ABC's not lost

The Writers Guild of America strike is still screwing up our lives, even though it’s been over for two months and our favorite shows are almost all back. The strike might have cut “Lost” fans the deepest. \nOur favorite time-bending island mystery only planned on having 16 episodes this season anyway, but the strike cut that number to an even smaller 13. As “Lost” fans know, less is never more, even if executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse promised the story would just be more accelerated. Much worse, the show was scheduled to only receive a one-hour finale. One-hour finales aren’t something “Lost” does. \nThankfully, ABC has stepped in to solve some of these woes and to prove yet again why it’s the best major network, regardless of ratings or revenue. “Lost” has been given an extra episode so the season finale can be just as it should – two hours (or three, if you count the episode before, which is reportedly strongly connected). \nThis was a tremendous decision for many reasons. First of all, it gives the producers an opportunity to flesh out the story for this year a bit further and bring it closer to the original plan that would have covered 16 hours. No qualms would have arisen about the plot moving at a rapid-fire pace, but it’s good to know that we won’t have to wait until next season for a few points to be revealed. And obviously, this is excellent news for fans, who will be able to enjoy one more hour of the best show on television.\nBut maybe more importantly, this choice speaks to how aware ABC and company president Steve McPherson are of their product and its fans. This move is being made because the producers of the show realized the story wouldn’t be given its proper due, and they were gutsy enough to ask for more for the fans and themselves. No production staff is more in tune with the thoughts and needs of its audience, and that’s why the show continues to get better. \nAnd the brass at the alphabet network obviously aren’t doing this for any sort of monetary reason. Sure, “Lost” brings in a good amount of advertising revenue, but the two-hour finale won’t even air until after Memorial Day, when the too-crucial sweeps period is over. You wouldn’t see nearly worthless networks like NBC do this with any of their \ntop-tier shows.\nInstead, ABC understands that even with somewhat disappointing Nielsen ratings – but easily the most improving ratings for DVR views – this season of “Lost” depicts the show at its creative height, and things are only going to get better from here. The network has so much pride and confidence in the show because it is darn good, not necessarily because it’s the most popular. \nThe lesson here is that “Lost” continues to revolutionize TV, not just by what’s put out there on the airwaves.