I've watched Lost since it kicked off in September of 2004 and it has been a constant point of debate in our office for years. From the random questions of why is their a polar bear on the island or the whole good vs. evil biblical connection to the more business implications of how effectively they have used the internet to promote the show, I believe it has made us all in the advertising and marketing world give some thought to what can be done online and how fun and interactive advertising really can be.
There is a great article by Joy Tipping of The Dallas Morning News addressing some of these points. Check it out below... and on a a personal note, I love 'LOST' but I do rank the finale as #3 of all time, just ahead of 'The Sopranos' and just behind '6 Feet Under.' 'The Bob Newhart Show' remains #1.
Complex mysteries of 'Lost' changed how we watch TV
By Joy Tipping, The Dallas Morning News
May 23--After six seasons that featured a plane crash, a smoke monster, polar bears, time travel, an H-bomb blast and an epic battle of good vs. evil, this century's first cult TV phenomenon promises to solve many of its mysteries tonight.
As Lost fans gather to mourn the end and parse the endless theories and details, TV gurus say the ABC show has changed the medium and enriched pop culture by cultivating an Internet base of obsessive fans and using new technology to enhance viewers' experiences with snazzy extras such as mini "mobisodes" for cellphone viewing and content hidden on-screen for hard-core fans. It also countered the notion that today's TV audiences don't care about complex serial storytelling.
Watching Lost is "like being in a really dysfunctional relationship -- you love it, and you hate it, and you can't get away from it," says Robert Thompson, a professor of television and popular culture at Syracuse University in New York.
Read Full Article:
http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/yb/145302009
And for a little fun, also see: LOST's alternate endings....
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/video/jimmy-kimmel-live-lost-endings-10726542
Posted on
Mon, May 24, 2010
by Thomas Frank