Cool News
Cuse Says LOST’s 4th Season Will Be 13 Episodes At Most!!
I am – Hercules!!
“Lost” showrunner Carlton Cuse says the fourth season of his acclaimed sci-fi drama will be no more than 13 episodes this season, cut down from an order of 16 due to the writers’ strike expected to end today.
Eight episodes were scripted before the strike. Cuse hopes to produce five more to air this spring.
It sounds like Cuse and the rest of the “Lost” writing staff will end the fourth season at the same story point they always intended, cramming eight episodes of plot into the season’s final five installments.
“We will have to condense some stories,” Cuse tells The Hollywood Reporter.
The third episode of the fourth season airs this Thursday. Sources say all 13 fourth-season episodes could conceivably run between now and the end of the season without a break.
Read all of the Hollywood Reporter’s story on the matter here.
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I guess this is good news. It's better than nothing. I'm really digging the season so far. Miles and Faraday are really good additions to the cast.
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and let's have a mudfight!
Why oh why though are the networks, and more importantly, the advertisers, so concerned and bothered with sweeps seasons is beyond me...adapt, fuckos, it's a new age! -
Does that mean we get 19 episodes another season? Maybe a couple 2-hour episodes in the upcoming years?
Dammit, I want all the 48 episodes coming our way!!! -
Not a bad thing in my book. Give me good character work, fast pacing, and let us know what Smokezilla is. I'll be a happy guy, even if it's 3 eps short.
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fuck him....he helped to screw the late night and cable people
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Less filler is fine with me.
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it could be BETTER but at least they're not gonna try a rush through those extra three eps and in the process DROP THE BALL...
I think a lot of people are going to be disappointed though - I can see quite a few characters and story arcs coming to a dead end as a result of this and people will be scratching their heads wondering what was the point? -
what's a sweeps season??
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Sweeps season is when the Networks find out what how many people and who are watching a program or ratings. The networks can the base their advertising rates on how many people watch the show and also the demographic.
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On one hand, this may mean we may get to the answers faster, which might make some people happy. We also get to have them sooner than later. On the other, we're going to be missing some potential great moments that will be cut. Having an already shorter season being shortened even more just sucks. I Hope it's not too much of a rush job.
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as much as I love every minute of Lost, cramming 8 eps into 5 might not be such a bad thing, and it doesn't fk up the overall schedule.
That being said, this season is progressing at a somewhat faster pace, and I have loved it. -
Oh man, that's gonna be fine compared to Season 2.
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That is all.
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8 would have sucked. We all know this. Now we're at least in SHIELD and SOPRANOS territory with 13 episodes.
I hope things go smoothly with cramming the storylines, but hell, this season is alreayd giving me whiplash.
The 3 remaining will go onto season 4 and like someone said, 2 hour episodes rule. -
I'm so LOST.
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They'd hold the next eight episodes and show them a year from now.
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ya, god forbid the networks think out of the box and let the season run through the summer months....god forbid they change how they do things in hollywood...its all the writers fault...cuz gosh, they wanted to make money for work they werent getting paid for...riley is proof positive that lost fans are idiots
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dollars off of DVD rentals. GOSH!
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says who
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Feb 12, 2008 3:04:12 AM CST
Maybe better this way, less flashforwarding bullshit
by guy who got a headache and accidentally
I mean, we already KNOW some dudes get off the island and are for some reason unhappy, etc. Jack finally comes to a point where he wants to go back. Basically we're just sitting around waiting for the plot to get back to where we saw it in the season 3 finale. Yeah, how it gets there is interesting but it also feels somewhat redundant in a way. So it's probably going to be somewhat shitty when at the end season 4 the flashfowards and present are only just beginning to "meet" or whatnot.
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i can live with 13 episodes sans some of the usual padding.
to judge by the first 2 episodes, season 4 seems particularly tight. but just in case they were planning another ep where hurley finds a van, they could go ahead and cut that.
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OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Fuck it! C'mon, do the last 3 eps, fer fuck's sake!
We wait a year almost for new eps, then we get a short season? You're just fucking yourselves, and your audience...finish it! -
Feb 12, 2008 4:34:37 AM CST
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
by brighteyes
TEAM JACK!
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fast paced episodes is what is needed. I love the show, but let's face it; slow pacing and too many character based flashbacks (in a 4th season where people should know the characters) could hurt the show.
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so far seems to be very tight. Its still as addictive as ever. That makes good tv. Who is Ben's man on the freighter? micheal?
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What about shooting those three remaining eps, and putting them together as a SEASON FOUR EXTENDED EDITION kind of thing??? and all the fans we want to know more, will have the chance to know more!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Still disappointed, but better than just 8 episodes.
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Will this mean there will be more eps next season? Or will the "final five" this year be really dense plot wise as in "blink and you'll miss something?"
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i don't think the final five will need to be 'really dense plot wise'.
some of it will be compressed, yes, but i'll wager that some of the material cut from season 4 will end up in season 5 in some way shape or form.
