Lost premiered on September 22, 2004, and instantly became a pop culture sensation. Touted as having the most expensive TV pilot ever (at the time), it was far from a sure bet, but thanks to a blockbuster-sized two-part pilot episode that successfully introduced an ensemble cast of 17 (!) regulars, alongside several cryptic mysteries, Lost became an overnight hit.
On the 20th anniversary of Lost, Inverse looks back on one of the best TV debuts of all time, with one longtime Lostie and one newbie to the show.
Hoai-Tran Bui (Inverse Entertainment Editor): I was 12 when Lost premiered, which means I sat down to watch it with my parents. It was a Sunday night double block of Desperate Housewives at 8 p.m. and Lost at 9. We watched Desperate Housewives first and decided, why not? Let’s watch Lost, too. We had no idea what it was about. I remember all the buzz at the time was that it was “Survivor meets Gilligan’s Island” so we were expecting something along the lines of a lightweight survival show. We were so wrong.
I don’t think I’ve ever been so immediately hooked by a show. At 12 years old, it was a formative experience. Maybe that’s why I feel so protective of it, like I’ve absorbed it into the very fiber of my being. It was my first favorite TV show, and I don’t think that will ever change.
Lyvie, what did you know about Lost before watching the pilot?
Lyvie Scott (Inverse Entertainment Writer): It’s so funny that you were able to watch both Desperate Housewives and Lost with your parents because that is pretty much the opposite of my childhood. I grew up pretty sheltered and I was still in elementary school when both of those shows were airing, so there was no chance of me even getting up the courage to ask my mom if I could stay up for the Sunday night block.
I was also never all that curious about Lost, maybe because it was always in the periphery. I have vague memories of TV spots that aired on ABC before my bedtime, and I do remember the attitude towards the show shifting from rapt devotion into disappointment — but I’ve also somehow been shielded from whatever twist is waiting for me at the end of this journey. All I knew before the pilot was the vague premise. I also knew that some of my favorite TV crushes broke out thanks to Lost. Thirst is a great motivator for me, so that’s a big reason why I’ve started the show now, but you’re absolutely right about the pilot. It’s such a breath of fresh air. It sounds clichéd, but they really don’t make them like this anymore.
Hoai-Tran: They don’t! And they didn’t really make them like this back then. Lost was kind of an anomaly. Its biggest predecessors were genre shows like Twin Peaks or The X-Files, but even they catered to a more niche audience. Lost, on the other hand, came at the perfect moment to be the ideal watercooler show. Serialized dramas were becoming more popular on the heels of prestige cable dramas The Sopranos and The Wire, and social media was just starting to take off. So all the little nuggets of mysteries in that pilot episode — the monster that rips the pilot out of the tree, the French distress signal playing on a loop for 16 years, the polar bear — were all perfect fodder to turn Lost into the ideal watercooler show.
But I’m curious, Lyvie, when you’re watching this so far removed from the community of speculation, what did you think of the pilot?
Lyvie: I will say that not being able to watch this with a community, or even go through forums to read theories — I’m sure that’s major spoiler territory — is kind of a bummer. I do have a friend that I text all my reactions and theories to so that I do have some sort of outlet. But the pilot absolutely rips! Honestly, I forgot what good TV could feel like. Watching Jack come to life — he doesn't say a word for five minutes and you know everything about him from the direction and the script. He's wounded, he's a doctor. He's a hero. And then eventually when he's like, “My name's Jack,” I was like, of course, his name is Jack, that is the ultimate name for a noble hero.
Hoai-Tran: That opening sequence is unbeatable. They actually hauled in a real retired Lockheed plane for that pilot. And that caused a whole lot of hoopla because it ballooned their budget. But they had put all this money into this huge setpiece, plus they had a relatively untested showrunner in Damon Lindelof, and they had this big ensemble cast without a major name. It was a huge risk. But through the sheer efficiency of the cast and J.J. Abrams’ direction, you get everything you need in this contained two-part pilot.
