Is lost worth watching?

Submitted by OKC2023champs t3_10uivv4 in television

I’m looking for a new show to watch, what are the opinions on lost?

I’m a huge fan of his other work ‘the leftovers’ so not getting certain answers isn’t a huge problem, as long as the other aspects of the show deliver.

Huge fan of mysteries and characters dying suddenly (or any shocking twists and turns etc)

Breaking bad, the left overs, bojack horseman, game of thrones, are other shows I throughly enjoyed.

What do you guys think?

Also, different show, but how is deadwood?

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Saltpastillen t1_j7c22r9 wrote

>Huge fan of mysteries and characters dying suddenly (or any shocking twists and turns etc)

Absolutely watch Lost then.

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pixelflop t1_j7e4vxt wrote

Agreed, but…

You have to watch one episode at week. Don’t binge!

Part of what made LOST such a phenomenon was the mystery and WTF episode endings. If you can just jump to the next episode 3 seconds later, you lose half of the fun - theorizing and debating the mystery.

Watch with a friend, one episode a week, and enjoy!

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NukeDog t1_j7c2dnq wrote

Lost had one of the absolute best pilot episodes I’ve ever seen, just completely hooked from the first 5 minutes. It got weird at the end, but the first several seasons were top notch. Lost was the first water cooler show I can remember. The day after a new EP aired, that’s all me and my coworkers would talk about.

Deadwood is top 5 TV, definitely definitely worth your time. It’s VERY vulgar language wise, but phenomenal show.

May I also recommend The Americans if you haven’t seen it? My favorite show ever (not THE best show ever, but my fave). So so good.

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OKC2023champs OP t1_j7c2kx9 wrote

The Americans has been on my list for years, near the top. I just haven’t had the time to binge watch shows as much until this past year.

I’ve heard nothing but phenomenal things about it.

May have to give that a watch

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TheFamilyJulezzz t1_j7c4k5h wrote

I think The Americans is a lot closer to what you’re looking for than Lost. You might also like Mr. Robot or Justified. If you enjoyed the weirdness of The Leftovers, check out Legion.

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OKC2023champs OP t1_j7c4xfh wrote

I’m thinking the Americans is what I’m going to start. Been at the top of my list for a while and I could use a slow burn drama.

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TheFamilyJulezzz t1_j7c55ja wrote

Oh, I’m so, so jealous! I would love to be able to watch it again for the first time! Feel free to report back your thoughts!

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sergiocamposnt t1_j7k479r wrote

The Americans is a masterpiece with 10/10 series finale.

Lost is entertaining. I recommend it if you liked The Leftovers.

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solarbatman t1_j7dp6mq wrote

Man lost is so much better than the Americans so are all the other shows on this list. The Americans is the low bar of good tv. See you down below.

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kingdazy t1_j7c2gft wrote

If you've never seen it, and are ok with it not really answering all of the questions it poses, Lost is a great binge. It's way better if you go into it blind. It's a fun watch.

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EmbiggensCromulence t1_j7c1rys wrote

I watched lost as it aired and hated the end. I rewatched it and liked it a lot more. I think it benefits from bingeability.

Deadwood is amazing but more character and dialogue driven.

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OKC2023champs OP t1_j7c1zz7 wrote

Thanks! I’m a huge fan of character studies, and well written dialogue as well. Think i might check out deadwood first.

Besides disliking the ending, are the 100+ episodes leading up to it worth watching? I can handle a shitty ending if I enjoyed the rest of the show

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Oldswagmaster t1_j7c425t wrote

I think we all hated the end because during the run there was incredible writing. It built an expectation that the finale will be so incredible. But, it fell way short

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FluidEmission t1_j7c3le6 wrote

I loved every minute of Lost . even the ending while being ok wasnt enough to dampen the experience

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Nightgasm t1_j7c2o71 wrote

It's very good. The last season gets a lot of flak but it's still a very good show overall.

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xoomax t1_j7ccrsu wrote

LOST and Deadwood are both a YES. Also throw Fringe in there if you haven't seen it yet. I may have liked Fringe more than LOST.