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...for the season to be over? With 16 episodes the season would end on May 15th, which is more or less where EVERY show ends, every spring. While I think El Fuego & other posters may have a point in that this may ironically help the show be even tighter, wouldn't it be fair to say that with the end date and shortened seasons already, shouldn't the writers already have a pretty good plan on how to fill all 16 eps out, considering the scope of the story? And I can't for the life of me figure out why ABC wants the show to end earlier than it could instead of going for it's full 16 and, also, thereby ending when shows NORMALLY would end...just doesn't add up...does ABC not like money anymore?
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Writing is my hobby, it's something I love doing. And when I create characters that I become invested in, I'm always writing about them. So I don't believe that any of these showrunners and writers (who are passionate about their work), just stopped writing because the WGA told them so. This is all a ruse. I'm sure they have episodes written already and will film them. And later on they will say "Wow! We worked hard and got the episodes done for our loyal fans!".
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So, 3 more episodes would likely cause a break and the networks don't run new shows during the off-season.
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I think the main island story will play out as it was always meant to, while the "boring" character stuff wil merely be moved into next season. Here's hoping they fulfill their promise of 117 total episodes by the end of the show's run!
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its not like 3 episodes is a huge ammount. sound like they're trying to get lost out of the way fast
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Good to know that they might potentially get 13 out, which isn't so bad when you consider that shows like The Wire (though each episode is a full hour) and The Shield have had seasons this short, if I remember correctly. As long as they are as well written and as intense as ep. 4x02 "Confirmed Dead" was, I will be a happy Lostie. WAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLT!!!!
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Then they'll probably make up the missing episodes next season, I fully approve.
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But 3 isn't as big a deal, as say 5 episodes. And I guess it's their show, if they think they can do it without compromising the storyline, I trust them. Maybe now, somehow Jack will go without a flashback this season.
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that Cuse never says they'll do 13, but that 13 is merely a probable goal. Hopefully it's achieved though. And I agree, why not work into the summer for a month and a half, to do three more episodes. They had "three months off".
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As much as it sucks that we're not gonna see a full 16 eps, I'm VERY PLEASED that we'll be seeing more than eight! I also agree with those above who've said this'll cut down on "filler." Cramming 16 eps worth of material into 13 eps will probably make this the most intense and most enjoyable season of Lost yet! Great to hear everyone's back to work! Congrats writers and the AMPTP for seeing eye to eye!!
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but it is a bummer that we're only getting 13 episodes. hopefully that means less filler although i felt like filler was going to be a thing of the past with an end date. so far, after only 2 episodes there's been no filler.
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For my life to matter. Food to taste better. Sex to mean something! Do it man, Don't hold out on me......
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Condensing is what the fuck they've always needed to do.
(Although, it's usually more in the start and middle than end which is more problematic.. but I'm certain there'll be enough fat to trim from the flashbacks) -
does this mean the plot will move forward, instead of whole episodes where nothing happens? there should be a strike every year then
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...that we're calling 16 episodes to begin with, a full season!... OBTW, Hurley's starting to annoy me for the first time!
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There always seem to be outside forces fucking with this show. The only thing I can hope is that whatever plot line they cut makes an appearance in a couple extra eps next season... ALSO, this shit better not end up feeling rushed. I'll be livid.
And you can't cut flashforwards, those are actually pushing the plot forward. -
More US shows should follow the UK's/Mexico's/Korea's lead, set a finite time to wrap up and stop stringing out shows till they die.
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23116598/ So who to believe? Cuse says at most 5 and now Damon Lindelof is saying that there's no reason "we couldn't deliver all eight remaining episodes." Personally I think they should go full-tilt wacko and deliver the complete slate of 16 episodes. Would make the season 4 DVD sales that more lucrative for the writers (wasn't that part of why they went through this strike business to begin with?) and if they are broadcasting new eps into the summer season, Lost would be the ONLY regular-season show doing that (meaning it's likely to grab new viewers). This is one show that's NOT going to lose any viewers because of the time of year. ABC, Buena Vista and Cuse/Lindelof need to think outside the box a bit on this one...
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Too much Lost here.
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It's the studio -- you can tell that from the article knightshift linked to. Linedlof says he doesn't think ABC wants to go into the summer. Please please please give us the other three episodes, too. I'd rather have 16 than 13.
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Something to show ABC we want the other three episodes? Something that tells them we will watch in the summer? I have no idea why a studio would think we wouldn't watch this show in the summer...
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The networks probably think with all the summer blockbusters and movie season, they would loose money on advertising and that kinda shit. But i'm for more eps, summer tv, 13 or whatever. Better than 8.
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Send SLUSHO cups? Now...where to get them...hmmmm...
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It's one of the most high profile shows that network has.
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No way around it. S. T. U. P. I. D.
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cop a line from the Big Lebowski about 'The Dude'. HE HAD NO RIGHT!!!
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is that they'll spend more time on the fucking around/subplots than the actual meat of the story, but hey, that's nothing new. They're always adding new characters and writing out the less new ones because they both have ADHD and are afraid of actually finishing anything they start. Fuck LOST.
