Overview

A comprehensive and critical companion to the blockbuster TV show LOST, revisiting its core themes, lore, and impact on culture Before it premiered in the fall of 2004, LOST looked doomed to be an expensive, disastrous plane crash of a TV show. Instead, LOST was a massive hit, debuting with the biggest audience for a new drama on ABC in over a decade, reaching heights of over 23 million viewers at its peak, and holding on to a hefty fan-base for its entire six-season run. The elements that made the series seem like a boondoggle proved, instead, to be a big part of its appeal. Audiences loved the exotic island setting, became invested in the morally compromised characters, and feverishly tried to unravel the show’s many mysteries. In LOST: Back to the Island, TV critics and veteran LOST recappers Emily St. James and Noel Murray revisit what made the show such a success and an object of enduring cultural obsession, twenty years later. Through essays, episode summaries, and cultural analysis, they take us back to the island and examine LOST’s lasting impact—and its complicated, sometimes controversial legacy—with a clear-eyed and lively investigation. For fans of one of the most successful and highly discussed shows in recent memory, LOST: Back to the Island is both a delightful time capsule and a rousing work of entertainment criticism.

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9781419750502

Table of Contents

Reviews

“Noel and Emily masterfully take us back to the island to celebrate every high, try to understand every low, and remind us what it was like to love LOST.” * ALAN SEPINWALL, Chief TV Critic for Rolling Stone, and author of Welcome to the O.C.: The Oral Histo * “The essential retrospective survey of LOST for its 20th anniversary, a deep dive analysis and thoughtful reassessment of what made the show one of TV’s most captivating, inspired, and messiest masterpieces so dang fun—and sometimes so damn maddening—to watch, discuss, and lose our minds over. Their endless curiosity aboutLOST and their desire to hack and glean its significance captures the spirit of discovery and fascination that gripped audiences in its earliest days. Even better, their nuanced commentaries—suffused with rich knowledge of the medium and their maturity as critics—help us see more clearly a show whose best meanings and artfulness were often obscured by its strategies for managing so many mysteries and the crazed, unchecked theorizing of certain zealous fans. Perfect for those new to the island and need a guide to navigate its maze of haunted monuments and secret-stuffed hatches—and for those of us who never left.” * JEFF JENSEN, former Entertainment Weekly TV Critic, graphic novelist, and TV writer *

“Spirited commentary . . . the best selections feel like lively debates with fellow superfans . . . Discerning and fun, this will delight anyone who’s gotten into a heated discussion about the show’s many mysteries.” * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY * “Any fan of the landmark TV series Lost will be happy to head back to the island and dive into the intricacies of the show and its remarkable impact on TV.” * PARADE, Most Anticipated of Fall 2024 * “Noel and Emily masterfully take us back to the island to celebrate every high, try to understand every low, and remind us what it was like to love LOST.” * ALAN SEPINWALL, Chief TV Critic for Rolling Stone, and author of Welcome to the O.C.: The Oral History * “The essential retrospective survey of LOST for its 20th anniversary, a deep dive analysis and thoughtful reassessment of what made the show one of TV’s most captivating, inspired, and messiest masterpieces so dang fun—and sometimes so damn maddening—to watch, discuss, and lose our minds over. Their endless curiosity about LOST and their desire to hack and glean its significance captures the spirit of discovery and fascination that gripped audiences in its earliest days. Even better, their nuanced commentaries—suffused with rich knowledge of the medium and their maturity as critics—help us see more clearly a show whose best meanings and artfulness were often obscured by its strategies for managing so many mysteries and the crazed, unchecked theorizing of certain zealous fans. Perfect for those new to the island and need a guide to navigate its maze of haunted monuments and secret-stuffed hatches—and for those of us who never left.” * JEFF JENSEN, former Entertainment Weekly TV Critic, graphic novelist, and TV writer *

“Noel and Emily masterfully take us back to the island to celebrate every high, try to understand every low, and remind us what it was like to love LOST.” * ALAN SEPINWALL, Chief TV Critic for Rolling Stone, and author of Welcome to the O.C.: The Oral Histo * “The essential retrospective survey of LOST for its 20th anniversary, a deep dive analysis and thoughtful reassessment of what made the show one of TV’s most captivating, inspired, and messiest masterpieces so dang fun—and sometimes so damn maddening—to watch, discuss, and lose our minds over. Their endless curiosity aboutLOST and their desire to hack and glean its significance captures the spirit of discovery and fascination that gripped audiences in its earliest days. Even better, their nuanced commentaries—suffused with rich knowledge of the medium and their maturity as critics—help us see more clearly a show whose best meanings and artfulness were often obscured by its strategies for managing so many mysteries and the crazed, unchecked theorizing of certain zealous fans. Perfect for those new to the island and need a guide to navigate its maze of haunted monuments and secret-stuffed hatches—and for those of us who never left.” * JEFF JENSEN, former Entertainment Weekly TV Critic, graphic novelist, and TV writer * “Spirited commentary . . . the best selections feel like lively debates with fellow superfans . . . Discerning and fun, this will delight anyone who’s gotten into a heated discussion about the show’s many mysteries.” * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *

“Spirited commentary . . . the best selections feel like lively debates with fellow superfans . . . Discerning and fun, this will delight anyone who’s gotten into a heated discussion about the show’s many mysteries.” * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY * “I heartily recommend it to anyone looking to re-take the journey of Lost through affectionate, thoughtful commentary and conversation about the show.” * ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY * “Any fan of the landmark TV series Lost will be happy to head back to the island and dive into the intricacies of the show and its remarkable impact on TV.” * PARADE, Most Anticipated of Fall 2024 * “A new book from TV critics Emily St. James and Noel Murray that offers an insightful retrospective on one of the most iconic television shows of the 21st century so far.” * BOING BOING * “Noel and Emily masterfully take us back to the island to celebrate every high, try to understand every low, and remind us what it was like to love LOST.” * ALAN SEPINWALL, Chief TV Critic for Rolling Stone, and author of Welcome to the O.C.: The Oral History * “The essential retrospective survey of LOST for its 20th anniversary, a deep dive analysis and thoughtful reassessment of what made the show one of TV’s most captivating, inspired, and messiest masterpieces so dang fun—and sometimes so damn maddening—to watch, discuss, and lose our minds over. Their endless curiosity about LOST and their desire to hack and glean its significance captures the spirit of discovery and fascination that gripped audiences in its earliest days. Even better, their nuanced commentaries—suffused with rich knowledge of the medium and their maturity as critics—help us see more clearly a show whose best meanings and artfulness were often obscured by its strategies for managing so many mysteries and the crazed, unchecked theorizing of certain zealous fans. Perfect for those new to the island and need a guide to navigate its maze of haunted monuments and secret-stuffed hatches—and for those of us who never left.” * JEFF JENSEN, former Entertainment Weekly TV Critic, graphic novelist, and TV writer *

Author Information

Emily St. James is a writer and cultural critic, currently writing on the TV series Yellowjackets. During her journalism career, she served as the critic-at-large for Vox and the first TV editor of the A.V. Club. Her work has also appeared in the New York Times, Vanity Fair, and Vulture. She is the co-author of Monsters of the Week: The Complete Critical Companion to The X-Files. Her debut novel, Woodworking, arrives in early 2025. She lives in Los Angeles. Noel Murray has been a freelance pop culture critic and reporter for over thirty years and was a key contributor to the influential websites The A.V. Club and The Dissolve. His writing about TV, movies, music, comics, and more has appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Vulture, Entertainment Weekly, and Rolling Stone. He lives in central Arkansas.

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