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AnarkittenSurprise t1_j7c5skg wrote

I loved season 1 for its potential. By the later seasons, I really didn't enjoy it at all, but still watched just to see if they actually had a story they were going to get around to telling.

I felt the characters grew (or didn't) in mostly disappointing ways, and the finale was better left unwatched. Have no interest in rewatching any part of it.

Lost is the perfect example of a show where the writers base the entire hook on building up a grand mystery. Every episode is meant to tease and make it feel like some great surprise is being unraveled, but in reality the writers have no idea what the mystery is yet. They're just barraging you with red herrings and random plot twists until they're backed into the corner of having to wrap it all up.

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OKC2023champs OP t1_j7c8p01 wrote

Gotcha. I didn’t mind the leftovers not answering questions, because after a few episodes the mystery didn’t even matter, and you were transfixed on these characters going through an unexplainable trauma.

It seems like lost focus’s on the mystery and never really delivers, is that correct?

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AnarkittenSurprise t1_j7cbag0 wrote

You might really enjoy it then. Your first paragraph will probably translate to lost really well.

My issue was more on the writing direction. I like the story to feel like it was written to tell a specific story and mean something, and for characters to play an organic role in making that happen.

Lost to me felt like the story was made up as they went along, and took a backseat to the writers just wanting to surprise people. Characters too, felt like their behavior and arcs were written to surprise watchers and keep moving the goal post of unraveling the next mystery, rather then them having a meaningful identity and story of their own to tell.

The acting was strong though.

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JuanRiveara t1_j7cek9b wrote

The writers generally knew where the story was going from the beginning, there was an issue with the network not granting them an end date until mid way through season 3 but after that they made arguably the two best seasons with 4 and 5. Not a big fan of season 6 as whole but I do think the series finale wrapped it up the best it could.

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harrybarrydairy t1_j7cbaid wrote

A lot of the mysteries in lost are answered, although some are not and personally I thought that was fine.

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james_carr9876 t1_j7casl8 wrote

No, its focus is 100% on the characters. Most of the mysteries are answered subtly but very well. The character arcs are incredible.

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sara-ragnarsdottir t1_j7c6eoy wrote

Lost is much different from The Leftovers. It's more action packed and plot oriented, and less meditative, but the characters writing is still top notch and there are plenty of philosophical concepts too.

Overall I would say don't expect something too similar to The Leftovers just because they share an author: they have some aspects and themes in common, but they're completely different in terms of mood and pacing. Nevertheless, if mysteries, twists and turns are what you're looking for then Lost is an excellent choice, as those things are even more emphasized than in The Leftovers.

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subrhythm t1_j7i7xfp wrote

The destination wasn't what I'd hope for but the journey was fucking great.

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headyyeti t1_j7c8w5t wrote

ShOuLd I wAtCh oNe oF tHe MoSt hIgHLy LoVeD sHoWs oF aLL tImE?

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OKC2023champs OP t1_j7c966p wrote

Lost doesn’t even crack IMDBs top 250 tv shows based on user voting and has always had very polarizing reviews.

So no I don’t think it’s one of the highest rated shows of all time, and I think I asked a fair question. Go on though

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headyyeti t1_j7c9gld wrote

Just letting you know why people are downvoting this

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OKC2023champs OP t1_j7c9k9k wrote

Ah I didn’t check the downvotes lol. I don’t care about Karma lol, just wanted to see what peoples opinions are.

What did you think of lost?

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headyyeti t1_j7catwg wrote

If you loved The Leftovers (my personal favorite show) you are absolutely guaranteed to love LOST all the way through. Go in absolutely blind though.

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No-Car541 t1_j7cl4ct wrote

Also the show launched the whole meme about the ending “sticking the landing” and subsequent discussions of whether or not a show should be defined by it’s ending. I think the show still leaves a bitter enough taste that people don’t give it the credit or respect that it deserves.

