food, discovering a secret bunker, orwondering what the numbers meant,the island was constantly acting against them. Despite the endless mortal peril, the most aggressive reaction a character could utter was “Damn it!” or “for God’s sake.” Of all the criticisms leveled againstLost, one of the funniest is its inability to let the characters swear. While Carlton Cuse believesLostwould be fundamentally changed if it was created for a streaming model,the new platform would have let its characters (here’s looking at you Sawyer), swear to their hearts' content.He said:
“I think the one thing was language – it felt sometimes a little restrictive that you have a very limited vocabulary of exclamation words in network television.”
Lost’s Controversial “Filler” Episode Is Still One of Its Best
Arguably one of Lost’s absolute best, the episode packs an emotional punch most viewers were not expecting.
Running for 121 episodes across 6 Seasons,Lostwas a defining moment in network television. While contemporary audiences now receive 8-10 episode-long seasons, with long gaps in-between,Lostcame at a time when TV seasons were still up to 24 episodes long, and a new season was released almost every year. Imagine that kind of quantity on streaming!
Lostis currently streaming on Netflix.
