'Lost' fans jump ship to less problematic 'Heroes'

By: Nadum Fernand

Posted: 3/2/07

While concern over ABC's Lost has grown louder, NBC's new hit Heroes has become an instant critical darling and fan favorite. In the face of increased criticism, fans have begun to jump ship, with Lost hemorrhaging viewers at a rapid pace. The biggest question facing Lost is whether or not the writers have any idea how the story is going to end. And with each episode that provides more questions than answers, the issue becomes as much a mystery as the show itself.

Truth be told, it is very unlikely that the writers have any idea of how or when they'll end the show. Unlike subscriber-based channels like HBO or Showtime, network television lives in a perpetual state of uncertainty. Nielsen ratings decide their fate, and studios don't hesitate to axe a show if it doesn't perform. As a result, writers of any serialized drama are at the mercy of the bosses. When Lost began, no one had an inkling of how popular it would become. The pilot was written with no idea it would last beyond one or two seasons. But it caught on like wildfire, becoming a pop culture sensation, teaming with Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy to take ABC to the top.

But Lost's popularity would also become its curse. As quickly as a poorly performing show will be cancelled, networks would sooner die than let a financially viable series go. Given the contractual terms of a television series, a show can go on as long a network wants. And so the writers of Lost are forced into an impossible situation. How exactly do you extend a mystery past its natural conclusion? The answer is what has become the fundamental flaw in the show. As plot points and story arcs thin out, the writers must come up with new questions and new characters, and expand their story. Given the epic scope of Lost, that expansion has proved to be fatal.

This lesson was not lost (no pun intended) on NBC with its own supernatural thriller, Heroes.

"When the show was just a diagram on paper, I drew strings between the various characters, a plan for how they would ultimately become connected," Heroes creator Tim Kring said. "Though some things have since changed, I've stuck to major parts of that blueprint."

While Lost was forced to jump into the unknown terrain of a serialized drama, Heroes has had time to sit back and observe what worked and what didn't for two years. The results have been nothing short of fantastic.

Heroes tells its story in much the same way as a novel. Using a formula mastered by David Simon in The Wire, each episode is not self-contained, and the show is as much a serialized supernatural thriller as Lost. Where they differ, however, is in their pacing.

It is a given that in each story, new characters must be introduced before a conclusion can be reached. The major difference is that Heroes establishes these characters before introducing them into the main story arc.

The greatest example of this contrast comes in the form of Ali Larter (in a brilliant performance) whose character(s) Nikki and Jessica spent fourteen episodes isolated from the rest of the cast (drawing the ire of fans along the way) before the connection to the other heroes was revealed.

Meanwhile, in the first season of Lost, Mr. X (for those who might be moved to catch up via DVDs) was revealed to be one of the "Others." While it was essential that the survivors learned they were not alone on the island, the audience knew nothing about Mr. X. Had Lost introduced the character prior to the revelation, the impact would have been far greater.

It is these small differences that give Heroes the upper hand. While Lost has been forced to open door after door, creating a muddled maze of convoluted storylines, Heroes has structured itself such in a way that with each new mystery comes a satisfying conclusion. And in the end, that's what makes Heroes a more rewarding television experience.