USA TODAY International Edition
TV transporting viewers to strange new worlds
Could the next ‘ Lost’ really be out there?
TV is getting crowded with mysterious other worlds.
They range from a parallel fairytale land on ABC’S Once Upon a Time to a prison tableau of the past on Fox’s Alcatraz, a monster world hidden to most on NBC’S Grimm and a prehistoric jungle on Fox’s Terra Nova. Upcoming shows feature a paranormal Amazon on ABC’S The River ( premiering tonight, 9 ET/ PT) and a man living in two worlds on NBC’S Awake, due March1.
“It feels as though there certainly is a preponderance of shows that are a little bit outside the box. Part of it is certain notions get into the zeitgeist,” ABC drama development chief Channing Dungey says. “Right now, there is a lot of tension and anxiety in the world. There are a lot of economic challenges, and people are looking for ways to escape.”
Science- fiction elements, which are found in many of these shows, have moved beyond niche TV realms, says Jorge Garcia, a star of Alcatraz and Lost, which created its own mysterious world.
“There has been a trend toward more mainstream science- fiction television in the past six years or so, with Lost coming on and shows like Battlestar Galactica and The Walking Dead,” he says.
Technological advances also have allowed shows to have high- quality special effects on budget and on time, Dungey says.
Lost’s mass popularity inspired numerous shows that have tapped into other worlds in recent years, raising the question of which might be “the next Lost.” Edward Kitsis, who created Once with fellow Lost alum Adam Horowitz, says such a show probably doesn’t exist.
“I don’t think there will ever be a new Lost, just like there will never be another Seinfeld. Whatever the new Lost may be will be something completely different,” he says. “Modern Family is fantastic. But I wouldn’t say it’s the new Seinfeld. I would say it’s its own successful story.” Both Alcatraz executive producer Jennifer Johnson and River executive producer Zack Estrin cite The X- Files’ mix of story- of- the- week and deeper mythology as a template. “Every week there’s an element of the procedural. For loyal viewers, they’ll always have a certain amount of serialized elements. We think each episode is both things,” Johnson says.
No matter what kind of world is created, it is secondary to the characters, Once’s Horowitz says. “If you can create characters who are grounded and relatable, you’ll follow them everywhere.”