[For the unaware, there are currently rumours swirling around the scheduling options for Lost’s upcoming season. The current rumours, as covered in numerous locations, have Lost running from January to May, in an earlier times lot, as well as officially coming to a close sometime in 2009. This solved a few of the show’s scheduling issues in theory, but I figure we should take a trip down memory lane to see how it got to this point. However, this is a slightly different trip, so be warned as we take a magical journey into a mystical fairy tale land. Enjoy.]
Once upon a time, there was a television show named “Lost” which has spent three seasons traversing a series of obstacles on its way to being a Top 10 television program in the key demographics which advertisers crave. It faced off against a wolf trying to trick Lost into falling into its trap through disguise (Much like how viewers saw through blatant ripoffs like Invasion and Surface in 2005, Lost was not fooled), and our show narrowly escaped the evil grip of the witch who bakes TV shows in her oven (“I have success in the 18-34 Male Demo inside, come a little closer!”)
However, on its way, Lost found that it had come to an important crossroads, marked by a small little house where three scheduling options made their home. It was a humble abode, but one could feel that important decisions would be made for the show’s future.
Lost, feeling a bit disoriented with its current path, decided that he should stop by and pay them a visit. Unfortunately, they weren’t in, but had left a note that any guests were more than welcome (Lost would never enter someone’s house uninvited, that would be plain rude). So, Lost made itself at home, and saw that there were three bowls of porridge sitting upon the table. The note had also mentioned that they Lost was invited to taste test their porridge selection, so he figured that he should assist them in finding the right one. Perhaps, at the same time, it would find the right porridge for its own future.
Each porridge, Lost found, was context sensitive to its own situation! (Did I mention this was a magic house? No? Well, it clearly is). As a result, Lost first decided to try the porridge labeled “9pm Wednesdays, September to May with repeats throughout.” It takes a spoonful.
“Oh my!” said Lost. “This porridge is far too hot!” And while this porridge was the timeslot and schedule which brought the show its initial success, it was becoming too hot to handle in its second season thanks to angry fans and scheduling concerns regarding competition in the timeslot. Fans were rising against the various repeats in the show’s schedule, crying out for the madness to stop, while Lost faced a tough time in the ratings thanks to competition from American Idol and CBS’ upstart Criminal Minds. And you know what they say: if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the farmhouse. Needless to say, this hot situation was too much for Lost to handle, so it clearly need to try some a new type of porridge..
Still, Lost is fairly unfazed as it moves towards the second bowl of porridge. It is labeled “9pm for 6-episode fall arc, long hiatus, and then 10pm for final 16 episodes,” and Lost digs in with gusto.
“Brrr!” said Lost. “This porridge is much too cold!” And, it was right: this scheduling development got the cold shoulder from fans and critics alike. The opening 6 episodes performed admirably, but struggled thanks to a simple fact: they were more of a prologue than an action-packed six hours of epic proportions. The bigger problem, though, was that the break was so very long coming out of those rather underwhelming episodes. As a result, that cold shoulder turned downright frozen by early February, especially since it moved even further into the evening to avoid American Idol and Criminal Minds. Even as the quality of the show heats up, it’s done little to change the fact that its scheduling situation is ice cold.
Still, Lost cannot be fazed. It remains a ratings boon for ABC in key demos, and provides a great lead-in for ABC’s local evening newscasts. So, it is with its head held high that Lost moves to the third bowl of porridge. This is the scheduling option that could, perhaps, solve all of its problems. This, you see, is the “Early Time Slot, Airing January to May, Definite End in 2009” bowl of porridge. Lost sits down, preparing to dig in.
What exactly Lost will find with this new schedule is an important question, if we can ponder for a moment. The schedule brought success for 24 (Until it proved unable to withstand the weekly pressure and fell in prestige this season) and certainly would solve the repeat and hiatus issues seen in the previous porridges, err…schedules. The earlier time slot would allow for more viewers, that’s just a reality of network television. And, a definitely end date would keep the show moving towards a target, not meandering off for prologues. By all accounts, this could be the porridge that is “just right.”
However, the story ends here; as the spoon remains suspended in the air in front of Lost’s open mouth, we must leave the story of Goldi“Lost” and the Three Scheduling Options until May 14th, when we’ll get final confirmation about these plans from ABC’s upfront presentation. And then, the final tasting will take place in either September or January of next year, and Lost can see whether or not its search for the right schedule has finally come to its own happily ever after.
Cultural Learnings 