Nice little article written by my friend Jon Lachonis from BuddyTV and The Tailsection.
Ever since LOST returned an hour later, a move ABC knew would result in a ratings decline (how couldn't they?), the internet has been on fire with journalists and bloggers using the show's title to denote its status. It has been plain fashionable to bash LOST, everyone from major newspapers to respected online e-zines like Zap2it have gotten into the ring to take a few wild swings at the show that once dominated like no other. There is just one thing wrong with the logic, and I'm repeating myself here for very good reason. ABC knew LOST would lose viewers with the time slot change, but it just didn't matter.
Despite the loss of around four-million hard core viewers that found the new time slot to be a little too late for them, LOST has brought more new viewers to the Wednesday 10pm est time slot than any other show of recent memory. Forget CSI. I said 'new' viewers, and for those keeping score LOST finally succeeded in beating CSI to dominate 10pm both in viewers and adults with last weeks 'Par Avion'.
The reason most of these LOST bashing articles use to spread woe are pretty much taken from the same list of erroneous talking points. Fans are frustrated with the lack of answers. The story is progressing too slowly. Like, okay, who else is having trouble keeping up this season? We got our first look inside two of the others compounds, we got even further into the damaged psyches of our beloved characters. We found out that the others had off island communication up until Desmond turned his little key, proven by the video tape Ben showed Jack. We know that Desmond traveled back in time, the others have a submarine, there are two islands, Sawyer has a kid, Kate digs sawyer, the others use brainwashing to keep their dissidents in line... holy brain cramp. And there's more! Heck, this week we will finally know how John Locke wound up in the wheel chair.
Oh, island mysteries. You want to know about that? Where they are, what healed Locke, etc? Wake up knuckle head, that would end the show! Some of us, around 13-14 million at last count, still want LOST to continue serving its special brand of story telling for a few more seasons.
The bottom line is, LOST has continued to grow its audience since returning in its new time slot and is filling it with a distinctive demographic that advertisers crave to reach. So despite the malcontent murmurs of LOST's imminent demise... LOST is doing just fine.
Source: Jon Lachonis, BuddyTV Senior Writer