Lost as Complex Television

1. Lost as Complex Television

As a result, Lost might be set on a tropical island, but is in fact a show about mysteries. Both Steven Johnson and Jason Mittell have singled Lost out as one of the most complex (and as such, one of the most satisfying) narratives ever featured on broadcast television. 2 According to Johnson, “the genius of Lost is that its mysteries are fractal; at every scale—from the macro to the micro—the series delivers a constant payload of confusion.” This approach, which rewards careful and attentive viewing, makes Lost an ideal example of the recent shift in television programming, from the older, more accessible model of “Least Objectionable Programming” toward the emerging, more demanding model that Johnson has described as “Most Repeatable Programming.”

1 That Lost reflects the basic premise of Survivor is not a coincidence: when the show was first pitched within ABC, it was conceptualized as a fictional version of the popular reality show.

2 Johnson, S. "What's going on? Don't ask me, I'm lost..." The Times Online. 2 September 2005.. Mittell, J. "The Loss of Value (Or the Value of Lost), Part Two," FlowTV 2.10 (2005)..

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Representing an aggressive departure from Postman’s assessment that television’s success is predicated upon its adherence to the twin commandments of “Thou shalt have no prerequisites” and “Thou

shalt induce no perplexity,” 3 Lost offers just the opposite: a show that is successful because it is dense enough to ensure not only viewers tune in for the following episode, but take it upon themselves to seek out and

watch the previous episodes. In fact, in the series’ later episodes, it is often literally impossible to understand the narrative action without first viewing (or reviewing) several earlier episodes.

Complexity Optional. At the same time, Lost has been designed to be accessible to the widest possible audience of viewers. In particular, the show’s producers have emphasized the presence of a diverse ensemble cast, with each episode of the show turning the spotlight to a different character. According to showrunner Damon Lindelof, “what makes it accessible to a wider audience is that there is a character on the

show who is like you,” 4 — whether that character is the Korean businessman Jin, who does not speak English; the estranged single father Michael, who is trying to build a long overdue relationship with his son Walt; pregnant mother Claire, who has been abandoned by her child’s father; or one of the half-dozen characters on the show dealing with parental issues.

Lost is also intended to operate on multiple levels, allowing for different types of audience engagement with the show’s narrative. Co Executive-Producer Carlton Cuse frequently likens the experience of watching Lost to that of attending a baseball game, explaining:

if you don't know anything about baseball, you can watch people hit the ball and run and score runs. If you're really into baseball, you can look at a particular pitching match-up, and you know about a particular pitcher, and what he throws to a certain batter, and you can somehow appreciate the game on a much

deeper level because you understand the participants. 5

The result, at least in theory, is that Lost functions as different shows for different viewers. Some might watch the show to discover answers to the show’s cryptic central questions (e.g. “Where -- and what – is the Island? Why are all of the passengers here? Is it fate or coincidence? What is the monster roaming the island, and who controls it? Who are the mysterious ‘Others’ roaming the island, and what are their intentions?”) Other viewers may focus on the more accessible human aspects of the narrative, such as the

3 POSTMAN, 147 4 Korbelik, J. "Popular 'Lost' is a cultural phenomenon." The Lincoln Journal Star. 19 February 2006. 5 Cuse, C. "The Official Lost Podcast: November 14, 2005."

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protracted love triangle between Jack, Kate and Sawyer, or the troubled marriage of Jin and Sun. Still others may be interested in the larger undercurrents and thematic motifs of the show, such as the struggle between

science and religion, or the basic premise of surviving on a tropical island in the wake of a horrific crash landing. Thus, while the show often prioritizes some of these interests over others, it is ultimately intended

to cater to all of them – a strategy that the showrunners believe is responsible for the show’s unusual ability to attract both “cult” and mainstream audiences on a regular basis.