Finally some news for fans of Lost.
TV Tonight can confirm the series will return in a 10:30pm timeslot in the week of February 8th.
Prior to its launch Seven will screen a special, Lost: Destiny Calls.
This is a one hour clip special that searches for “answers to the unsolved mysteries of the island and it’s inhabitants (I thought the show itself did that?).
“Will the Oceanic 6 return to the island in order to save those left behind? Locating the island may prove even more difficult since Ben moved it. It’s not just a question of where it went… but when.”
It screens at the rather late time of 12:30am Mon Feb 2 (that’s a Sunday night for all you schoolies).
The special and a two hour season premiere airs in the US on January 21 (Thursday Aus time).
like lost show i did miss some are you putting more on?
Benno, I know that there’s no way the networks can win back my respect and viewership or probably anyone elses. Since I got a PS3, I’ve been enjoying downloaded shows so much and have been taping things off TV a lot less (the only thing I taped this week was Holby Blue). But I only download things that aren’t available on DVD yet.
Ben Ben, I’m surprised they’re showing Private Practice at all. Considering what they did with it last time, I thought they’d stick it as a Summer show (I’m talking about next Summer).
I have no faith that 7 will show Lost without taking it off.
People deriding Lost for being a low rated show should realise that Seven can shoulder most of the blame for that for a) Shoving it to 9.30 in the northern states behind Heroes for the duration of the State of Origin season in 2007
Keeping it at 9.30 behind the most woeful waste of money in the history of network television “Out of the Question”, nothing can come back from having that show as a lead in – if you put 60 Minutes on after Out of the Question I guarantee you 60 minutes would be cancelled in three weeks.
Now granted there was some audience erosion due to the show’s own dithering in the first half of Season 3, but that trickle away of viewers turned into a flood once Glenn Robbins got involved.
No one cares about Private Practice so why the hell put it before Lost, really what the hell
Sephiroth_FF, i certainly know about the pathetic download caps that ISPs (especially telstra) provide. Even the people who can’t download their favourite shows yet, as soon as they can, they will make no hesitation in bypassing the networks forever. That’s why no matter how well the networks treat shows from now on, i’m still not coming back. In short, they shouldn’t give people a reason to leave them, and they’ve provided too many to count.
Scheduling Lost in the 10:30pm slot is dumb. I don’t think it’s going to last long. I’m amazed Prison Break last as long as it did at that time. I don’t think Lost will though. It didn’t rate well last season. What makes them think it’ll be like that this season? It could rate better. Why don’t they try it in an earlier slot first?
Benno, the Aussie ISP’s are ridiculing us with the pathetic download limits they give us. This is supposed to be 2009 and everything is backward in this country. The networks know that not everyone will download and try to screw us as much as they can but it’s getting easier and easier to download TV shows so they better pull their socks up.
I don’t classify 400-500k viewers in a 10.30pm slot as ‘sacrificing money’. The whole theory that they could put something else on and manipulate the timing which makes them **slightly** more money and viewers is what screwed up and is continuing to screw up Australian FTA TV. In this day and age, where spoilers are abound, they will have to learn that what the audience wants, it gets.
I have a Foxtel iQ (non-HD) and a 2GB/month limit on my B-Band internet (so torrenting is out of the question). I never watch anything live (commercials just annoy me now). So long as a channel shows a program within a couple of weeks of it starting in the US (remember, they often go in into repeats in the US in March and April) I’m happy.
jimmyboy, people are saying that 7 are being generous because they are sacrificing money and ratings putting on a low rating show when they could just as easily put a good rating show on which makes twice the ratings (and possibly money) and pushed lost to midnight.
so for 10:30 we should be very thankful, but obviously it is not appreciated so it will probably go to midnight during next summer.
and two weeks behind is very competitive, it will be the most fasttracked drama on australian television which is usually only a luxury for big raters.
yes people have every right to download what they want, but if they’re not going to support the actual telecast they have no right to complain about the bad ratings and timeslot.
I expect we will be playing hide and seek with Lost this year
Those of you thanking Seven for their generosity make me giggle. Seven makes money from advertisers, they are not a charity, they are not airing Lost out of the goodness of their hearts.
Networks have to start adjusting to the current digital climate. Running two weeks behind isn’t being competitive with the few hours it takes to d/l a fresh episode off the net. This isn’t 1994 where getting a VHS tape off an American friend was the fastest way to watch your fave show.
Some people can wait 2 weeks, others like myself are steeped in anticipation and want it ASAP. Nothing wrong with that, we support the show by buying the DVDs/BluRays when they’re released.