Lyvie: It is very much like a tasting menu of the most delicious food you could ever even hope to enjoy. In a few lines and a few moments, we get the full introduction of this entire ensemble. You have the mysterious super-competent girl, Kate — who I love! — you have the dad and his son, you have the Korean married couple, you have the hot girl who just wants to tan and paint her nails, her brother who's an idiot.
Hoai-Tran: Yeah, everyone is so distinct and everyone is such a great fleshed out character even like in the initial meetings. But was there a moment that you got hooked on the show in the pilot?
Lyvie: I won't deny that I jumped at the end of Part 1. I just love how visceral it is and how it's actively trying to scare you. It ups the stakes: Not only are you stranded on this island, there is a beast that you can't see and that can hang someone bloody and battered and scratched up from a tree. And then cut to black.
Hoai-Tran: That cut to black every week — that was one of my favorite things that would always drive me crazy. I don’t think there's a show anymore that gives me the same feeling as Lost’s cut to black every week where I'm like, “What the hell happened? What's going to happen next week?” It’s like a rush of adrenaline.
Lyvie: No other show has really been able to replicate that, and it sucks because it's almost as if shows aren't able to do that anymore. Not just because of the binge model, but partially because of stan culture. The way we talk about shows online has changed. No one's wondering, they want the answers now. They feel like they have the answers. I remember when Lost was airing, people were more curious and more collaborative.
Hoai-Tran: My hot take is that Lost was the last great watercooler show. There were watercooler shows after it like The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones. But I feel like Lost was this weird tipping point. That was also its own sort of singular thing.
Lyvie: Yeah, it felt pure, even though I was just on the periphery and conversations about Lost were happening around me, but I wasn't paying attention.
Hoai-Tran: For me, the moment I was hooked was the final line in the second part of the pilot, when Charlie says, “Guys, where are we?” And then we cut to black. One of the iconic lines!
Lyvie: I didn't know that scene was so iconic. But it feels right, especially the way it just hikes up the tension. I couldn't imagine sitting there for another week and waiting, but at the same time, even now, as I'm going through Season 1 — I’m six episodes in — I'm like, this is a full-course meal. Every episode is so fulfilling.
Hoai-Tran: So many shows now are just spinning their wheels. Lost still has that episodic structure, and after the pilot, they dedicate basically one episode to one character. The actual plot of the episode is almost like the B story to the character’s back story.
Lyvie: It's true. The plot is just informing the back story, right? Yeah, you just blew my mind!
Hoai-Tran: I’m so glad we finally got you to start watching Lost. And you started watching for a pretty funny reason: out of thirst for Naveen Andrews, right?
Lyvie: Yes, I have a big crush on Naveen Andrews — but for a completely different show. I first saw him in Sense8 and was so incredibly obsessed with him. But I’ll tell you I was not at all prepared for like, “peak” Naveen Andrews. Lost also totally knows what they have with him: every shot with him is like immaculately-framed, soft lighting, his gorgeous hair whipping in the breeze… I just watched an episode where he’s chopping wood and the camera is just so shamelessly enamored with him. And then you have his actual character, Sayid, which just strengthens everything happening on camera. I love Sayid, and I love that they were cool enough to feature an Iraqi character in a plane-crash show…
Hoai-Tran: It was wildly progressive at the time too, to do that right after 9/11. And they make that a central part of the initial tension around Sayid, which I think is so bold.
Lyvie: I think the dynamic between Sayid and Sawyer is very interesting too, the fact that they have this bigoted dude who may or may not have a tragic backstory, juxtaposed with a Middle Eastern guy who’s very noble and capable. I'm very intrigued to see where they go with this… and how my opinions may change later. But right now with Sawyer, I hate him. I literally tweeted, “I don't care what his backstory is. I care how sad it is. They will never make me like him.” I'm probably about to eat those word, because who doesn't love a bad boy redemption arc? He’s already got the sad hazel eyes, his long hair, his jeans — it’s all working for him.
Hoai-Tran: So many jeans — on the beach, by the way, which is hilarious!
Lyvie: I feel so bad for them. I would not be wearing jeans. And low-rise jeans were insane. 2004 was a crazy time.