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Team Locke .................rocks
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Just asking because ABC is probably going to want those episodes somewhere in the seasons following because there was a reason they agreed to 48 over three years, resulting in 16 a year rather than the 24 a year that we received during the first 3. The reason is that they want the money that LOST brings in. Its still one of the most watched shows and I don't think that is going to change anytime soon.
On another note, I agree that the season being shortened to 13 isn't necessarily the 'worst' thing that could happen. It will reduce the amount of flashbacks that occur. At this point I believe we know what haunts each of the main island friends, and the only 'previous to the island experiences' that warrant real explanation at this point are Ben, Juliette, Rosseau, and whomever we are introduced to from here on out. Otherwise flashbacks should be of what happened while they were gone, like the Michael episode in season 2. I think that we're going to get a few of those in the future with a potential return of Michael and Walt... hopefully. -
The time spent showing Jack looking down in hopeless anguish (Jack Face) will need to be cut down.If they eliminate three episodes, the last two or three episodes of this season should be 2 hours in length.
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22 was filler (please, let me laught at that) and 16 was perfect.
Now, three more episodes are going to be filler, and 13 will be perfect. Are you joking?
I prefer 13 episodes per season too, but this "filler" discusion is stupid. Are you enjoying this season? yes, then just shut up!
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They're still ending every episode with some cryptic comments that lead to ten more questions, usually from Ben.
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Let them do all 16 episodes! I love my Lost with the so called "fillers". It makes the show that much more deep. Fuck that condensed story arc jazz. Ive waited far too long for this short season for it to be even shorter. Just do it ABC, everyone will be happy. To quote Denzel Washington in Training Day, This shit's chess, it ain't checkers!
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Welcome to LOST...they always leave you with 10 more questions...so you'll come BACK to find out the answers. If you don't wanna know the answers....stop watching.
As for the whole "filler" discussion...Thank GOD for ABC letting Cuse & Lindeloff set an end date for the show. That ALREADY means less filler than the 3 seasons we just sat through...as now they know EXACTLY how many hours they have to build to the BIG climax.
I'm certain the "frieghtees" plotline was something they got to and said to ABC...we can't introduce these people without an end date....cuz...once we reveal these "rescuers"...the story will be on it's way to the end game. So the past 3 seasons they were "stalling" for time, because they didn't know how long ABC wanted Lost to go...i.e. They didn't want to finished the story...and have ABC say..."that's great...we want 3 more seasons" (Remember the X-Files, anyone?).
So thank God for ABC...or we'd have never even MET these frieghter people yet. That said...condensing Season 4 to 13 episodes...only fine tunes the storytelling even further.
Yeah...it sucks we're not getting 16....but ABC will not let this season end OUTSIDE the May Sweep.
Period. -
I can't imagine that a condensed season will have any effect on the "nothing really happened" episodes since that's what the show is about. People who think the show is about the arc will always be disappointed. Lost sucks in that regard. That being said, I think it's ridiculous that they can't extend the season a little bit to make up for any lost episodes. I get this image of Hollywood going into a total panic as summer approaches fearing that everyone shuts off their TV for three months coming June 1st. In this TiVo age, then can go all the way through the summer if they want. People are desperate for new TV during this period. I think the first network to truly figure this out will be on top, when it comes to advertising dollars. [Fucking Hollywood commies still don't understand that money is good.] I'm still unclear whether these union fucks were payed during this goof-off period. If they weren't, I would now hold them to finishing out the season regardless. They already had their vacations. Time to crack the whip on their lazy, self-indulgent asses.
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You said, "if you don't wanna know the answers....stop watching." I think you meant to say, "if you don't enjoy the questions...stop watching." I've watched faithfully for three years without any answers. But I'm finally learning to enjoy the questions. Mark my words, you will never know the answers to most of the questions because there is simply not enough time remaining for all the remaining questions to be answered. At least, not in anything less than an extremely rushed manner. The individual episodes are great, the arc itself is irredeemable.
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it gets screwed up anyway. I don't know. I don't trust it. If they had it all planned out according to the end date they must have had all the flashbacks/flashforwards assigned to certain characters. Hmm... all those flashbacks that get cut better belong to the Others or some of those boat people. They should give us 3 extra episodes next season as a sign of good faith. All Vincent-centric episodes. ;)
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I still don't get people saying that the show doesn't provide any answers. Why was Locke in a wheel chair? What is the hatch? Who is the real Sawyer? Why is there a cable going off the beach? Why are the Others kidnapping pregnant women?
Of course, they continue to ask questions, and there's some stuff we're still waiting for, but the show does provide answers. In the end, Lost is as much about the journey (if not more so) than it is questions and answers. -
is really STUPID.
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And I am like Locke in that I have faith that the writers know what they are doing and where they are going.
