Ways Lost Has Gotten Better With Age 20 Years Since Its Premiere

Twenty years ago, Lost made its television debut and quickly became a pop culture phenomenon that had viewers and loyal fans talking week after week. The show opens with the aftermath of a plane crash as the remaining survivors try to rescue one another and come to terms with their new situation. From there, Lost would get crazier and more exciting as the many mysteries and characters persuaded people to tune in to every episode.

While its finale may have been divisive, the response still doesn’t ruin the fact that Lost has aged well and remains a high-quality show, even in the current streaming era. There have been many big-budget event series that have succeeded Lost. But, when Lost was airing, it was unlike anything viewers had seen before. Between the insane reveals, the brilliant ensemble cast, and the cinematic moments, Lost has only gotten better as time goes on for specific reasons.

10 It Has Fantastic Philosophical Themes

• One of the best reoccurring conflicts in Lost concerns the debate between science and faith.

At first glance, Lost is a sci-fi series that focuses heavily on the unexpected. Yet, there is more to take in while watching the show. There are several philosophical themes sprinkled within the series across its six seasons. Occasionally, Jack Shephard and John Locke clash with one another. The former believes in science and reason, while the latter relies on faith and destiny to find the answers to his questions. Another crucial theme in Lost is that the island is a place of transformation for many of its characters.

While the situation is dire, there is still time for the characters to improve themselves and find more meaning. Jack says it best when he delivers the quote, “If we can’t live together, we’re going to die alone.” While on the island, Sun and Jin become a better couple, Charlie overcomes his addiction, and Sawyer learns to let go of his con man ways. Even John Locke finds a new purpose in life after regaining his ability to walk at the series’ beginning. Other philosophical concepts introduced include enlightenment, change versus stagnation, free will, and the struggle between good and evil.

9 The Others Are Still Very Ominous Villains

• Michael Emerson, who plays Ben Linus, was originally supposed to be in only three episodes.

There have been many manipulative and hateful villains on television, and the Others from Lost followed that criteria due to their cruel behavior. Before Oceanic Flight 815 crashed on the island, another group of people had already resided on the island. Due to their untrustworthiness, the plane crash survivors called this group the Others. From kidnapping survivors to using fake identities to punishing their prisoners, the Others were formidable foes throughout Lost‘s entirety.

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The Others are responsible for several high-stakes moments in Lost. Their expertise in the island environment and masterful ability to manipulate certain survivors provided nail-biting conflicts. It was even more shocking when Lost revealed how surprisingly civilized and knowledgeable the Others were. While some like Juliet Burke become more sympathetic as the series continues, there are those like leader Ben Linus who act as an excruciating thorn in many characters’ sides. Ben’s selfish behavior and willingness to let some people die made him a dislikable yet complex character that left viewers equally intrigued and angry.

8 It Was a Phenomenal Project For Its Cast

• Daniel Dae Kim and Jorge Garcia worked together again on Hawaii Five-O, which had some other Lost actors as guest stars.

When a show reaches high levels of popularity, odds are that its cast will go on to do grander things. This statement can be applied to multiple actors who appeared on Lost. While some were already established names before Lost premiered, their careers would be defined by this series. Terry O’Quinn, most known for the horror film The Stepfather, won an Emmy for playing fan-favorite John Locke. Michael Emerson, who played Ben Linus, also won an Emmy for Lost and went on to do other network shows like Person of Interest and Evil.

After playing Merry in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Dominic Monaghan quickly earned another high-profile role as Charlie Pace. Speaking of Middle Earth, Evangeline Lilly, who played Kate Austen, earned a role in the Hobbit trilogy, as well as the role of Wasp in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Daniel Dae Kim, who played Jin Soo-Kwon, continued making waves on television, receiving roles in Hawaii Five-O, The Good Doctor, and the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender. While not everyone’s careers completely took off after Lost, the show remains a legendary credit on their resumes.

7 The Ending Deserves Another Look

• The finale, titled “The End,” has a 9.1 rating on IMDB.

