Lost is Hurting Itself Badly with these Constant Breaks in Episodes

[Osiris-RA]

Exactly. Once upon a time, people regarded cable series as being of lesser quality, but that's no longer the case. The three best shows in terms of overall quality on television today are all cable: The Shield, Deadwood, and Battlestar Galactica. Much as I like Lost and Supernatural, those three are better in terms of overall quality--lack of network interference and scheduling? I wish Supernatural were a cable based series. They could push the envelope more. Lost and SN are the only network series I give a care about.

So it's the network that's responsible for this 3 week cr@p? So...if Lost was a cable show...we'd get it every week straight? Is that right?

[Red Tigress]

So it's the network that's responsible for this 3 week cr@p? So...if Lost was a cable show...we'd get it every week straight? Is that right?

Mmm, not necessarily. Off the top of my head, Sci-Fi's the only channel I can think of that does the straight new eps with only one break and a break between seasons. I think most of the F/X shows for example do the same things that the network cable does. I don't really know about pay-cable shows like HBO, though...

[Oblivion147]

It stand like you need someone from britain to start a revolution over their.

Perhaps I should start an army!

[knowles2]

I will join, as long as you pay for the air fairs.

[MarshAngel]

Mmm, not necessarily. Off the top of my head, Sci-Fi's the only channel I can think of that does the straight new eps with only one break and a break between seasons. I think most of the F/X shows for example do the same things that the network cable does. I don't really know about pay-cable shows like HBO, though...

No, other shows do it too. They also have less episodes (than Lost) though so that may be a part of it. I'm fairly certain the 4400 runs all the way through as does The Dead Zone. They don't need to break for events like Academy Awards or Olympics. Shows on HBO run all the way through as well I think because they have more than one HBO channel reairing older episodes at the same time so you have more than one chance to catch an episode.

I think part of the scheduling has to do with the sweeps. Network shows want to air the most exciting episode at this time so maybe they stretch out the time in between to get the scheduling just right so that they don't have pivotal episodes running against another ratings hog.


It annoys me too the way ABC handles Lost.... incidentally UPN seems to be doing the same with Veronica Mars. In fact, this past week's break seems to cross networks. Smallville wasn't new this Thursday either.

[Arative]

All the broadcast networks do it with all of their shows because sweeps months determine how much they can charage advertisers next year for ads on their network. So they'll put really exciting episodes during Nov, Feb and May, which are the sweeps months.

Shows like the 4400 or Deadzone will run straight through but they only have 13 episodes per season. On HBO, shows like Rome or The Sporanos run straight through but then the audience has to wait a long time between season. I think broadcast networks run the 9 month season to generate ad revenue as well as to keep down costs. If they only have 1 show to run from Sept to May and only 22 hours to broadcast, it will only cost them x amount of dollars, whereas if they have one show that runs Sept-Dec for 22 hours and then a new show that runs Jan-may for 22 hours, in the 9 month time frame they are paying for 44 hours of televison instead of 22. Why pay for more if they can do the same thing for less? So if broadcast networks were ever to change the format of shows to run from Sept-Dec and Jan-May, we'd probably end up with 13 episode seasons to cut costs.

[captainpash]

I stopped watching lost a long time ago. I kept seeing repeats. I had no clue what was up so I gave up.

[Vyse]

This is getting extremely annoying, and is not normal. It's normal to take breaks for the holidays, spring time, etc... . But this is ridiculois. Pretty soon 24 will have aired around the same number of episodes that Lost did!

[Hatcheter]

Others have hit on all the relevant points: this is SOP, it happens every year, on all the networks, it's after sweeps (which is the "critical" time for airing fresh material), etc. Got another one to suggest as well: March Madness. Could that be a factor for this month?

[ItsDan]

Hatch, SOME breaks can be explained, but there seems to be no rhyme or reason. Also if you plan to break in March, you shouldn't take a break for no reason in February to run the pilot episode again.

[MarshAngel]

Hatch, SOME breaks can be explained, but there seems to be no rhyme or reason. Also if you plan to break in March, you shouldn't take a break for no reason in February to run the pilot episode again.

I agree about the Pilot. They've shown it so many times it's getting ridiculous. I think it's part of their strategy to draw new viewers but as strategies go, it's annoying.

[Arative]

I agree about the Pilot. They've shown it so many times it's getting ridiculous. I think it's part of their strategy to draw new viewers but as strategies go, it's annoying.

Dont forget the Olympics were also on when they showed the pilot and I believe that was the night that were typically high draw Olympic events like figure skating.

In March, at least the end of March, we have the NCAA tourney, which is usually a very big audience draw as well.

[Moulin]

Networks series simply don't do enough episodes to stretch from September to May without rerunning several times. With the rare exception, they do 22 eps. Like everyone else said, the sweeps periods determine ad rates and those are in November, February, and May. Nielsen ratings in an age of recording devices and multiple multiple multiple channel choices should be obsolete.

Nielsens don't really measure who is watching the television shows. They measure how many people are watching the commercials for the products during the first run airing.

[encaitaro]

i'm in australia, and have been watching since the pilot (the first time around) and it seems that this season, we're only a matter of weeks behind the us - usually it's 3-6 months (if they show the season at all - sg1 and atlantis, case in point). i guess that's probably from the creators, to try and save the plotline for aussie fans who check out fan sites.

regardless, they're not doing themselves any favours with the broadcast delays over here either. the ready availability of downloading episodes means that most fans don't even bother waiting for it to screen on tv - they just pipe it straight from the us when you guys over there kindly encode and upload...which of course means that they aren't watching tv at all...

[BackStageJim]

It was noted at LOST con in Pasadena, that bad weather is killing the production. So they are behind. So I would guess more inside filming and less beach and blue skys. But Naveen said it might be best, since the outside filming can be long.