In search of another ‘Lost’
Broadcast TV may look, but probably in vain.
Broadcast TV won’t be creating another Lost.
ABC teased a comparison to the supernatural serial with promos touting its latest high-concept drama, The Crossing (Mondays, 10 ET/PT), as coming “from the network that brought you Lost.”
Nobody realistically expects The Crossing to achieve Lost’s ratings, but the connection underlines how much TV has changed since 2010, when Lost ended its six-season run, and how unlikely it is that the next complex sci-fi serial to become a pop-culture sensation will come from broadcast TV.
It’s nothing against The Crossing, which offers an intriguing hook, dozens of time-traveling refugees from 180 years in the future arriving off the coast of a small Oregon town; an appealing cast; and relevant questions about immigration, eugenics and government secrecy.
But the most immediate question points to broadcast’s unique problem: Because poorly performing shows often get pulled after a few episodes, should viewers risk engaging with a promising serial that could be gone before they get answers to complex mysteries?
“It was something we heard a lot from prospective fans who were worried about premature cancellation, because that has been a pattern on broadcast,” says Crossing executive producer Dan Dworkin. “We went into this thinking we are fully capable of telling a compelling, openly serialized, sci-fi story, so it’s not daunting.”
Broadcast networks have tried to show more patience, especially as TV ratings and viewing habits have evolved, and use technology — ABC made The Crossing available online in advance of its premiere — to nurture a fan base. On-demand and online viewing options can help, too.
But the episodic structure is more uncertain than cable or streaming, which can guarantee full seasons, or even de- liver them all at once, and don’t face the same pressure to deliver ratings.
The Crossing premiere performed decently, winning its time period (7.6 million viewers within three days), but fell far short of hit status, something even tougher to attain for a title that doesn’t come from an existing franchise.
Recent broadcast seasons have seen the quick demise of many high-concept shows, including The Event, Extant and Dollhouse. Short-term, serialized successes, such as Under the Dome and Revolution, have faded after strong starts. Problems can be self-inflicted, as some shows concentrate too much on shiny concepts instead of character relationships, which keep viewers coming back.
Sci-fi and fantasy hits of recent vintage have been on cable (AMC’s Dead, HBO’s Westworld), which has fewer content restrictions and, often, larger budgets, or a streaming service (Netflix’s Stranger Things), where bingeviewing can benefit a serialized show.
The complex, often technical plots of high-concept shows demand more attention than the average drama, which can reduce their appeal to casual viewers. Longer-running shows of recent years, including BBC America’s Orphan Black, have achieved success with niche fan bases and smaller ratings. Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale is a critical and cultural hit, but how would it have fared on a broadcast network?
Lost executive producer Carlton Cuse notes the advantages of cable and streaming services.
“Having more time, more money to make episodes and freedom from some of the (censors) of network television are real assets,” he says, adding that helps attract top writers and producers. “All of those things make it hard to be successful in network television in this sort of genre.”
Cuse warns against a pitfall that has nothing to do with platforms. “If the idea is really complicated, it sometimes swamps character development.”
The Crossing isn’t going to be a Lostsize phenomenon. Even if it fails, ABC deserves credit for trying a wide range of genres on a mass-appeal broadcast network. Taking chances is how it ended up with Lost in the first place.
But realistically, if you’re looking for high-concept hits, stay tuned to cable and streaming.