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I was referring to the studio heads. If a bunch of workers decide to take a break on their own, then I, as a good capitalist, would make sure that they'd make up any time off, if I were to ever pay them again. If the studios are not doing that, then it's possible that they are contract bound by the commie unions, who like to get paid even when they're not doing work. And if that's not the case, then I'm not surprised either, since most people working in corporations are not driven by the profit motive for their respective corporations. Corporations are not interested in making profits, despite popular perceptions. The people who run them have all different agendas and, despite those agendas, will collect a paycheck regardless. Corporations are interested in controls and rules and turf. In this case, rather than trying to make a little more money into the summer, they're saying "if you aren't done by the time we say the season is done, then don't do any more." And I say that's commie bullshit because they should all get over their issues and preconceptions and get back to the business of making money. I don't really care if they shorten Lost. I'm just living in the real dog-eat-dog world, wondering why these Hollywood types have it so fucking easy. I'm wondering why anyone bounds themselves to rules that aren't in their interests. Who cares if they extend their seasons into the summer? If the writers just got a raise, then they should be expected to work a little harder.
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The May sweeps period. This year, it runs from April 24th thru May 21st.
ABC sets all their ad revenue for the year based upon how many viewers are watching during this valuable METERED time period.
By letting the finale happen OUTSIDE of that time period...well...to paraphrase the age old question...
If a season finale of Lost falls in the forest...and Neilsen isn't there to meter it...does ABC make any $$$?
That answer is "No".
ABC is a business...plain and simple.
Wow, Maltheus...you sure set Node off!! Looks like I only caught the tail end of it...But what I DO know is...Sick Fixx said he's pissed about all the QUESTIONS...and just tidbits of ANSWERS. That my firend IS Lost. You want tidy "summed up" answers every week...there always Law & Order or pick a city you like your CSI set in. Lost may not be the show for him. -
But unions aren't just about reasonable work environments and pay raises. They're also about lightening the workload. Unions are completely anti-hard work. I remember a talk radio host a while back talking about his time spent in construction and how he was doing things ahead of schedule and one of his superiors pulled him aside and actually told him to slow down, because he was making the rest of them look bad, and that was against union rules.
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They're like anything to do with "marketing" or "economics" and bullshit like that, a bunch of made up rules that everything runs on, like a device that's operated by an imaginary made up machine down in the engine room that no one has ever seen but trust us, it's keeping the whole thing running. Obviously that's why you can't air a show past may and into june or july, the whole damn SYSTEM will fall apart the SYSTEM that's FAKE and MADE UP anyway! Any why does a show HAVE to continue past one season? Why can't it just be a good, single story told in one 22 or whatever episode season? Then move on to the next, new and creative thing, instead of running one good thing into the ground. Sort of like how Japan does it, sometimes. Well there it is.
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I wasn't really asking the questions that were answered. Out of the questions you listed, the only one that means a damn is why was Locke in a wheel chair (and we knew his Dad was involved since the first season). The pregnant women thing hasn't really been answered (yeah they can't give birth, but why). Even Locke in the chair isn't really fundamental to the story arc. The relevant questions are what is the black smoke, what is the electromagnetic phenomenon, what heals people, what's the deal with the island (i.e. what's dharma's interest and what are the others digging up), what are the numbers (remember when those were important to like everything?) and so on and so on. Many people here believe that you can't reveal these mysteries until the end or else you ruin everything. My belief is that great shows answer the big mysteries early on, in such a way as to open up even greater mysteries later. Unless it's something lame, like they're all dead. I would have love for the survivors to know all that the other know and split off into competing camps or something. But they're still just blindly following crazy Jack and are hardly asking any basic questions.
They've done a great job at introducing new things and keeping everyone going with questions and guesses, but if they wait till the last few eps to answer it all, then it'll seem rushed and I guarantee you that stuff will be left out. For all of it's faults, the best example of a show that was able to properly balance questions and answers was Babylon 5. I never felt I was getting my chain jerked there. Even as they answered major, fundamental questions, it continued on and kicked ass (S5 doesn't count, given the circumstances). -
What the fuck is Sweeps anyway, why is it only at certain times? Who decides those times? People act like this shit is set in stone. Specifically stone brought down from a mountaintop by Moses or something. I mean, who gives a shit really. Someday the advetisers are going to catch on that nobody cares about their bullshit anymore, no ones fallen for or paid attention to their bullshit commercials in years, then what's going to happen to tv?
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Feb 12, 2008 6:43:39 PM CST
THESE PEOPLE WILL BE IN THEIR GOLDEN YEARS BY THE TIME THEY GET
by lashlarue
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It's never a satisfactory answer that makes you think it was worth waiting for. The fans' speculations and theories are ALWAYS more entertaining than what they actually give us. At least the viewers care. Lindelof and Cuse were willing to throw away their vision for the sake of the good ol' boy union system and financial bickering. They constantly add new characters because, as I said, they have ADHD and lack the discipline to commit to anything. And I have lost count of how many times they've ended an episode with one of Ben's cryptic lines revealing just enough to make us wonder, even though it won't be followed up on the next week and no one will REALLY care enough to find out what Ben meant by it, because the moment he starts teasing them, they'll punch him out or throw him against the wall. The creators and writers of Lost REALLY need to start thinking outside the box. Stop with the cryptic lines, the dozens of new characters every season who will be dead in ten episodes, the flashbacks that I basically liken to a live action game of Where's Waldo?, but it's more like 'Where's Hurley?' or 'Where's Marvin Candle?' They just need to stop bullshitting and end the episodes on REAL information. They're STILL padding the episodes down with filler. They've just increased the violence and firepower to deceive you people into thinking things are moving along. It's sleight of hand trickery they do when they offer up scenes like Jack shooting blanks at Locke, Locke throwing a hatchet at Naomi's back, etc. Those moments are just to make you THINK the plot has moved along. But the moment Ben says something unusual like 'The Temple is moving!', you see the LOST logo and hear that thumping sound. I love Lost, but fuck Lost.