Lost has had its fair share of polarizing reception, especially with its finale. In “The End,” the remaining heroes battle the evil Man in Black on the island. Meanwhile, the flash-sideways timeline throughout the final season was revealed to actually be a state of purgatory. Despite being highly rated on multiple sites, many fans took issue with its anticlimactic nature and how some questions weren’t answered. Some even jumped to the conclusion that the characters were dead the whole time.

Since its first airing in 2010, the show’s misunderstood ending needs further analysis. Yes, people will argue that some lingering questions remain unsolved, but the emotional moments work when focusing on how far the characters have come. The finale made it clear the characters and their arcs were the heart of the series. Everything that happened on the island was real, and everyone reunited before passing on. The final scene in the church is tear-jerking as characters that viewers grew to love would end up sharing one last embrace before entering the afterlife. Additionally, it’s poetic that Lost ends the opposite of how it began. Instead of Jack waking up on the island, he takes his final breaths after defending it.

6 It Set The Stage For Other Event Shows

• The show took huge inspiration from the movie Cast Away for its premise and Timecrimes for its time-travel elements.

Lost repopularized what it meant to be an event show, meaning viewers had to tune in weekly to see what shocking events would happen. Before streaming services came around with a new episode release model, Lost came out at the right time during the 2000s, which saw television getting similar respect as movies. From its gripping pilot episode, Lost won over millions of people and persuaded them to continue watching.

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These perfect episodes set the gold standard for TV, blending perfect writing, acting, and direction to create unforgettable moments.

Lost was dubbed a “water cooler” series, a term used for specific shows that people would watch the night it aired and then talk about what transpired in the episode with friends the next day. Lost also popularized the use of fan theories, which has become extremely common in today’s pop culture landscape. Every week, people kept guessing and trying to solve the mysteries by looking for any available clues. Considering it was attracting an average between 11 million and 16 million viewers each episode, Lost set a new gold standard for event television and paved the way for more blockbuster shows like it. After Lost ended, shows like Game of Thrones, Westworld, and Loki filled the void.

5 It Feels Cinematic in Quality

• The pilot episode cost between $10 million and $14 million, with the remaining episodes costing around $4 million.

In recent years, television has been heavily competing with movies by providing multiple big-budget series that rival films on the big screen. Before Game of Thrones and Stranger Things showed Hollywood how to make an extravagant and wildly expensive TV show, Lost was the first to jump on the trend. With the most expensive pilot episode at the time, Lost immediately had excellent production value when displaying the grueling plane crash aftermath.

After the pilot, each Lost episode had an average cost of $4 million, mainly due to how expensive it was to shoot in Hawaii. Nevertheless, after twenty years, the locations and set design are still impressive. The hard work that went into constructing sets like the Dharma stations and the Others’ houses is clear as day. Despite using obvious CGI for elements like the Smoke Monster and a few big explosions, Lost mainly favored practicality. In the current age of TV shows with frequent use of green screens and CGI, it’s always nice to watch a show from twenty years ago, like Lost, with natural backdrops and sets.

4 Each Character Has an Interesting Backstory

• Originally, Michael Keaton was supposed to play Jack Shephard but was replaced by Matthew Fox.

While all the unbelievable events on the island are amazing to see unfold, the show wouldn’t be as engaging if it didn’t provide details about the survivors before the plane crash. Aside from a couple of episodes that explore some of the island’s origins, each Lost episode bounces between present-day events and a character’s past. With so many characters’ backstories worth examining, Lost does a tremendous job of giving everyone an equal balance of development.

Because everyone comes from different backgrounds, Lost provides an interesting dynamic within the survivor group. The central trio of Jack, Kate, and Sawyer take up most of the spotlight. Jack is a grieving surgeon, Kate is a fugitive on the lam, and Sawyer is a con man. The supporting characters also get flashbacks that viewers find memorable. Hurley won the lottery but had unlucky numbers that continued to follow him around the island. John Locke was once bound to a wheelchair and had a rocky relationship with his father. Sun and Jin were a couple drifting apart, while Charlie and Sayid were each haunted by moments of guilt. Lost continuously reveals a new piece to a character’s backstory, allowing viewers to choose which one’s their favorite to follow.