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Hillz44 t1_j7c1zv2 wrote

I think you’d like it. I prefer Watchmen though

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im_a_dick_head t1_j7c4is6 wrote

Watchmen is good but not at all related to this discussion lol

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Hillz44 t1_j7c4wqj wrote

It was another Lindelof creation, just like The Leftovers OP mentioned. As is Lost. That’s how they relate 😉

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royalewithcheesecake t1_j7fkito wrote

The difference between The Leftovers and Lost is that while both have a big 'core mystery', the former implies heavily that the mystery won't be answered (and that's the point), while the latter continuously teases the answer and drip-feeds you answers to smaller sub-mysteries that are so incredibly cool that the final resolution feels like it's going to be even more mind-blowing and perfect. And, as a super-fan of Lost, I can tell you that it isn't. Go in having accepted that, and you will love it.

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Jack_Q_Frost_Jr t1_j7c3z11 wrote

Imho some of the mysteries in Lost don't fully pay off, but it was still a good show.

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DrCrane74 t1_j7c5ywg wrote

You really have to watch it!

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two_fish t1_j7c7yw6 wrote

Just watch season one.

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james_carr9876 t1_j7cadfn wrote

It’s an absolutely fantastic tv show from beginning to end. Season 2 and early season 3 have some bumps but everything else is pretty much perfect.

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Smocke55 t1_j7cdorn wrote

lost is absolutely worth watching, especially if you like the leftovers and are okay with mysteries not getting resolved.

when you’re binge watching you get less attached to the mysteries and more into the character journeys, which is where the show really excels. most backlash came from people who were watching the show over 6 years and invested a lot of time into figuring out the mysteries.

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JuanRiveara t1_j7cev8e wrote

It’s really good. Check out the first season at least and if that doesn’t get you hooked then the rest of the show probably won’t be for you but based off what you’ve said in comments I doubt that would be the case.

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ShirtPants10 t1_j7chvc5 wrote

I just watched lost for the first time last year and didnt really like it. I feel like a lot of what made lost great was the mysteries and the discussion around them when it first aired, with all the theories, etc. Binging it took a lot of that away as i didnt have to wait for a new episode or season to come out, just clicked next episode to see what happens.

I also felt like a lot of the mysteries werent resolved either at all or in a way that made any sense.

With it being 100+ episodes, id personally skip it and watch something else

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vba7 t1_j7cyz16 wrote

Just assume that you will get very disappointed with the ending. This will reduce the disappointment with the ending.

The ending itself perhaps isnt so bad, but if you were watching the show when it came out (you know: weekly discussions, speculations), you would get very disappointed -> the authors said that the show wouldnt end with a particular ending.. and then it had that particular ending.

Ending of season 1 and beginning of season 2 is very good TV. I also liked the season 5, despite the very disappointing ending.

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Petrichor02 t1_j7gglnv wrote

> the authors said that the show wouldnt end with a particular ending.. and then it had that particular ending.

This is untrue. The creators did say that the show wouldn't end in a particular way, and it didn't end that way. However, there was an element within the ending that had some superficial similarities to the way that the creators said it wouldn't end, so some people misinterpreted the ending as being the way the creators said it wouldn't be.

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vba7 t1_j7gowpy wrote

I think they said it wasnt supposed to be a purgatory.

Then the last episode was kind of a purgatory.

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Petrichor02 t1_j7gvf5t wrote

They said the island wasn't purgatory. The island wasn't purgatory. >!There was an element towards the end that was reminiscent of purgatory, but when you really get down to it, that element and purgatory ultimately have no more in common than Earth and purgatory do.!<

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vba7 t1_j7gw40t wrote

They could have made a final episode where they just show all actors, instead of what they did.

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WowSoFetch t1_j7eq733 wrote

yes. Some of the best episodes of TV of all-time

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Petrichor02 t1_j7ggar5 wrote

Lost is absolutely worth watching, but your enjoyment will vary depending on a few factors:

  1. Are you able to watch the show while giving it your full attention? If you watch it in the background or while on your phone, you're very likely to miss something, be it foreshadowing, a character connection, a lore detail, an answer to a mystery, etc. It's not easy to get lost watching the show if you're paying full attention to it, but it's apparently very easy to get lost watching the show if you're only half paying attention to it.