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Please...just stop watching...for your own mental health.
Lost is ALWAYS going to ask more questions than it answers. You may have to wait an entire SEASON to get the answer you want...and even then...it may not be a satisfactory answer.
Lost has been designed FROM THE BEGINNING....to be a slow burn.
The action you mention doesn't make me feel the story has progressed any further along than it has for you...Just because they blow up a hatch, doesn't mean I find out what the smoke monster is any faster...It's not sleight of hand or "padding"...it's a slow...frustratingly mythodical...unraveling of events. And...It's not everybody's speed....
You blame Cuse & Lindeloff of having ADHD, Sick...when...it may actually be YOU who is suffering from it. You want answers NOW! You want to know everything NOW!
Guess what...it ain't never gonna happen. If you don't have the patience to let this story unfold week to week...shit...month to month...season to season...You're better off finding another Babylon 5 type show...that puts everything in a nice tidy basket every episode for you. Cuz Lost ain't it...and it never will be.
Don't get me wrong...especially in Season's 2 & 3...when the Losties were NOT communicating like real people...not TALKING about the shit I'd be talking about...or not asking each other questions about what's happening...or what the hell is going on...I was as frustrated as you, my friend...Until I realized...
Lost isn't about the ending...it's about the journey. -
Feb 12, 2008 7:46:50 PM CST
If this had happened when they were only doing flash-backs, I do
by jackislost
would have minded as much. I mean, we don't really need another episode full of Sun/Jin flashbacks, do we? But now that we have other characters to flashback to AND we have flash-forwards, seems like shortening the season to 13 is going mean we miss some stuff. And can I just say this to ABC: As long as LOST maintains quality, it's current audience size will hold. I know they are trying to attract some late converts by making ALL the episodes available in streaming HD on abc.com...but if you are watching by now, it just kind of takes too much commitment to start. On the other hand, the 15 million or so who are tuning in every week are HOOKED and will continue to tune in even if THREE GODDAMNED EPISODES bleed into the summer. GIVE US THE FULL 16 EPISODE SEASON!!! THE PEOPLE DEMAND IT!!! GOD WILLS IT!!!
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More like a slow flicker. There are a handful of times this show has knocked me on my ass: 1) Jacob in the shack 2) Henrik and Mathias finding 'the signal' 3) The shopkeeper telling Desmond he doesn't buy the ring. It's not that I don't enjoy Lost, but I find the writing style more formulaic than most people are willing to admit. As good as it is, Lost doesn't deserve to be compared to Twin Peaks. Twin Peaks actually had story arcs. The weirdness was treated more like fleeting interludes between the bits of story.
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News to me.
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how silly is this Sweeps concept? Who the fuck designed such a sorry-ass system anyway? did anyone maybe take a moment to think - hey this year's timetables have all gone to shit coz of a strike so maybe we should CHANGE THE DATES for this Sweeps thing???
FFS!
And anyone who says "oh but we'll get less filler episodes where nothing happens" - WHAT FILLER EPISODES??? Can you tell me what friggin show you are watching coz it's obviously not the same one I'm watching!
Please tell me - WHICH episode(s) are you talking about exactly? -
Nov...Feb...May...they do a summer sweep....but the advertisers and the networks ignore it cuz they are in reruns anyways.
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Regardless... I mean, think about it. You are watching a show you love and the commercials come on. Do you ever think, "I am paying less attention to this ad that I normally would b/c this isn't sweeps..."? Ummm, no. LOST is special. It's viewers are committed. They will watch the show regardless of what season it airs in, so long as they know when to tune in. That's all.
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I don't spend time theorizing about the show, I take what it dishes out, and it's awesome. I'm haven't been disappointed yet, and it also helps immensely that this is one of the best ensemble casts I've ever seen in my life. I care about the characters and their successes/failures more than about the specifics like what the smoke monster is. So far I'm perfectly satisfied.
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You seem like a very interesting person.
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I am.
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do we lack the technology? do advertisers not want the data? seriously - this concept doesn't make a helluva lotta sense to me - what is the deal with this Sweeps thing??
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Storytelling, especially season by season storytelling, is all about arcs. If they were to air the eight completed episodes now, and the final eight in the fall, the arc would be fucked. No climax. The momentum would be off. The cliffhanger wouldn't work. It'd be far worse than condensing 8 down to 5 - especially when you consider those episodes weren't even written yet. The idea that they even needed 8 episodes at all was, technically, theoretical. So why don't we trust them as storytellers to be able to pull it off, shall we? I find this whole thing to be very good news.