3 The Twists & Cliffhangers Are Still Hard-Hitting

• In addition to fan theories, Lost was one of the first shows to kickstart the trend of recap podcasts.

Some of Lost‘s best trademark factors were the game-changing twists and stunning cliffhangers that closed out episodes, particularly the season finales. For a show to persuade viewers to keep watching, it always needs a riveting plot twist to keep the momentum going. Thankfully, Lost had many expertly crafted reveals at the ready. One only needs to watch a few episodes from Season 1 to understand what kind of engaging show Lost is.

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Lost was an event show with many unexpected twists and turns, especially when it came to the cliffhangers at the end of certain episodes.

Between the introductory twists in the two-part pilot episode and the early reveal of John Locke’s disability, before he got stuck on the island, Season 1 pulled viewers in and never let them go. Succeeding seasons would find new ways to play with the audience’s expectations, including new details about the Dharma facility, unexpected background about the Others, and the utilization of flash-forwards instead of flashbacks. With the current age of streaming, newcomers can binge-watch multiple episodes in a row and will still probably be left with a cliffhanger once their viewing session is done. Twenty years later, Lost‘s twists and cliffhangers continue to leave viewers flabbergasted.

2 The Mysteries Are Worth Investing In

• Co-creator J.J. Abrams also worked on Alias, Felicity, and Fringe.

There have been multiple mystery shows that had viewers invested weekly, yet Lost has dramatically overtaken them in terms of fame. After Lost had concluded, it soon became a challenge for everyone who watched it to find another mystery show that outperformed it. Some hidden gems came close, but Lost‘s popularity remains unmatched. Regardless of whether they were longer or shorter, every season is packed with new mysteries waiting to be solved.

When watching Season 1, it’s hard not to be hooked by the many mysteries and questions introduced. For starters, people will get curious about whom each character is and their reason for being on the plane in the first place. After those questions get answered, the following seasons delve deeper into their pasts. Furthermore, when focusing on the island in the present day, fans invested their time searching for answers to the overarching plotlines, which are still astounding today. Some of the best mysteries include the monster terrorizing the survivors, an enigmatic number pattern, the hidden hatch, the Others’ true intentions, and who the mysterious Jacob is.

1 The Pilot Episode is Still One of TV’s Best Ever

• The pilot episode has a 9.1 rating on IMDB.

The first episode of any show is a make-or-break point. Viewers will either be curious about what the rest of the show will bring or move on to something else. Lost leans toward the former statement. The pilot episode remains one of the best in TV history and one of Lost‘s best episodes ever. The opening scene alone shows how entertaining, superb, and intense the show will be. The episode opens with protagonist Jack waking up in a field of trees and stumbling upon a flaming plane wreckage on a beach.

Along with Jack frantically providing help, viewers get quick glimpses of characters screaming and trying to save any of their loved ones. These first ten minutes get explosive and anxiety-inducing with plenty of great production value to go with it. However, the excitement doesn’t stop there, as attempts to radio for help are thwarted by an unseen monster, an appearance by a polar bear, and a French transmission that has been playing for sixteen years. The two-hour pilot episode lets any new viewers know that everything is not as it seems and the island is anything but ordinary. It was a huge gamble for the ABC network, costing millions of dollars, but it paid off after Lost instantly garnered a large audience. Twenty years after its outstanding premiere, Lost‘s game-changing impact on television can still be felt, and its popularity has convinced any newcomers to give it a shot.

The survivors of a plane crash are forced to work together in order to survive on a seemingly deserted tropical island.

Release Date

September 22, 2004

Cast

Jorge Garcia , Josh Holloway , Yunjin Kim , Evangeline Lilly , Terry O’Quinn , Naveen Andrews

Seasons

6

Creator

J.J. Abrahms, Damon Lindelof, Jeffrey Lieber

Number of Episodes

121

Streaming Service(s)

Crackle , Hulu , Amazon Freevee , Prime Video , Plex

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