I'm looking forward to tonight, and I know that it will end in a cliffhanger so that we tune in when it comes back on, but I really hope this episode "wows" me.

Not sure if I'm in the minority, but so far this season hasn't really excited me like the last 2 held me.

C'mon Lost - kick our asses with greatness so that we will be dying for February to come around.

Yeah! Take a page from the BSG playbook and end like their mid-season cliffhanger in Season 2.

And why the hell are they pulling the show for 3 months??!!? Production costs?

Just their way of stretching it out for the full season. Most procedural shows can show repeats with no problem, Serials can't pull it off - it's either this or 4 weeks on, 1 week off.

I was bored through much of last season, this season has been, imo, a huge improvement.

To prevent the "stop and go" seasons that they've had in the past, and show all the shows in a row. It's exactly what fans have been asking for over the last two years.

So production costs then?

No, it's just standard practice since a season is usually 24 - 26 episodes and lasts from Fall thru Spring.

All shows that start in the fall do it, it's just less noticeable when there isn't continuity. Lost's ratings plunged after it started the 2 - 4 week breaks (the show started with 22m viewers at the beginning of the year, after a few of the holding patterns, it was down to 14m).

So, basically production costs. Thanks.

Nope, not at all. No Problem!

Gives em time to write their scripts and shoot the remaining episodes too.

Are they still planning on doing 22 eps this season?

No.

A TV season has about 36-40 weeks (Sept-May)

But TV shows have about 22 episodes



To make 22 episodes last 40 weeks, either you have a lot of reruns or take ahiatus like this

Right. But why do you think they don't have 36-40 episodes as opposed to only 22? Sure, time (to write, etc.) may be the biggest reason, but cost is right up there. So, yeah... production cost is one of the reasons.

That's an entirely different question.

I don't know of any scripted prime time network show that has more than 22-24 episodes. I think there may be a soap on that new startup network that goes 5 times a week. So it's not like Lost is different in this regard.

That's cool. We'll leave it at that.

Yeah, production cost is probably the most likely reason. Many years ago, prime-time shows used to have more episodes per season. For example, Star Trek (TOS) had 29 episodes during its first season, the original Outer Limits had 32 episodes in its first season, and years early than either of those, Perry Mason had an astonishing 39 (!) episodes in its first season. But eventually 22 or 24 episodes became the norm for most network TV series. Production cost is the main reason for this, part of which I would attribute the demand by audiences for better production values in shows. Because a show that has "feature quality" production values doesn't come cheaply or quickly.

Actually time is the problem. It takes about a 22-25 days to make an episode of LOST. It's amazing that they manage to make as many episodes as they do. Production costs are alot more these days, but time is the main reason. We have seen a jump in episodes of a few dramas in the past few years. Grey's Anatomy had 27 episodes last year. LOST has had 23 the past few, which is more than I would expect.

With the way they keep segmenting the characters on LOST, it seems pretty clear to me that they'd need even more characters or even more and smaller groups of characters locked into episodes with one another in order to give us much more show. I don't think that the audience would tolerate either thing.

The only reason Grey's Anatomy had 27 episodes in season 2 was because the last 4 episodes of season 1's 13-episode order were held back after it ended with 9 episodes in season 1 at a natural cliffhanger. Otherwise, GA only had 23 episode for season 2's production slate.

Jack was killing me when his diss of Benry's health problems.

A couple of interesting events, but pretty underwhelming in my opinion:

sawyer.... unprotected sex with his 2nd woman in about 10 days

mad pimpin

Damn Ben is getting a live amatuer porno. I hope he is recording it.

Maybe he pulls out before it comes

any truth to the rumor that they are considering cutting episodes from the 'second half' of this season b/c ratings are down too much? the wife said she heard it on the news while was doing something else and it was just on, so she wasn't sure. sounds bogus to me though.

There's 16 episodes starting in Feb. And ratings are up compared to the second season average by around 2 million (the 2nd season dipped pretty badly once they started with the breaks). 22 Episodes for the season.

I enjoyed the episode, didn't progress a whole lot, but as TV goes, it was a good watch.

They said 16 new episodes starting Feb. 7, 2007.

The "finale" was just a cliffhanger. Poor Ben, just laying there helpless while mean ol' grumpy Jack buys Kate some time. (I am not sure Sawyer was in the deal).

Capt. Tightpants' appearance was pretty ordinary.