Why ABC Should Broadcast the LOST Finale “Live” on the West Coast

Dear ABC,

At this point, I don’t need to tell you that we’re barreling down towards the final hours of LOST. Are you sad, ABC? Because I sure am. I’ve watched all of the episodes since the beginning, both from the original broadcasts and on DVD. I’ve spent countless hours thinking, discussing, and arguing about your show.

(Gods know that I’ve written loads and loads of blog posts about it: so many that some guy recently unsubscribed from our mailing list, giving the reason of “too much LOST.” Ha! As if!)

And it’s all going to be over in less than two weeks.

What are you going to do, ABC, when LOST is over and all you have is Flash Forward and V.

I can tell you what I’m going to do: not watch those shows. Sorry, ABC, that’s just the way it is. On the other hand, I might reconsider if you do a small favor for me and the rest of the West Coast LOST fans: broadcast the finale “live” on the West Coast. 6:00pm PDT on Sunday, May 23, 2010. Can you do that for us, ABC? Can you? Because it would be the best thing ever!

Here’s the deal: back in the 20th century, it was no big deal for a big finale to be broadcast at 9:00pm on the East Coast and 9:00pm on the West Coast — there was very little chance of those of us out here getting spoiled. I was able to watch the M*A*S*H and Seinfeld finales in a perfect state of ignorant bliss.

But fast-forward to right now, and that’s nearly impossible. All year, ABC, I’ve have to go on self-imposed Tuesday night internet blackout in order to not be spoiled by random tweets, Facebook status updates or even emails.

That’s fine: that’s just the way it is for a regular network show. But the LOST finale isn’t a regular network show. Not only will it be the subject of zillions of tweets and status updates, there will be clips on YouTube and torrentz on Pirate Bay before it airs on the West Coast. I know that makes you wince, ABC, but that’s also the way it is.

Because even compared to other finales of recent well-loved and/or critically acclaimed shows — The Sopranos, Battlestar Galactica, The Shield — the LOST finale is an bona fide event.

You know this, ABC. You’re treating it like an event: charging $900,000 per 30-second spot, not quite Super Bowl numbers, but pretty close. As an event, it would have that much more cachet for you if the entire country watched it at once.

Look, LOST fans are used to finding the show, when and whereever it is. One of the ironies of LOST is that you’ve moved it around so much during its run that it might be easy for us fans to lose (see what I did there?) track of it. But we never did. We found it, ABC, year in and year out, no matter the start day, no matter the time slot.

I realize that there is a whole evening of LOST planned, including a clip show. To which I say: “move the clip show up, too.” We’ve figured out how to find the Super Bowl and Oscar pre-game shows, we can find this one, too!

Besides, at this point, LOST clip shows are like compilation albums by The Who: there are actually more of them than original episodes! And while hearing Jack say “We have to go back” for the zillionth time is nice in the same way hearing the first piano chords of “Baba O’Riley” is nice, we’ve heard all of those songs before.

And if ABC moved the finale up three hours, I’d bet you $1.8 million dollars that we’d find it in a West Coast minute. Piece of cake. We have what I call high “Fan Quality.” Bending space and time to find LOST is what we do!

But if you’re worried about it, run it twice on the West Coast.

Here’s a proposed schedule (all times PDT)

• 5:00 – 6:00: LOST Clip Show #107,645
• 6:00 – 8:30: LOST Series Finale
• 8:30 – 9:00: Your Local News (i.e., the half-hour where the entire country goes “WTF?” to each other)
• 9:00 – 11:30: LOST Series Finale Redux
• 11:30 – 12:05: Local News
• 12:05 – 1:05: Jimmy Kimmel Live

That’s right, ABC, you don’t have to move Kimmel up: we’ll TiVo it.

For a show that was designed with the interactive, real-time nature of web in mind, it’s an absolute shame for a huge swath of the fanbase — ironically, the people who live in the timezones where the show is written and edited — to be denied that kind of pleasure in the finale.

So, yeah, ABC, this goes for Mountain Time as well: all 15 people that live wherever that is should enjoy the finale live as well. You’re welcome, Mountain Time folks!

Oh, and Hawaii. How you gonna play Hawaii like that, ABC? After all, not only are the state that hosted the production for six years, they also kept the cast safe — and helped Darlton end the nowheresville “Talies” subplot — by strict enforcement of their drunk driving laws.

Hawaii should enjoy the LOST finale while the midday tropical sun is still shining!

So c’mon, ABC, act like it’s 2010, already! Take a chance: let this entire country watch the finale of one of its finest popular entertainments at the same time. You won’t regret it! In fact, it’s practically your patriotic duty. God bless you, ABC, and god bless the United States of America.

Love,

Your loyal West Coast LOST Fans.

MORE TOO MUCH LOST

• The Key To Season 6 of LOST, Part 4
• The Key To Season 6 of LOST, Part 3
• The Key To Season 6 of LOST, Part 2
• The Key To Season 6 of LOST
• The Top 40 TV Shows of the 2000s
• Are TV Show Promos Mostly Evil or Pure Evil?
• The First Great Debate of 2007: Lost vs. Heroes