Binge Watchin’ TV Review: Lost

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Welcome to Binge Watchin,’ where we take a look at some of the best TV shows available on streaming or disc that have a great catalogue of seasons to jump into and get sucked into the beautiful bliss of binge watching! From crime, action, comedy, drama, animation, etc., we’ll be evaluating an assortment of shows that will hopefully serve as a gateway to your next binge experience.

Series: Lost

Number of Seasons: 6 (121 episodes)

Where to watch: Amazon Instant, Netflix, Blu-Ray/DVD

What’s the show about?

That is a tough question. Lost follows a group of survivors after their plane crashes on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. The group band together to try and survive until rescue but soon learn that the island is more than it seems. What started as a show about survival soon unravels into an elaborate and epic series about the interconnected lives of these people and how their destinies could determine the fate of the entire world. Part supernatural adventure, part science fiction soap opera, and part mystery, Lost is one of the landmark series in television history.

Why should I watch it?

If you haven’t seen Lost, you are missing out on one of the greatest television shows of all time. From the mind of J.J. Abrams and producer/writers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, Lost redefined television when it premiered in 2004. Prior to it’s massive ratings, network television was populated by standalone series that were not serialized to the level this series was. Lost quickly became destination viewing as clues peppered through every single episode would help lead to the solution of the countless mysteries within: what is the island? Who is Jacob? What is the smoke monster? Why are everyone’s lives interconnected? What does it all mean?

Though there were numerous imitators, no other series managed to infiltrate pop culture the way Lost did. Now, some have claimed that the writers had no idea where they were going and just came up with batshit crazy ideas along the way. But, even if that is true, it doesn’t discount how thrilling a ride Lost is the first time you watch it. Like a movie with a twist ending, every cliffhanger and surprise on Lost will still make you jump out of your seat in surprise. It is also worth noting that while viewers who watched on television had to wait week after week to see what happened next, Lost works incredibly well as a binge-watching experience.

Lost was also one of the first series to integrate alternate reality gaming into the narrative of the show.Some of these games and secrets are included on the DVD/Blu-ray sets for the show and others can still easily be found online. These additional resources add a lot to the viewing experience and make Lost even more interactive. J.J. Abrams rode the popularity of Lost after directing the brilliant pilot episode which is definitely one of the single best hour of television ever made. Abrams’ frequent collaborator, Michael Giacchino, contributed the brilliant score that made use of unconventional instruments and single piano notes

Fans of Lost are usually very outspoken about the finale of the show. A very divisive closer, I personally love it and think it encapsulates the entire show exactly how I imagined it. Lost is not a series for those who want things wrapped up in a nice package at the end. But, if you are someone who likes the thrill of the journey, you should definitely watch this show.

Best season:

Each season has it’s highs and lows, but the freshman run of the show is cinematic perfection. Each character gets a back story told in flashbacks that shows how they all link together. Twilight Zone-esque phenomenon appear hour after hour but none feel like cheap thrills. Once you get to the closing cliffhanger, you will immediately want to begin season two. The perfomances from Terry O”Quinn and Josh Holloway are especially memorable but Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Dominic Monaghan, Yunjin Kim, Harold Perrineau, Jorge Garcia, and Naveen Andrews are equally impactful.

Final thoughts:

The odds are that we will never see another series as unique as Lost but we have it’s legacy in shows like Under the Dome, Fringe, Once Upon a TIme, Wayward Pines, Bates Motel, and countless other heavily serialized genre shows that owe their existence to this series. I would not be shocked if Lost were next on the remake bandwagon like The X-Files and 24. The nature of Lost’s backstory makes it ripe for a new story following another set of survivors as they navigate the mysteries of  the island. Part of me hopes it never happens as the cast,showrunners, and production values from ABC Studios and Bad Robot have helped make Lost one of the best TV shows of all time.