Every now and then, something happens which changes the way things are done.
An apple falls on a scientists head and suddenly we all lose the fear of jumping and being carried in to space; Batman Begins and everyone’s appreciation of comic book movies becomes much more serious; Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is a massive success so Call of Duty then…Oh…That one doesn’t apply so much.
In the world of television; it was Lost. Revolutionary; ballsy and divisive this show pushed the boundaries of what TV used to be… Then pushed them some more…and even more.
Crafting emotional stories that deal with every issue in the human spectrum as well as exploring the possibilities of science and faith in a 6 year adventure with the survivors of Oceanic 815; this show is one of the most groundbreaking pieces of entertainment ever and well worth its billing as a great TV show.
I can only say once that I would not recommend you reading this if you haven’t watched the show until the end as there are MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD, and wouldn’t recommend you using this as a reason to watch it as Lost is best enjoyed when watching without prior knowledge; and watching it any other way is doing yourself a disservice.
So, join us as we run through the emotional scenes, the funny scenes, the episodes, the characters, the actors, the themes, the relationships, the technical aspects and just about everything else which makes Lost the greatest TV show of all time.
100. S1E05: White Rabbit
An early episode which clarified pretty quickly the emotional journey Jack, our so far unbreakable hero, will be undergoing throughout the show; but also built upon the intrigue of the Island.
Jack’s dad, who is dead, is walking around? What’s happening? Oh…He’s found the coffin. That’s good. Wait there’s no body in there. What is this place?
More than just ramping up the levels of intrigue; this episode is also an interesting progression of the relationship between the survivors. Fighting, desperation and thieving; this episode highlights the desperate situation they are trapped in and helps Jack emerge as a leader with his famous ‘Live Together; Die Alone’ speech.
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60 Comments
GREAT article! I miss this show so much. Totally due a rewatch!
Oh and I agree. Greatest show of all time.
As soon as I saw this article I somehow knew you’d be behind it. If this is what you actually believe then nothing else need be said. The show had two great seasons and that’s it. It doesn’t come close to HBO’s output.
If this is where you mention The Most Boring TV Show Of All Time (Game of Thrones) TM then I fear your argument will only become embarassing.
No – it’s where I embarrass you and mention Oz, The Wire, The Sopranos, Deadwood, Carnivale, Rome, Boardwalk Empire – to say little of mini-series such as John Adams, Band of Brothers and Generation Kill. All shows infinitely better than Lost in all respects. I haven’t watched Game of Thrones yet but I’ve no doubt it’ll have the quality of HBO’s usual productions.
The only good HBO has had was the movies they air and best of all… TALES FROM THE CRYPT.
HAHA godawful boardwalk empire (even the critics hate it now,) the sopranos john adams and other borefests/crapfests better than LOST!?!!?!!?!?
XD what a funny, clueless, moronic troll you are kiddo. maybe actually have a clue before PAINFULLY embarrassing yourself in the future
you’re welcome X )
And Game of Thrones is amazing. The book and the show.
I have watched all the shows you mention, and while most are indeed great, NONE compare to LOST.
Yeeeaaaa, those shows were WAY better than Lost, that’s why they ran for so long, right? LOL, you could have, at the very least, come up with decent, entertaining shows to make your argument and not a list of things I would use as sleep aids. Lost was one of the best shows ever. Otherwise, no one would still be obsessing and arguing over it.
Lost’s 1st season was very good, better than I expected. 2nd was ok, nothing special, but clearly far from being as good as the 1st. 3rd was annoying. And then it got worst and worst. With an amazingly bad ending.
GoT is way better (so far). Let’s just hope the poorly made finale of the 2nd season will just be a one-time miss.
And you continued to watch this “amazing bad show” why? Because you are not smart enough to fill the empty time slots in your life with other forms of entertainment? (Well, it’s the TV, I have to watch)
You seriously don’t like Game Of Thrones?? I have to say, I cant stand lost, I’ve watched it and compared to other shows like GoT, Breaking Band and even Eastenders, it dosnt come close.
get a clue before speaking next time moron. the godawful crap you mentioned and your non existent knowledge of quality is EMBARRASSING
HAHA, Seriously?? NOTHING comes close to LOST.