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For just 1 fucking good thing to work the way its suppose to fucking work. Cramming episodes together. Cutting out plot extras. Blah blah. Im so tired of reading shit where nothing is working the way its suppose to. On tv what am I watching now? NOTHING. Sarah Conner if Im bored. Theres no Heroes. FOR a long ass time. Lost is back on track. And now this. This is why my girlfriend has me watching shit like Rock of Love 2 and the Millionair Matchmaker. I mean how long ago were we hearing lost episodes would be non-stop like 24 to improve ratings? & that it would end in 2010? Now its...shoooould still be on track for back to back episodes..maybe? If I have to watch Project Runway or the Bad Girls Club one more time Im going to lay my balls on a cheese grater because I dont deserve them.
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Seem to be more frustrated with your own opinion than the actual show. This show is incredible. The only thing I still look forward to on TV. I am sure all the episodes will get made eventually(ABC needs a whole season to sell DVD's at normal cost). We should all consider ourselves lucky this show did not get cancelled and we will eventually know the whole story.
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Works for DOCTOR WHO and TORCHWOOD.
(Although, DOCTOR WHO's is 14 if you count the Christmas special)
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..then I'm a lot less upset. I just hope the last five episodes don't feel rushed. And one month to wait for 5 more episodes doesn't bother me, not under these conditions. Shit happens. It's a lot better than waiting 3 months during a mid-season hiatus or 8 months after the season.
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Who cares about the real Sawyer? That shit was ripped straight off of the Princess Bride anyway, i.e. 'Dread Pirate Roberts name is passed down'. I want REAL exposition. I want to know about the Temple, where Ben's childhood friend is, what the Island is, the hatch numbers/hieroglyphics/pushing the button, and most of all, I want to know about Jacob! I could care less about those subplots concocted to distract!!! I want to know about Jacob. And bring Kelvin back, dammit. He explained more than 'Cryptic last words of the episode' Ben ever has.
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No, I don't think so. My point being they HAVE answered questions, and some of them pretty major ones. You can retroactively say those questions aren't as important to *you* as say, "what is the smoke monster" answered, which is valid, and most of us would probably agree. But it's bullshit to say they aren't important questions. Why do they need to push the button? Why are there polar bears on the island? Are there other hatches? Why does Jack see his dead father, Kate her magic horse, etc.? Will they ever get off the island? (Ha!) And I submit to you, one of the first questions was how was Locke healed?" Which we now the answer to. We just don't know how the magnetic fields did it (I'm not entirely sure we ever will). There are some mysteries that should be held onto until the end. I disagree with you fundamentally on that point and I'd site the X-Files as an example. They tried to do what you're suggesting, and they failed. So the smoke monster is something I have no problem waiting. I do expect to get some more pretty good hints as to what the monster is and can do, i.e., take on people's form, but I don't expect to find out
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You mean who cares about it besides me? Lots of people bitched about that in season 2 and season 3 talkbacks. I wasn't posting back then, but I read about them every fucking week. And you already know what pushing the button does. A lot of the stuff you're talking about is relatively recent stuff. The temple? Jacob? Hell, yeah, I want to know more about that stuff, too. But I didn't realize I did until I firt heard about them all in Season 3. There's lots of other stuff, too. What did the Others do to Walt? What was the incident? Who's dropping Pallets? What the hell was Kelvin doing on the island *after* the Purge? Does time move differently on the island, as it does in Narnia? But I think the fundamental difference is I'm good with waiting, I like the pace, the characters, the flashforwards, the flashbacks. If it's not worth it to you, don't put yourself through it.
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Everyone keeps lumping me in with the people who want to know about the smoke monster. In truth, the smoke monster is a terribly flawed plot device in this series, and only gets in the way. The thing turned into a giant human hand, for crying out loud. How much more cartoony can you get??? Ridiculous. Redundant.
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That's what makes a good series. Some of the best stuff about the best Sci-Fi is the meandering "character only" episodes. That was the best part of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and some of the best Battlestar Galacticas never "advanced the plot". I'm all for action, but I don't mind the slowed pace ... especially if it means more Goth Claire.
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Boy, did they ever misfire with that flashback. They actually thought we would enjoy Bai Ling and her story with Jack. Ana Lucia's was shit too. And Jack's where he thought Christian was having an affair with his wife? Puh-lease! Best flashbacks so far, and there are only a few: 1) Ben on the Island 2) Kate burning down the house and being captured by the bounty hunter 3) Desmond in the Season 2 finale
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Who's making the hard and fast rules about how many episodes they run? If the strike's over, why can't they just shoot the episodes they planned on shooting and extend the season three extra weeks? Why would anybody at ABC not want to air three more episodes?
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So every season, fewer and fewer episodes yet the costs of the DVD's don't fall.
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Well, if they make those 16 episodse but only finish the 13th in time to run this year, and its not a good pausing point for the story, it would be very unsatisfying to have to wait 9 months or something with a dangling storyline. But I'd rather have that then the story crammed in to fewer episodes.
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Of course, the powers that be would argue that the money saved by making fewer episodes would just be put into building more expensive sets and producing better special effects (BSG, anyone?). This is why the Season 4 - 6 DVD box sets probably won't go down much in price, if at all.
