An Heir to LOST

As frequent readers know, ever since Sept. 22, 2004, I have been a faithful LOST viewer. The description of the premise and the fact the cast was led by Matthew Fox got me in the door, and the quality of the writing, directing, and mystery kept me there all season.

It hasn't always been easy to stay with LOST since then. There were times the series meandered, times it didn't make a lot of sense and times when it was down right frustrating. But heading into this year, I still wanted to see how it would end. Badly is my new prediction for how it will end, but that is a discussion for another time.

When LOST first gained prominence, it was compared to a number of shows with a dense mythology that developed a cult following, chief among them being "The X-Files." And after LOST took off in the ratings, nearly every network (not CBS, because it has settled on being the older viewers network) tried to find a similar show.

NBC threw it's weight behind "Heroes," which started with a flourish, had potential and squandered it year by frustrating year. Now that show is on the doorstep of cancellation.

As the end date for LOST neared, ABC also tried to come up with a suitable LOST replacement. This year it launched a pair of dense mythology-based shows, "V" and "Flash Forward." Both showed some promise and offered some initial food for thought, but neither has managed to generate much traction, excitement or ratings.

So the search for the heir-apparent continues, with several networks looking to unveil new shows next fall to capitalize on that market. But I contend the LOST niche has already been filled, and it's been filled in a much better way.

Last fall, J.J. Abrams, one of the creators of LOST and also the director of the new "Star Trek," offered viewers a strange new show. It drew parallels to "The X-Files" and offered a dense mythology like LOST. But unlike LOST, "Fringe" has only gotten better as it's progressed.

The show centers on an FBI agent, Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), her boss, Agent Broyles (Lance Reddick), a whacky scientist, Walter Bishop (John Noble), and his son, Peter (Joshua Jackson). Together they investigate mysterious cases as part of the FBI's Fringe Division and are attempting to avert a war with an alternate universe.

It probably sounds pretty sci-fi, and at times the show does delve into that world, but it's the human drama, the relationships, the acting, and the tough subjects that make the show so compelling. At its best, LOST was about the characters as much as the journey. "Fringe" is a show that recognizes that and isn't afraid to tackle emotionally dense topics along the way. It is one of the best written shows on television, and one of the most interesting.

So while the networks scramble to find a show in the vein of LOST, FOX already has it and it just keeps getting better.

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