Life After Lost
I can’t think of a show I’ve looked forward to each week more than Lost. I remember scouring message boards after the end of Season One for any tidbit of information about where Season Two would go. After Season Two, I decided I wanted to stay spoiler-free because I loved the suspense that much. No show (except maybe The Office) spurs more water-cooler talk or drunken speculation than Lost. It’s a show that encourages thinking and speculation and sleuthing. It’s got so much allusion and allegory, it’s a former high school English teacher’s dream. It’s been more than a show; it’s been an experience.
Lost ends Sunday. While I’m sad it’s coming to a close, I’m ready for (hopefully some) closure to a story I’ve loved for almost six years. What saddens me more is that there’s not one show on television I feel is a comparable replacement: character-driven with deep mythology. I like puzzle shows. I like mystery. I like a little sci-fi with my ‘shipping. ABC, too, seems desperate to find the next Lost, with V (mehhhhhhhh), Flash Forward (not renewed), and Happytown (isn’t even going to last a full season) all trying to capture an audience like Lost has. I can’t even believed I watched two episodes of Happytown. The name alone (plus that dude from Seventh Heaven) should have tipped me off to this Twin Peaks wannabe.
Sidenote: name one legitimately awesome thing a former Seventh Heaven cast member has done post-show. Yeah, I can’t think of anything either. Except maybe Jessica Biel climbing Kilimanjaro, but that’s not acting.
If you’re like me, waiting to find the next Lost, fall seems awfully far off and upfronts from networks show little promise. What to watch in the meantime? Put down the remote and step away from Big Brother. You’ve got things to live for.
Option #1–Spend your summer rewatching every episode of Lost. I’ll decide if I want to actually do this after the finale airs. If it’s good, I’ll probably fire up the DVD sets, hoping gain new insight after at least a few of our questions are answered. Chris and I aren’t working over the summer, and we’ll have time for this. However, if the finale of Lost is like the finale of Battlestar Galactica, I’ll probably pass and wallow in my disappointment in Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse.
Option #2–Start watching Alias. Although I’ve read some people were disappointed in how Alias wrapped up, I might just satisfy my JJ Abrams cravings with his previous brainchild. With five seasons of material, I’d at least have time to settle in with the characters, and I’m sure there are pop culture reference points that would aid me in my quest to know everything about television merely through osmosis. This is a likely road.
Option #3–Fill in your own cultural gaps. I’d like to recommend a few Lost-ish shows that you may have missed when they originally aired. Netflix is your friend.
- Carnivale is one of my favorite shows that’s ever aired. It’s magical realism that pits good vs. evil in Dust Bowl America via a traveling carnival and a Methodist preacher. The casting is unreal, the mythology about as interesting as you can get, and it’s one of the most visually stunning shows ever created. The downside: HBO canceled Carnivale prematurely after two seasons, largely because its relatively lackluster ratings didn’t warrant its astronomical budget, despite a rabid, vocal fan base. I’d still recommend the 24 existing episodes, but don’t expect full closure when you’re done.
- I’ll be the first to admit that vampires have jumped the shark, but True Blood ain’t your daughter’s Twilight. And, please, don’t judge the show by the books. HBO took a pulpy, tawdry, mediocre-at-best book series and turned it into a sexy thriller. The first few episodes are slow, but give True Blood a chance. Set in rural Louisiana, the still-running drama focuses on a near-future where vampires have “come out of the closet” and live amongst humans thanks to the invention of synthetic blood. Anna Paquin’s accent grates, but you do get to see her boobs, alongside often-shirtless Alexander Skarsgard and Stephen Moyer.
Any suggestions on replacing Lost?
Tags: Alias, Carnivale, Lost, True Blood
(On May 20th, 2010 at 9:37 am)
We like “Fringe,” but it’s certainly not a replacement for “Lost.” I’m starting to think seriously about cutting cable out of our AT&T UVerse package because we watch so little TV these days. We could just fall back on DVD sets, which is what we do for HBO and Showtime shows as it is.
(On May 20th, 2010 at 9:45 am)
Also not acting, but Jessica Biel did Derek Jeter, and he’s a Hall of Famer.
(On May 20th, 2010 at 10:48 am)
I, too, am wondering what to do with myself after Sunday. Both of your show recommendations are ones I’ve had on my list of things to watch, so I may get started on those.
Also? Thinking about dusting off my library card.
(I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the Lost finale. Please don’t disappoint, please don’t disappoint…)
(On May 20th, 2010 at 12:18 pm)
I’m tinkering with starting Alias after Lost too. And Buffy. Have you seen Chuck on NBC yet? He’s a geek who becomes a spy. And they revel in throwing in excellent geek/80s references. Like the Christmas episode that’s an homage to Die Hard. And the Rush/videogame episode.
We’ve recently been watching X-Files on Netflix Streaming.
Futurama will be back with new episodes this summer!
But honestly, nothing can compete with Lost. Glad it’s going to resolve but I will miss it too. It’s pretty much the only show I watch live any more.
(On May 20th, 2010 at 12:22 pm)
I am still pissed about Carnivale getting canceled
(On May 20th, 2010 at 2:23 pm)
Oh! LOST… my favorite thing about television in general, and it’s gone. I worship the ground that JJ Abrams walks on. I fell in love with his brain during Alias, revisited his writing in Felicity, and found true happiness with Lost. He’s doing a spy-comedy thing next fall… but it won’t be Alias. And Fringe is ok, but it’s not Lost. Add to the mess that NBC cancelled Heroes instead of fixing it… and I am out of geek tv.
True Blood… I’ve tried. Maybe I will try again. My husband and I are netflixing all of LOST this summer, since he never got into it.
(On May 20th, 2010 at 2:29 pm)
just got this from another Lost fanatic… high-larious!
http://www.ew.com/ew/video/0,,20313460_20313475,00.html?bcpid=75281507001&bclid=64100614001&bctid=86386095001
enjoy!
(On May 20th, 2010 at 4:01 pm)
If you’re going to watch a different JJ Abrams show, make sure it’s Felicity! If you can make it through the second season (when she gets her hair chopped off), then it’s smooth sailing!
(On May 20th, 2010 at 8:51 pm)
I have still have some of your old seasons of Lost. I need to get those back to you.
(On May 25th, 2010 at 12:47 pm)
The finale sort of disappointed me in a way because I was more interested in what the Island was than the characters. While that may sound cold, I did care about the characters but felt the island was more interesting.
Btw, love the blog (first time visitor).
(On June 2nd, 2010 at 12:30 am)
I loved the LOST finale. I feel like if they had wrapped it up any cleaner, it would have seemed cheap or fake. I am seriously looking forward to True Blood. Now that Lost is gone, True Blood might be my favorite show. I like Treme on HBO too, it took a little bit to get into, but I love it now. And um, I am looking forward to Big Brother. Sadly. If you haven’t watched Chuck, you should try it. It’s not Lost, but it cheesy fun and I think it would be especially good in marathon form. Caio.
(On June 9th, 2010 at 10:53 pm)
How about Friday Night Lights? I was excited that it is back on recently!