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Because the tv season ends in May, and it has for so long that no one expects anything different! Viewership wanes because there's nothing on! I really don't buy the fact that people are supposedly on vacation during the summer and don't watch tv...that is bogus! Kids are out of school - that at the very least should bump UP tv watching (not to mention the teachers out for the summer too). Lost would have no trouble getting the same ratings in June that is does in April and May...and hell, with nothing else new on, would probably get BETTER ratings! So there is definitely NO reason to shorten the original 16-episode season.
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Wasn't that after Lynch revealed Laura's killer? And yes, I do believe that Laura's killer should have eventually been revealed, and I have no problem with Leland/Bob being the culprit. But the Asian girl disappearing into a doorknob? That was too weird for even Lynch. And Inland Empire sucks! Don't watch it! It's clearly an example of Lynch having TOO MUCH creative control. It's all over the place, a complete mess. Locomotion??? Homeless retarded woman reciting poetry??? A guy getting trapped in a window/other dimension??? What the FUCK was going on there??? Lynch is in the entertainment business, not the meditation business.
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are entertaining and they make you think about whats going on. some people are very clever and can work out whats going on. Lost writers however say if you think you know whats going on youre wrong. which give the viewer the impression that they are making it all up. There is such a thing called a curve ball. We all knew that Charlie was goona die. but nobody predict that incredible ending "we have to go back".
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Who cares about the real Sawyer? - Well, James Ford, John Locke, and about 16 million viewers and various posters who kept the spec going that Cooper was Sawyer. You may be confused in actual facts and spec to questions. That question people kept asking was answere last season.
I want to know about the Temple. - I'm not sure that was a question, but you should know the temple is a place of worship (Roger Clemmons just said his body was a temple, so maybe it's also a place to store steroids).
Where Ben's childhood friend is, - Childhood friend? You mean Richard? His ghost mother? The guy who's eye's he shut after he was gassed at the compound? Annie?
what the Island is, - the island is a tract of land completely surrounded by water, and not large enough to be called a continent.
the hatch numbers/hieroglyphics/pushing the button, - *sigh*...now we know you just are not paying attention. The hatch, depending on which one you mean, was a shelter. The one you seem to be referring to had a computer where you had to reset a containment unit for the electromagnetic anomylies found on the island.
I want to know about Jacob! I could care less about those subplots concocted to distract!!! I want to know about Jacob. - You know, you could be LOST, sick. You are so focused on the little things that you cannot see the big picture. Is it this way in your life too? Are you so focused on yourself and your needs and wants that you don't see people around you enjoying things you question? Well, to satisfy you, Jacob is the second son of Isaac, the twin brother of Esau, and father of the 12 patriarchs
And bring Kelvin back, dammit. He explained more than 'Cryptic last words of the episode' Ben ever has. - But Kelvin is dead. Again, were you paying attention? If Kelvin was brought back would you not have questions about how that happened? So I'm sorry sick, but we cannot condone you actually having to endure yet another mystery. -
IT TURNED INTO A HAND! DON'T TELL ME WHAT I SAW! This is turning into that sheepfest on the Sopranos 'Made in America' talkback where everybody tried to tell the rare viewers who saw the Meadow ending that they were imagining things. And Kelvin is not dead. When Desmond went back to the spot where he knocked Kelvin unconscious, Kelvin's body wasn't there, you genius you.
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did he? really? I mean, yeah, he told Desmond a thing or two, but I was kind of under the impression that he lied a whole lot too. I don't remember him really answering too many questions, not more than he raised, anyway. Then again, it's been a while since I've seen season 2, so I could be wrong, but I'm not.
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...that right now, it's looking like Lost will stop for a 4-week hiatus with episode SEVEN (not eight, since it supposedly is a more logical "break" in the series), and then return with the 8th episode and 5 additional ones (really, 3 eps and the 2-hr finale).
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I'll be happy to loan you the DVD so you can see there is no hand. Or you can continue to be sick and delusional.
Bet I know which you choose. -
Sick Fixx..maybe Smokie is a giant smoke monster made of seperate limbs and some one once enclosed its four toed foot in concrete, but its body and hand got away, where the rest of the body is no one knows??
but I can see where u could interpet it as fingers but I think it was just surrounding Eko so to toss him to his death...and just to annoy you 'teh' -
I though he went by where kelvin's body was supposed to be when he went to get the sail boat. He didn't go there specifically to get the body, but when he ran by, the body was gone. This from my increasingly feeble memory.
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Soprano ending????
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nice too see u all again, only one day to go to more assholes try to piss on the parade..im looking at you Capt 'n' Wankbag
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I have to get up early in the mornings!!! Even Sawyer's real-life brother can't stay up that late!!!! Crap crap crap.
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Make it to the polls last night?
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About the storm...and the vote you casted.
At least that was my assumption. -
They were already removing alot of filler. How much more filler can their be?
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really? wow - I seem to have a fairly vivid memory of seeing the place where kelvin was killed and seeing the blood stained rocks, but no kelvin. But I'll take your word for it, Node. Like I said, I haven't actually watched those episodes in many moons, and I do have have an increasingly feeble memory. Apparently so feeble that I am remembering things that didn't happen. Perhaps it's time I checked into Santa Rosa!
