Two seminal TV shows come to an end this year: they are Lost and 24. I’ve personally invested a lot of time in both of these (in the case of the latter, almost a decade of my life) so I’m not ashamed to say that I will miss them when they are gone. Alas, as they both come to a natural conclusion, what was the key to their success?
A brief background for those who are unaware: Lost follows the lives of plane crash survivors after their plane (Oceanic 815) crashes on a tropical island somewhere in the South Pacific en route from Sydney to Los Angles. However, all is not what it seems on this idyllic island and soon a number of mysteries begin to thwart our protagonists while the Island’s current, and some might say unfriendly, inhabitants show their true colours. Meanwhile, 24 is based around counter terrorism agent, Jack Bauer (portrayed fantastically by Brat Pack alumni Kiefer Sutherland). As the name might suggest, each season of 24 occurs in real-time across 24 hours.
Lost was a critical and commercial success. Or rather, it still is. In its freshman year, the show averaged 16 million viewers in the US. Numbers were expectedly lower in the UK where Channel 4 had managed to scoop the rights to the show but it was still a huge success and created many ‘water-cooler’ moments. Sky One then came sweeping before the third season and reportedly made a deal worth around £500K an episode and so Lost was lost to pay TV – if you’ll excuse the pun. This wasn’t the best news for fans in Blighty but the hardcore fan base was already established.
My personal investment in Lost comes from the rounded and well-developed characters and the intrigue the show creates. Each episode centres on one main character (although this was later tinkered with) allowing each of them to mature with time and a full back story established. Moreover, the Island itself acts as a character, while its inhabitant’s become a vessel for us, the viewer. We see the events on the Island as the characters do and are usually left with more questions than answers. It’s this which acts as the crux of the show. The producers tap into the mindset of desperation for information. By drip-feeding answers, they managed to create a solid, cult following; the latest series has averaged around 10m viewers – down on the original 16m but still no laughing matter. It’s almost a drug. You just want to know that little bit more.
In a bold move, the producers of Lost decided on an end date for the show three seasons in. This was a decisive and highly unusual move. Networks in the US generally like to milk their shows as much as they can – especially if they prove successful. Just look at the ageing CSI franchise. In fact, the focus on this is such that all actors which are signed on to a new show have to sign a seven year contract, just in case the show proves successful. With Lost, the producers came to an amicable solution during the third season: they promised the network three more seasons but asked to be allowed to do what they want. This meant that from Season 4, the show went into fifth gear – aiming for where it has got to now, the endgame – allowing the characters and storylines to be developed to an extend arguably never before seen on any TV show.
And now, as the end nears in an organic manner – many questions have been answered but some still remain. Nonetheless, the impact which Lost made on popular culture is undeniable and the show will stand the test of time.
Kiefer Sutherland’s critically acclaimed 24 has had an interesting life, too. It started as mid-season filler – this is where the network orders a show but only for half of the usual 30-week season which generally runs from Sept to May (with breaks across Christmas and Easter). This was rather odd for a show that was meant to last 24 hours, or if you like 24 episodes. As a result, the first season comes to a natural conclusion around episode 12. The network recognised the potential of this show and whilst the first season only averaged 9m viewers, the second half of the first season and a second season were approved. This was partly due to the success of the show in Europe and especially the UK where it averaged around 4 million viewers on BBC 2.
This season 24 has averaged around 11m viewers in the US. This is again much lower in the UK as Sky One, in a similar move to their acquisition of Lost, poached the show from BBC 2 after the second season. I never quite understood this: Sky One are paying FOX for the show – both are subsidiaries of Murdoch’s News Corp – that can’t be a good business model. Nonetheless, much like Lost the show had already established a hardcore cult following and remains popular.
Focusing on the central character of Jack Bauer, 24 has not been shy in the ‘killing’ department. In fact, online bloggers and fans like to keep a rather self explanatory Bauer Kill Count. Crucially, the show hasn’t been afraid to kill main characters either. In an effort to stay spoiler-free, I won’t mention any specifics but anyone who has watched the first season will know what I mean. The producers have actually been known to bring in an entirely new cast for a new season while keeping our protagonist and a few trusted colleagues. This is unusual for TV series and in direct contrast to Lost which has nurtured and developed its core characters from Season 1 whilst introducing a handful of new ones.
Personally, the appeal of 24 for me is Jack Bauer – or rather that should be Kiefer Sutherland. He has made the character and it’s a joy to watch him play the part. His distinctive voice (asked about this, he attributes it to 30 years of smoking and whisky! Disclaimer: don’t try this home.) and his acting ability make the show an incredibly entertaining watch. He has rightly been awarded for this a number of times.
Controversy has at times clouded 24, specifically with regards to scenes portraying torture. This has been a grey area which has placed Jack in ethical quandaries. For example, in order to infiltrate a terrorist group, Jack kills one of their enemies and promptly asks for hacksaw. Why? Well, let’s just say he infiltrates the gang when he walks in holding a duffel bag… I’ll leave that for your imagination. Jack’s loyalty has and will always be to his country. As a result, he has found himself in morally complex situations but he does what he has to do for the greater good. All we want as the viewer is for Jack to succeed and kill the bad guys in the process.
The future of 24 rested with the producers who reportedly ran out of steam during this current season (season 8, year 9 – the show took a year long break during the Writer’s Guild of America strike in 2007). This can only be a good thing; there are only a finite amount of terrorist stories to tell. That said, the current season has been top-notch, delivering some fantastic episodes. A planned move into feature films is evidently the focus now. The films will cover a 24 hour period in two hours so it will be interesting to see how they play with the format.
24 is and will remain a ground breaking series. The real-time format was an entirely new approach and allowed the show to explore subject matters in a different way. It is for this reason that 24 will also stand the test of time and remain as one of the most critical TV shows of the decade. As I already mentioned, I believe this to be case with Lost, too. People that were initially put off after the first or second season due to the nature of questions posed can now revisit it knowing that an end is in sight.
Nonetheless, this time next year, some of my favourite characters will not be on television on regular basis. This makes me sad. However, I can rest in the fact that I watched both shows from the start to finish and gained from my investment. There will be complete boxsets of the entire series available within a few months (season 1-8 for 24 – there is also a feature long episode called 24: Redemption – and season 1-6 for Lost). I reckon after a few months the prices will crash… so, I say make sure you buy them and enjoy two fantastic shows.
