Lost: An Elegy

I think it’s pretty much common knowledge at this point that in the age of modern television (that is, anything made after 2000), Arrested Development will go down as the best comedy. I mean, it’s pretty much inarguable at this point. It’s been off the air for four years now, but it still remains extremely relevant, modern, and smart. It’s a biting satire that managed for three precious seasons to be both broad and incredibly nuanced, self-referential, and wickedly funny, with nary a bad episode to be found, even at the end (when it inexplicably got better). I’m sure arguments can and will be made for The Office, 30 Rock, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Family Guy, Scrubs, and countless other comedies to take the title, but I’m keeping my chips on Arrested Development. Don’t believe me? Watch it sometime. I dare you not to fall in love.
So that leaves the title of best television drama up for grabs, and I’m prematurely submitting my ballot for Lost. I am well aware of the recent influx of breathtakingly good dramas on premium cable (and, to a lesser extent, network TV), being a fan of many of them, but I’m making my case for Lost to be the victor. Mad Men may be better acted, Breaking Bad may be more relevant, Six Feet Under may have broken more barriers, The Wire may have better sustained quality, but none of these shows can come close to the fever and fervor Lost created over six tumultuous seasons.
I admit, I am a bandwagon fan of Lost. I largely ignored the first season; I was tempted to start watching when I saw the promos for the pilot, but at that point I was mostly obsessed with reality TV and was too busy following The Apprentice to have to deal with another show. How wrong I was. I remember hearing my Lost-watching friends discussing it feverishly and being jealous, because if there is one thing I hate it’s being out of the loop. So I got them to explain what was going on to me, piece by piece, and I picked up with the second season and was immediately hooked. But as time went on I was more than hooked. I became obsessed, too. Day by day my mind was blown by the scale to which Lost had taken over the pop culture-sphere and how what I had always viewed as mindless entertainment had become intelligent, challenging, and innovative. Before Lost, I, like most people, had never taken even a second to think about the people behind television shows. So much focus goes to the actors that we as consumers don’t give a second thought to the writers and producers. I don’t think I even knew what an Executive Producer was until Lost. And then, in my feverish quest for answers, I discovered the Official Lost Podcast on iTunes and so discovered Damon and Carlton. After that, I could have cared less about Matthew Fox and Evangeline Lilly. I wanted to know more about these two men, and the others like them, who were funny and brilliant and everything I wanted to be. I think it’s safe to say that I would not be considering my current career path if it were not for Lost.
I think it’s too soon to tell what Lost’s cultural legacy will be. There are three more episodes until the end of the end, and only time will tell what will happen after that. I can say that Lost changed my outlook on media, entertainment, and my future. It wasn’t a perfect show – I think everyone can agree on that – but in many ways I felt like it was my show. I watched it during the time in my life when I was most malleable and unlike many other shows I watched, I was never quite able to shake it. I can only hope that its legacy opens up doors for me and people like me who are looking to elevate television to challenging, intelligent entertainment for the masses.