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jesus talk about contradictory! we're gonna condense 8 eps into 5 coz we wanna end at the same plot point... actually we're gonna do 5 eps and give you the other 3 eps "downstream"...
WTF??
I'm gonna reserve my judgement until I see the final product but it sure does SEEM like a certain TV network is in the process of FUCKING UP a certain TV show - and for no good reason that I can work out?? -
Two weeks ago it felt like the recap show was three hours.
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I can imagine that the 8 eps they had planned included both setting up for this season's ending as well as progressing the stroy line for future episodes in later seasons. Being the creative writers that they are, now that they're getting the big bucks, they can no doubt move some of the story points that will progress the story in later seasons to next year, and thus fit all the reqired story elements needed to get to this seasons' finale in the 5 eps. not exactly rocket science, imho. I mean, they originally had an idea for a story arch when they didnt' know if lost's run would be 1 season, 2, or what. It isn't to hard to imagine they can tell the same story my shifting around exactly when we learn what. It would make for an interesting DVD extra to see what the original plan for the 8 episodes was, though. is it Thurday yet?
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that it's not fitting 16 episodes into 13, it's fitting 8 episodes into 5 (which is a different thing entirely). The first 8 are already in the Can and have been since before the strike started.
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I'm just happy it's not an 8 episode season! I understand and empathize with Node's point, but man, life's too short to be pissed off all the time. I'm going to enjoy all 46 remaining episodes, as I'm sure you will. But yes, I agree TV execs are morons. Play Ugly Betty and Gay's Anatomy during sweeps, give the rabid fans their Lost! You think no one will watch it in June if that's when you air it?
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If HBO could slip the previews in randomly following Season Six On Demand episodes, as in at the end of a different episode every time, then they can manipulate the digital signal in other ways.
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It clearly becomes a hand in the most cartoonish way and throws him against the ground. It was ridiculous. It would be more believable for Cerberus/Smokey to just swarm an individual like bees and eat away at the flesh.
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Feb 13, 2008 8:12:13 PM CST
There's no way more than ten people on different continents and
by sick fixx
see the same ending that conflicts with what the majority of the world saw in the conclusion of 'Made In America'. They fucked with us. Deal with it.
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I ran out of space. It should read 'don't see'.
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YES! ABC knows we will watch it in June...but Neilsen isn't METERING the viewers in June. So it doesn't do ABC any good when they set their ad rates (what they plan on charging advertisers based on how many viewers a show gets in the May sweeps).
If Neilsen isn't metering...then NEW episodes of Lost will not air. It hurts ABC's pocketbook if Lost airs its season finale OUTSIDE of the sweeps.
I don't know how much simpler I can make it. -
You know. What the hell. Why not?
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behind the suffering of Jack, Kate and Sawyer at the beginning of season 3. Seriously, I'm led to believe that was all for shits and giggles. Why were they tortured, watched, forced to work slave labor and generally toyed with? There was never any reason given and we had to watch it ENDLESSLY for half a season!
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A week ago I was worrying we were going to get an anemic 8-episode season that cut off at an anticlimactic climax, and then have to wait ten months for more. Thirteen episodes with a proper season finale, followed by a slightly extended season five, will be fine with me.
They say that they'll have to cut and condense things, but since the formerly eight, now five, episodes haven't even been written yet--and, even though I do believe they have a broad sketch of where they're going overall, I wonder how minutely they really had the details of those future episodes planned--I bet we won't notice much change in pace.
Call me overly optimistic and naive, but I prefer to believe that the creators who have given us three excellent seasons will be able to pull something good together. (Although, in accordance with Lost custom, it will probably end up seeming better in retrospect than it does in the moment, as people bitch week by week at how the show has just now recently gone off track). -
Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, then Lost? What a dumb fucking decision that lineup is. If they are so worried about their sweeps ratings then why are they putting the show on in a less viewed time slot after shows whose only crossover audience uses phrases such as "Jater" and "Skater."
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What I wanted to know is what is preventing ABC from extending the season three weeks in order to air the extra three episodes? Who made the rule that says ABC's season can't go beyond a certain date?
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There's no law that says ABC can't air the three episodes, but they just wouldn't receive as much viewership. True, the die-hard lost fans will watch whenever its on, but the more casual viewer won't rush in from their summer barbeque to watch a television show. From ABC's perspective, they can air it in June to, say 9 million viewers, or save them for the fall and air them to 16 million. It sux for those of us who love the show, but it makes buisness sense to hold'em.
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I know how the sweeps works. Advertising rates are based on the 3 main Sweeps periods - Nov, Feb, and May. That's why they used to run major miniseries during this time. What I'm saying is, will total viewership be significantly different in May if the final 4 episodes of the season are aired, or instead if episodes #10-13 of 16 total are aired? Not much lower, is may guess.
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First off, it wasn't half the season. It was six episodes. Second, they made it reasonably clear that they were putting Kate and Sawyer into those circumstances to force them together so that they would hopefully get Kate pregnant. And they had Jack to operate on Ben's brain tumor. Don't rail on the show because you're not paying close enough attention.
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