@ Stu your mum does though, she comes close to everyone
Why? What was so bad about it?
Nothing – the show wasn’t perfect and it was flawed, like all shows are. But it was such an epic show (in the truest sense of the word) and captured the world’s attention by being such a striking show, that you can’t begrudge it for certain things.
I personally loved the finale – I was a Claire fan and so to see her motherhood issues resolved and rescued from the Island. Great article. :)
While Lost is easily my favourite show of all time, and is definitely the show that means the most to me, I think Network shows have a handicap against shows on cable. For me The Wire, Mad Men and Oz are better shows, and a couple of others, there’s no doubt that its the greatest Network show of all time but trying to compete against shows that have less catering to ratings and a greater creative freedom than enjoyed it’s hard to compete. Still my favourite pilot and premise of all time too.
Awesome article! Lost is by far my favorite TV show of all time, almost time for another rewatch.
WAY too long and repetitive. And The End cannot seriously be the #1 reason.
Definitely. While I do agree with a lot of what he said, and that it is at least among the best shows ever (and probably my favorite ever) there was way too much redundancy in this list that I assume he forced in order to make it a top 100 list. Also there were countless typos and other grammatical errors that got pretty annoying by the end of it all. Proofread next time around.
While I see how it can be construded how I made a lot of it up to make it a top 100 list; with a show as big as Lost how could it really be smaller?
There are people commenting about the episodes I missed out, the moments I missed out, the characters I missed out and I did 100 things.
I deliberately chose to follow a criteria of different things so as to make it that it wasn’t just 100 episodes, or 50 characters, that way it leaves it open for debate and gives the list a bit more diversity as countless episode on top of episode would have got dull.
A fantastic article. Everything you had to say was brilliant, and I couldn’t agree more about The End. It’s always a pleasure to find others that appreciate the conclusion of LOST.
I think the failure of Nikki and Paulo, along with other LOST disasters and how they were dealt with, deserves a spot on this list. It’s incredible how humble the writing was, and while they always took risks, if they made obvious mistakes they were willing to rectify them. Expose is one of my favorite episodes, if only because it’s such a perfect wrap-up to two terrible characters.
In my original draft of the list Nikki and Paulo’s death was in there but I took it out for one reason or another; I do love that episode as really the only way they could escape how annoying those two had been was to bury them alive without remorse.
“The Other 48 Days” was the best non-Desmond episode, and belongs on your list. I would also add “The Hatch”, “Waaaalllltttt!”….Michael Dawson shooting Annalucia and Libby, Michael’s death….Mr Eko.
1 Reason Why Lost is the Greatest TV Show of All Time: because it’s freakin’ LOST!!!!
A bit cheating by inserting entire episodes as reasons but eh, oh well. You should’ve gone the extra mile and made it 108 reasons ;)
I’m actually watching Lost right now and have made it to the 5th season – I really like it, but there’s no denying its meandering nature. What I’ve also noticed is that characters take a certain theatrical pleasure in seeing each other over and over again. “Hello, [insert name]” is probably the most used line in the series. And they absolutely love to say it.
That’s what I’m thinking about these days.
I LOVE your list! *high fives*
<3
Absolutely the best TV show EVER!!!! I LOVED the way this ended…it inspires me to be a better person every time I watch it. I would not have had this end any other way.
I 100% agree with The ending being No1, the whole show from start to finish was beautifully crafted and im not talking about on set either, from the scripting, to casting, to the location, they got it all right. My favourite episode was Ab Aeterno, because it was the moment that I realised that the show was not about an island or faith or unexplained events, even if your immortal like richard was or as broken and misguided as Locke, it was all about the characters, and like you said, it began and ended the way it always should have, looking into the eyes of the characters that made the show so special, excellent article.
Exactly, the title LOST doesn’t mean being lost on an island, it meant that all the characters are Lost in their own ways,
great article Lost is the greatest TV show of all time and for many, many reasons
Lost’s problem was everyone solved it in the pilot after that you were just waiting for the writers to catch up with the audience… oh and some stuff happened in the middle no one cares about. :)
I’ve read alot of dumb complaints about LOST, but this is up there among the stupidest. So everyone knew from the pilot that they were all candidates to what is essentialy the cork to the UNIVERSE? The main thing alot of people thought was that the passengers of 815 died in the crash and the Island was purgatory. That of course, isn’t true. And I think the ratings/critical reception shows that ALOT of people cared about what happened in the middle.
