Lost in Primetime

When LOST ended on May 23, 2010 at 11:30p.m. I was LOST. I didn’t know how I could survive with out a weekly dose of Jack screaming about destiny, Hurley lightening the mood and Kate giving every man on the show (And at times the viewer, at least I’d like to think) a longing look. What would I do without living in constant fear of the smoke monster. And how can I continue life, and not know why Walt had the ability to bring life back to dead birds.

Since LOST ended, I’ve heard the whispers our jungle trekking friends often heard. However, the whispers I hear are about what there will be to watch when the new TV season begins. Two shows that might fill the void (even though we all know nothing will) is NBC’s The Event and ABC’s No Ordinary Family.

NBC’s The Event, at least from the previews, looks like it has the intrigue and mystery that LOST had. Also, it has a large cast with several different stories happening at once, again, much like LOST. We’ll just have to wait and see at 9p.m. on Sept. 20 if it’s work being a new addiction.

ABC’s No Ordinary Family, isn’t really a replacement for LOST, but it’s the only other show that falls into a mystery/Sci-Fi category. It’s premise, is basically a family realizes they have special abilities after surviving a plane crash and learns how to live with their new powers.

The main reason for including No Ordinary Family is this. Now that LOST is gone, networks don’t seem to be putting a lot of money into high concept serialized dramas. Just look at LOST. It's ratings had steady decline each season.

Season/Viewers in Millions

1/ 15.69

2/ 15.50

3/ 15.05

4/ 13.40

5/ 11.05

6/ 10.08

If shows like The Event and No Ordinary Family fail, is that it? Are they the remaining eggs in the serialized show basket? If they are, and they premiere to less than favorable numbers, will shows like LOST be, well, lost forever?