Why does it feel as though we are losing a family member when a TV show ends? People half-joke about needing to find a self-help group after their favorite show ends. I've said so numerous times (although I dont think I've ever meant it as much as now with the end of LOST a mere three days away). I mean if we put things in literal terms, we are just staring at frequency waves being projected through a screen (i think). If you really think about it, the phenomenon of people being hooked on a television show is really a bit strange. They tune in at the same time, on the same day of the week, to get their helping of a story in which they know their will be no resolution--unless, of course, it's the series finale, but even then it doesnt always give you the type of closure that you want (case in point, The Sopranos, although I am a fan of it's now infamous series ending).
Writing has a way of mystifying us, whether we like it or not. It is cool for a teenagers favorite books section on Facebook to say "never opened one," yet they will list forty of their favorite movies and tv shows. Little do they know that none of those movies or tv shows would exist without words on print. A script. Thats where it all starts.
The TV shows that break new ground today are the ones with the brilliant writing. Look at David Simon with The Wire and Treme. Or Alan Ball with Six Feet Under. Aaron Sorkin with The West Wing. And of course, Damon Lindleof and Carlton Cuse with LOST. The list could go on and on, but the majority of "great" tv shows are known for their great writing.
The writing creates the characters and the relationships that we are expected to invest ourselves in. If Sawyer from LOST didnt have snappy one-liners to say, he wouldnt be Sawyer. If President Bartlet from The West Wing didnt inspire the viewer to think what if with his rousing speeches then the heart of the show would be gone.
I don't mean to belittle the actors or the director of a tv show. They of course have to make the stuff work. But here is the thing, you cant get around bad writing. Look at what happened to Grey's Anatomy after the second season. What started as a mature (as well as fun) look at the struggles doctors go through, became a silly contrived attempt at making a Primetime television show a soap-opera. I mean did we really think that Meredith was going to die half-way through the third season? Will somebody please tell me why Izzie is doing surgery on a damn deer? Please.
LOST has kept me riveted throughout the years. It has made me theorize with friends and family. It has frustrated me as well as made me jump with excitement. The show also looks at these characters with a very human lens. A poll was recently done on a popular LOST fan-site asking what people watch the show for characters or the mystery. 84% said the characters. These characters have become our family. We'd follow them no matter what happens. And the bizzareness of the show really proves that. For instance a few of the main parts of the show include, time-travel, a monster made out of smoke, and quantum-physics.
LOST's impact on pop culture has been similar to the great television shows of all-time. It's already inspired knock-offs (Flashforward lasted one season before it got the boot). The fans are starting to have their own cult-like conventions (not unlike Star Trek). And it is one of the best-selling tv-shows on dvd of all time.
If I can say one thing about LOST, it'd be that the journey will not end on Sunday evening. The best part about LOST is watching your favorite episodes over and over again. Picking up on hints and clues that were left (another victory for brilliant writing). People will talk about where the Hurley-bird (fans know what I'm talking about) and who Juliet shot during the time shifts for years. No definitive answer will probably ever be given. Some would think that would be maddening.
LOST fans like myself think it's genius.
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