  2. Do you hate shows that have any reference to religion whatsoever? This is particularly important because Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Taoism, and more eclectic religions are all referenced throughout the show. Sometimes they're very important to the characters. Sometimes they explain how a character will react to and interpret certain sci-fi weirdness that they encounter. A lot of people I know who watched and hated the show did so because they can't stand any reference to religion in a show, and there is a decent bit of it in Lost. This has also influenced how some audience members interpret the show (for better or worse). For example, there is a particularly iconic scene from the show that takes place in a religious setting, and lore is explained at this setting. Because of the setting, some people interpreted the explained lore through that religion's popular mythos even though the show never said that the lore being explained adhered to that religion's mythos.

  3. Related to the above, are you able to use the information a show gives you to determine what is true despite character interpretations to the contrary? The show answers most mysteries that it presents, but certain characters interpret those answers through a limited point of view and understanding. As such, if you stick to just the characters' interpretations of those answers rather than the full answer that the show gives you through various avenues, you may find the "answer" as interpreted by the characters disappointing or contradictory even though the show has explained that the characters' interpretation is just an interpretation, not the full answer.

  4. Are you one to theorize on your own as the show progresses? If so, don't let yourself get married to any of your theories as that led to a lot of disappointment in people. That said, I do encourage you to really think about and try to figure out what's going on as you watch it as that's part of the fun and will make the reveals make more sense since you've been giving the mysteries thought as the show progresses.

  5. Do you need the answers spelled out for you, or are you okay inferring the answers? For example, at a certain point the show may say "Here's a mystery, and the answer is either A, B, or C." Then a season later it'll say "The answer to that mystery isn't B." Then a season later it'll say "The answer to that mystery isn't C." And then it'll never reference the mystery again. You'll just have to know from inference that the mystery was answered, the answer was A, but the show didn't need to come out and say that to you explicitly because it explained how the answer couldn't be any other possibility.

  6. Are you okay with answers being sci-fi in nature rather than being super grounded in real life? While everything in the show that is answered could be argued to work via a real world branch of science or pseudoscience, some of them are stretched to sci-fi limits. Basically if you don't mind lightsabers and teleporters where there is a "science" to explain things even though that science wouldn't actually work in real life, then you're going to be fine. The answers may seem like "the Force" at certain points where there is no real scientific answer, but everything in the show can be argued and interpreted through a hard sci-fi lens. You don't need to interpret any of it through a fantasy/sci-fi lens (though it is easier for some people to swallow some of the answers that way).

If you keep those things in mind and don't have an issue with any of them, you should absolutely give the show a shot. Watch the two-part pilot. If that doesn't hook you but does interest you, watch through 1x04 "Walkabout". If that doesn't hook you but you're still interested in the show, watch through 1x10 "Raised By Another". If you're still not hooked on the show by that point, the show may just not be for you.

But do your best not to look up anything about the show as you watch because spoilers are everywhere.

Also, there are a number of canon pieces of the show that are found through webisodes and the like, so if you want to watch these extra parts of the show, let me know and I'll send you a list/links to the extra parts as well as when to watch them to get the full experience of the show.

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jayz93j t1_j7hqhxd wrote

Lost is my favorite show ever and the ending really is fine.

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HoleyerThanThou t1_j7c8b8u wrote

Lost started off really great... But the last season, it felt like a chore to finish it.

Might I suggest "Person of Interest" it's one of my favorite shows.

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Wingsto t1_j7ce27h wrote

It's refreshing to not see the same folk at least

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Wisandi t1_j7cfn5n wrote

Omg I turned it off last night, I lost interest too

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BarBarBar22 t1_j7cgps3 wrote

Definitely. Despite the ending which is considered to be not so good it’s still one of the best tv shows ever.

