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Lost Is Coming to an End | May 10, 2007

It's old news by now, but ABC has announced a definite end date for Lost. Following this season, ABC will air three more seasons, each only 16 episodes long but airing without breaks or reruns. I think this is probably the best possible situation, for the network, for the production, and for the audience.

First, networks don't really need more than eight seasons of a series, ever. A popular show may run longer simply for the ad revenue it brings in, but syndication is where networks and producers hope to wring money out of their shows by selling reruns to other broadcasters. Other broadcasters never need more than eight seasons, though, in order to run a whole year of programming. Eight or more seasons, though, would have ruined Lost.

Does anyone think that the producers and writers could have plausibly stretched out the story of Lost over 100 more episodes and five years? Seriously? Instead, we're getting 48 more episodes in three seasons. HBO, Showtime, and FX are able to maintain the quality of their productions by never overextending their shows. The average series may run 12 episodes in a season, and the writers usually have a whole year to put their shows together. Network television is more demanding because the audience is used to year-long programming. This arrangement would seem to strike a perfect balance between the needs of the network and the writers.

Most importantly, we, the audience, benefit here. We know that Lost is heading to some kind of conclusion. We will have something to anticipate each year, knowing that February will bring the return of Lost, just as January brings the return of American Idol. Also, maybe we won't have to suffer through an embarrassing decline, hoping for a remarkable return (I'm thinking of you, Simpsons!).

Posted by earnest in Earnest's | permalink