Five Things 'The Event' Can Learn From 'Lost'

By Christine Fenno Posted Sep 19th 2010 02:55PM

Tomorrow, as NBC premieres its most talked-about new drama, 'The Event' (9 p.m. EST), millions of 'Lost' fans have a decision to make.

Dare we open ourselves up, all over again, potentially for years, to a brand new, sci-fi-tinged, time-jumping, conspiracy-filled series promising twisted plotlines, and, let's face it, torture for the viewer?

The show has already played mind games with us, as producers insist 'The Event' isn't trying to imitate 'Lost,' while ads for the premiere promote an ominous, question-filled thrill ride that blatantly features a terrifying plane crash. The harrowing, beautiful 'Lost' pilot episode, about the crash of Oceanic 815, was an instant TV classic when it aired in 2004. It can't be replicated...can it?

Here are five ways 'The Event' -- which insiders have said answers questions far more swiftly than 'Lost' ever did -- can solve the burning mystery of how to win over viewers still coping with a six-year 'Lost' hangover.

1. Know where the story is going.
A masterful episode, or season for that matter, fades fast when viewers lose faith that there's a satisfying endgame ahead. Even the masterful performance of Nestor Carbonell (Richard Alpert), for instance, became a source of strife for 'Lost' fans who suspected the character was there for atmosphere, not answers. Indeed, the limp resolution to Richard's story (including a magical youth-preserving beverage and an abrupt attack by Smoke monster) certainly caused a whole lot of "Wait, what?" Cast members working on 'The Event' have claimed they aren't even privy to other dialogue and character details. You gotta wonder, if the show's a hit, will creators improvise wild twists or map out the journey?

2. Keep a tight rein on the casting team.
If season 1 goes swimmingly, don't sex up your season 2 scenes by introducing random, photogenic lookers (remember Nikki and Paulo, the much-loathed 'Lost' castaways played by hottie newcomers Kiele Sanchez and Rodrigo Santoro?). Then again, if a mousy acting genius like Michael Emerson (Ben on 'Lost') darkens the door of the casting office, taking a smart chance on a freakishly talented unknown can make Emmy history.

3. Develop the characters and relationships.
For all 'Lost's foibles, the creators knew the secret to the show's success was how invested viewers felt in the inner lives of the characters, and how emotionally involved 'Lost' groupies got in the relationships. Those who have seen an 'Event' sneak peek warn that the action moves at a tight clip, with hordes of characters and mysterious motives in play during the first episode. What a shame if we're robbed the chance to understand the people -- from Jason Ritter's everyman to Laura Innes' secret-keeper to Blair Underwood's POTUS -- who will be making this 'Event' happen.

4. Have a sense of humor.
What would 'Lost' have been without Hurley (Jorge Garcia)? Dude. The one-man Greek chorus called out the ridiculous and only ever wanted the best for everyone. The character was treated for insanity during his tumultuous lifetime, but was often the sanest character in the crowd, bringing an essential light touch to many dark scenes. Will 'The Event' be smart enough to balance all the tension with a clear-eyed, funny point of view?

5. Don't torture us with suspense.
Fine. Go ahead and torture us. The suspense about 'The Event' has already reached lethal levels, but 'Lost' survivors actually live for it.

Tags: Lost, the event

Comments

(15)

Sunday 19 September

By B

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Here are a few things The Event can do:
1. Don't make all characters caricatures in service to your "hero," especially after developing those characters for several seasons. Taking them suddenly down an illogical path is bad.
2. Don't make your "hero" a substitute for your own unfulfilled wishes.
3. Follow a story organically from what came before and previous character development.
4. Develop your female characters as solidly as the male ones; don't make anyone a pawn to a love triangle; don't "punish" women for being strong or reduce them to nothing but a love interest.

I'm looking forward to this show, but no way am I going to invest in it like I did with Lost. I will be a sidelines viewer.

By Apostate

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You forgot the most important suggestion of all,Christine- this admittedly
more for us than the show's producers-and that is this: Lower your expectations significantly UNTIL there's abundant evidence that this an "Event" worth watching.

By Nico Toscani

It doesn't matter what they do with this show. You couldn't ask for better production values or acting than Lost had it's first two seasons. Eventually, people will lose interest. American TV should do what the Brits do and plan the shows to last only a season or two.

Should read "its", not "it's". Sorry.

By nichele

Sorry, but that's just stupid. A show should run as long as it has a respectable number of viewers.

And frankly, I'm really glad that that's now how we do it here because brilliant shows like "Friends" would have been over far too soon.

Monday 20 September

You've illustrated my point perfectly. The first few seasons of Friends were reasonably funny. Then it got old and tired. Can you imagine a show like Fawlty Towers or Ab Fab going on and on for 10 years? These shows should quit while they're ahead.

By stevee

Richard Alpert's character DIDN'T die, just sayin

By Liv

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I don't know which Richard you are talking about, but the one on Lost DID NOT DIE!!

By Ron Roscioli

I will never spend another 6 yrs of weds or tues or any night sitting in front of my TV watching a show as stupiid as "LOST" was. In the end it was a big disapointment. I sat there after the last episode and said to myself, "I spent 6 years for this. My advice is not to start with this series or any show that lasts more than 2 episodes. That is plenty of time to tell any story. In the end "LOST" was filled with situations that had nothing to do with its finale. Its mysteries were never solved except to say there wasn't nor was there ever a need for their explanations, since they really never happened, I guess. I don't think the writers even knew where it was going when they started, and made it up as they went. there were lots of contradictions in the events. I.E. In the 1st or 2nd season why was darma still dropping in supplies when , as we later found out, the darma people were all killed, and the people back home knew it?

By JustSayin'

Nestor Carbonell is a great actor but I wasn't aware he played Richard Alpert in two different roles on Lost. Must have missed that scene where one of them died...

By kissy46

I loved "LOST", but please, NO flash backs, flash fowards, flash sideways. And definately, NO repeats in the middle of a new season. Just a good story would be great.

By Mike Powers

A lesson from Heroes would be do not inflate the cast with too many characters to follow.They did this consistently & then would abruptly drop other characters that I did enjoy.

By Marie

You changed your story somewhat re the Richard Alpert character but not enough to convince me that you saw the episodes you refer to in their entirety. It was Jacob's 'touch' not a "magical, youth-preserving beverage" that gave Richard eternal life. Why do I care? I just do.

Thursday 07 October

By ball gown

I really loved this post. You write about this topic very well. There are many prized moments in life, why not buy a ball gown ?! When looking back on photos of your loved

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Friday 22 October

By cindy

If you have a love story and develop it through 4 or 5 seasons, don't all of a sudden in the middle of the 5th season drop it and have the couple everybody's rooting for fall in love with different people and never get back together again (ahem - Kate&Sawyer - ahem). If we wait 5 years to see a couple get together, you'd better darned well let them end up together!

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