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No-Car541 t1_j7comz7 wrote

I think it’s probably better to binge and watch now then when the show aired because a lot of people’s issues surrounding it were due to the hype around it. Of which there was a lot. It was what Game of Thrones became in terms of the amount of discourse it created. People, including me, feel let down by the show because it turned out not to be the show we all thought it was going to be. I loved the show but still feel deeply ambivalent about it but that’s because I went deep down the rabbit hole with it. I don’t think that will be a problem if you watch it now. It is a great show and a really, really fun ride

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djkhan23 t1_j7cs8ko wrote

Deadwood imo might be the GOAT over wire bb Sopranos, I think so highly of that show because it has no flaws.

Lost is in the next tier along with Mr Robot Justified Leftovers early GOT

So yes you should absolutely prioritize watching Lost and Deadwood.

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Dunfiriel t1_j7djn1w wrote

Lost is like a really great ride that leads nowhere. No loose end has been tied, and the ending is more than disappointing. It's extremely lazy writing. Shame on them.

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trubs12 t1_j7dm36e wrote

I think you would love Lost.There are a lot of mysteries and deaths of characters in the show.

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DJCG72 t1_j7dt7g7 wrote

Lost and deadwood are big yes! To me

I also see you mentioned the Americans as well, and hell yes to that.

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originalnutta t1_j7e36v3 wrote

Yes. But take a break between episodes to digest and speculate.

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sofewcharacters t1_j7et8e0 wrote

Take Lost for what it is. It was groundbreaking at the time and broke the mould for television at the time. Is it good? It's not shit, but it helps to understand what was happening in the background i.e. from a meta perspective, as it was being made.

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SkullLeader t1_j7gfhc1 wrote

A emphatic "yes!" from me. But set your expectations going in. The show will present a lot of mysteries, and while some of them get satisfying or even great resolutions, ultimately many will not be answered, or will be answered but in (IMHO) unsatisfying or outright lame ways. Beyond that, its one of those "the journey, not the destination, is the reward" type of shows. There's a ton of great, great acting performances, so many great moments, so many "oh, shit! What just happened?" mind-blowing moments that will leave your head spinning as you ponder the implications - I don't think any other show did that to me as many times as Lost did.

Deadwood I haven't (re) watched in quite a while. Unfortunately it got cancelled and while I wouldn't say it ended on a cliffhanger, it did ultimately feel incomplete. If you don't mind copious amounts of cursing, its another show worth watching. Again, some really fantastic performances from the cast, but Ian McShane's performance is (for me) all-time great.

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sergiocamposnt t1_j7k9nuo wrote

Lost is a crazy show with an amazing ending. The only problem is that most characters are extremely annoying and unlikeable, especially on the first two seasons.

> I’m a huge fan of his other work ‘the leftovers’ so not getting certain answers isn’t a huge problem, as long as the other aspects of the show deliver.

> Huge fan of mysteries and characters dying suddenly (or any shocking twists and turns etc)

You will certainly love Lost. It is not a masterpiece like The Leftovers, but it is pretty good.

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lucillep t1_j84jdum wrote

A fantastic binge watch. One of the all-time greats. Don't be put off by complaints about the end.

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Prophet_of_Entropy t1_j7cpago wrote

lost is worth the watch, deadwood is worth re-watching

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im_a_dick_head t1_j7c4r6e wrote

Yes I loved the first few seasons, amazing cliff hangers and shocking twists, >!unfortunately they began doing flashforwards in season 4, it kind of spoils the show for me but other people still enjoyed it.!<

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james_carr9876 t1_j7cap6e wrote

You should probably spoiler tag the >!flashforwards part as it is a huge twist in the show!<

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im_a_dick_head t1_j7d1u6n wrote

My bad I didn't realize that was a big spoiler, had I known about that myself I probably wouldn't have even started watching it. It totally ruined the show for me, so I wanted OP to be informed of this.

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LarryPer123 t1_j7ckn2y wrote

Imo.. if you have a DVR or some other device with fast forward, then yes it’s worth watching ,,however, more than 50% of the show is showing all the characters in their previous lives working in the office and doing other shit like that ,which I fast forward through,

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quinnly t1_j7qphqd wrote

>more than 50% of the show is showing all the characters in their previous lives

More like 20%. There's a fan edit the cuts it all into chronological order and the flashbacks take up about 20 episodes out of over 100.

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