Are you serious, 100 reason Lost was the greatest show ever. Which I agree with you, but no mention of the black characters. No Michael, Walt , Rose and one of the best character of the show Mr. Eko.
If this is suggesting I’m racist, you’re ridiculous.
Rose is a peripheral character who blurted out one-liners every now and then, Michael was quite annoying and Walt’s unexplained ‘ability’ is one of the things that irritates most of the shows fan base.
Whilst Mr. Eko is interesting (and he is featured in one of the top 100 clips) the manner of his death was an important realisation in the journey of the characters but his prolonged effect was never felt.
This list is complete garbage. This is the first instance I’ve seen in my life where someone described Season 2 as weak. You have to be oblivious to rank S2 as the lowest. There’s a point where subjectivity is cut off. LOST’s writing in S2 was the tightest in the run of the whole show. S2 is objectively better than everything in S6. You can debate it’s strength against S1 and the second half of S5, but to call S2 weak is foolish.
And really, The Man in Black is on the list, but not Mr. Eko? Is this your first drama that wasn’t targeted to people who hate critical thinking when it comes to entertainment?
hmm…I think having Sawyer that high up, sucks, he was the best character to watch, Jack was good at first but went downhill after about season 4.
Lost was a great show, no doubt, but the greatest of all time. I don’t think so. I still believe when the Simpsons was at its peak (1990s – seasons 3-9) it was the greatest show of all time. As for the best show of the last 10 years, I’d have to go with Breaking Bad. Yes, Lost may have had one of (or as the article says, the greatest) opening scene of all time, don’t forget the opening scene of Breaking Bad – Walt in his underwear in the desert. And the opening scene of season 5 of Breaking Bad was awesome too – Walt at a restaurant buying a huge gun.
All that being said, I think the greatest asset of Lost was its character development. I watched Lost from the beginning and what initially drew my interest and kept my interest was all the supernatural elements (the smoke monster for example) and the mystery of it all. When I watch back episodes on G4 or on DVD I realize that the heart of the show was the flashbacks (and eventually the flash-forwards – seeing what Jack has become and how bad he wants to go back is heartbreaking). We get to know the back stories of pretty much all of the characters – their motivations, their fears, the traumas and triumphs in their lives. The show was often at its best during these scenes.
IMO there is no doubt whatsoever that LOST IS THE GREATEST TV SERIES OF ALL TIME. I have watched so much TV in my life, All the so called greats (The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, The Wire, The X-Files) yet none compete with LOST in terms of all round enjoyment. The writing was incredible, the acting flawless, and the story itself was mind-blowing and life-changing. Its also complete nonsense that many people still believe the myth that LOST left many unanswered questions.
i have watched through 4 times .best show ever
Lost isn’t even in the top 100 shows of all time. It did start off very well to be fair, after the first 2 seasons it looked like it could be an great show but the quality took a drastic drop and had one of the worst endings in TV history. 2 good seasons out of 6 doesn’t cut it, it doesn’t come close to the likes of Breaking Bad, Sopranos, Wire or the Shield.
Oh dear, Fail! “Not even in the top 100″ HAHAHAHA, Go get an education brotha.
alexdombroff@alexanderdombroff.com
I don’t think the article was appropriately titled. It wasn’t really arguing why the show was the greatest show, or even if the show was good. It was really just a list of things the author liked about Lost.
1 reason Lost isn’t the greatest show of all time: Breaking Bad.
I love Breaking Bad and it is in my top 5 of all time shows, but people wont be talking about it 3 years from now, like they are Lost.
Either Breaking Bad or The Wire.
Lost is the greatest drama series of all time without doubt, but I guess it’s all an opinion at the end of the day
No way, Breaking Bad is actually a well written, consistently brilliant show. Lost was up and down a lot of the time. Yes, especially the ending.
I honestly think that my love for tv-series comes from Lost. I even remember sitting down and watching the first episode, and I remember literally screaming everytime an episode ended for the entire first season.
I watch a lot of tv-series, some memorable, some no so much. Some may even be slightly better than Lost. But I have never loved a tv-series as much as I loved Lost.
Amazing list, agree 100%. Good to see Lost getting the respect it deserves.
I’ve seen a lot of dramas and Lost is by far the best!! I watched it 2 years ago and still can’t get over it :( Breaking Bad is very good but doesn’t quite hit the spot for me (albeit I’m really looking forward to the ending).
The only show that I’ve since that actually comes close, quite close in fact, is Game of Thrones.
When you think about it Game of Thrones is similar to Lost with the way there are so many characters and hence so many different storylines in both. That’s probably why I like both so much.
Wow, Twin Peaks, Six Feet Under, Profit(Fox cancelled it in like 1996), Arrested Development, the early seasons of Breaking Bad and Nip/Tuck, The Twilight Zone, Breaking Bad, Firefly, The X-Files, Veronica Mars, Deadwood, Archer, and I’d even take The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr over Lost. At least Lost will always be better than the hilariously bad “Heroes” so there’s that.
This list gets a little repetitive, but you can tell it was written with great affection, so I appreciate the time and effort that goes into it. An epic show like L O S T deserves an epic list of 100!
The author likes Hurley a little too much for my taste, but this was never going to EXACTLY fit anyone’s perfect ranking. (Props for for the Matthew Fox/Jack Shephard love, though. I truly believe he was this show’s greatest gift.)
Anyway, I won’t argue with anything because I love it all just as much as the article. I will only add 10 things I think are worth of mention as well:
- The Shape of Things to Come
- Michael kills Ana Lucia and Libby
- Mikhail
- The Other 48 Days
- “Think of the Island as a cork”
- Michael’s 3 Minutes with Walt
- Keamy
- The Dharma Initiative
- The fights
- Detective Sawyer
- Faraday’s fate
I can’t keep it at 10! here’s some more:
- Charles Whidmore
- Book club
- “You all everybody!”
- The Man from Tallahassee
- The death of Nikki and Paulo
- “Light em up!” The first confrontation with The Others
- Boone and Shannon get it on. (Yeah. This show just went there!)
- The Man Behind the Curtain
- “Damnit, Kate! Run!”
Great article! Thank you so much for writing this! I’ve watched every episode as it aired on TV and again on DVD twice! Best. Show. Ever. indeed!
In a recent rewatching of Lost I realized what really made it special as opposed to all the other “good” dramas that crop up on TV. I was rewatching it with my teenage daughter and while it was still enjoyable on second viewing, it was missing the collective obsession that we all had as viewers while it was on the air. That was part of the fun, part of the draw… She was watching it but not experiencing going to school or work or a social event and having people TALK about it, examining each detail, picking out the easter eggs, and guessing what would come next. It was something to be experienced in it’s time and I have never watched another show that captured our imagination like that. Lost was a great show, but it was also a 6 year collective experience, and that is what made it extraordinary.
Wow, loads of LOST fans…cool list…I agree LOST is one of the best TV shows ever, there was just something missing with the ending…
Great list for a great show.
Some significant (to me) stuff are lacking, such as Mr Eko, Walt, namaste, “make your own kind of music”, or, quite simply, the POLAR BEAR !
The moment we realise in “man behind the curtain” that we’re actually given a Ben flashback… The moment when we first see the feet of the children, walking with the “Others”, one of them holding that dirty plush bear. The moment when Richard calls that arrogant young man with dark hear “Widmore”.
And this music, which could break your heart with just 3 notes of piano …
But as Aeroangel said it brilliantly in a comment above, watching Lost afterwards is not the same, and what really made it extraordinary was the fact that it was indeed an exalting collective experience.
I remember talking with my lostmaniac friends after each episode. People who didn’t watch thought we were crazy, or about to join a sect.
I spent (dozens of) hours on various boards, reading theories that looked like university thesis, trying to explain the weirdest phenomenons in the show.
I saw strangers who had just met in a party engaging in passionate conversations about Rousseau, the Numbers or the Constant.
This show was a drug. And i’m telling you, on the day following the finale I felt like i was in severe withdrawal. The feeling took a few days to wear off.