And yes, good point about the OzTam peoplemeters, they are the folks who have an actual effect on the system.
Less than 24 hours until Season 5 premiere!!
my god whats the point of showing something new if its at 12:30 at night and then 10:30. id expect it to be filled to the brim of those mobile and adult adverts, which isnt really ideal if you have to record and you have younger people around watching it. id much rather it replace ghost whisperer or whatever is on earlier on thursday nights, i mean come on i know ive had enough of watching shows about ghosts, hospitals and cops and crime and any show that isnt based around that is pushed back and axed i.e prison break, fringe, heroes. Thank goodness we will be upgrading to a 50GB 1500/256 broadband plan next month, staying up late or recording is simply not an option when i have TEE exams this year. Lets pray they dont stuff up their new digital channels
Great news, love lost. Do you David if what Seanie says is true about 7′s Thur line-up of Ghost Whisperer, Greys Anatomy and Private Practice is true. Thanks
The sooner we get bigger download limits, the sooner networks are screwed.
With a 10Gb limit on NextG wireless and no access to ADSL I’ll be recording Lost and a number of other shows that are ‘fast tracked’ I’ve even thought about getting a 2nd PVR to make life easier. But it’s good to know there is the DL option if all else fails.
I was actually hoping it was Sundays until I realized that the time F1 is on when the season gets started. I just hope it doesn’t conflict with my other FTA or PayTV shows, at least on Pay there is normally the option of recording it later in the week.
The sooner we get better data limits in this country the better, it will make life a lot easier.
David says “that’s why the article noted in the week of Feb 8th”…
Right, sorry about that, that’s a good point.
I’m just worried 7 will interrupt the season half-way through. Otherwise I would probably just record Lost, since I can’t watch it at that time…though the ‘ole video recorder has past its prime. So I can’t decide whether to download the show or tape it.
Could anyone please give me any feedback, or responses?
Should I download or record?
I’m just thoroughly excited to see the next season of Lost!
I understand the reasons behind downloading the show given that we’re a time-poor society with access to viewing alternatives, but equally, I am one of those viewers who enjoys the weekly build-up to the show.
10:30pm may be tad late for certain people, but given the ratings for the show in 2008 (let’s face it, it’s not a universally adored show) I’m just impressed that we’re seeing it at all.
Can’t wait to see Kate, Jack, Sawyer and Sahid back in my living room!
Adam, that’s why the article noted “in the week of Feb 8th.” This is not unusual practice.
When a day / time is advised I will post ‘Returning: Lost’ but the article was actually about the Lost special.
well it appears i have been controversial.
RichoTB, if you think that whether or not people download does not effect the ratings or timetable then 7 may aswell air it in december and get a whole bunch more money putting something else on Thurs(?) 10:30.
all i’m saying is that if your going to download it, you were probably going to download it no matter what the network did, that is your choice. so why take it out on them.
Has anyone here realised that February 8th is a Sunday, and that they haven’t told us which day of the week Lost will be on?
And as for the case of downloads or television, this year i think i will be downloading Lost (for the first time), for this main reason:
10:30pm is a very unreliable timeslot. There is no guarantee the show will stay at that time all season, or move to a later one. Also, if the show goes the way of “Prison Break” or “Heroes”, they’ll show a few episodes, and then hold over the rest of the season till July or August…they might even stop showing the season altogether.
That’s why they call 10:30 time the “death timeslot”
Patty says “I’m not a big fan of downloads at all, I’d rather see my shows in quality picture and sound…”
The 720p HD files of Lost that will be available will be so far ahead in picture quality compared to Seven’s (who will only be showing Lost in SD at that timeslot) and sound quality (5.1 compared to stereo) that really, you should be looking at downloads more closely if you want quality picture and sound.
I fully applaud Seven’s as-fast-as-possible-tracking with Lost this year, but I do not applaud their crap alternate programming on 7HD that has meant for a year or more now that all the quality non-blockbuster shows miss out on an HD airing in Australia.
For those saying it’s the best they can do – one word: multichannels. They are permitted now, you know…..
It’ll be a busy download that’s for sure, more so than prison break or heroes.
With the ‘downloaders have ruined it for everyone’ take, i disagree. Channel seven is a network which should have seen this coming, but they continued to show contempt for their viewers. I mean from a peak of 2.5 million to only retaining about 500k. They really screwed up this show big time, people got fed up, they searched elsewhere. If they wanted to retain more viewers, perhaps they should have treated them better.
Will be seeing it. Timeslot does not bother me.
It’s still not close enough for me to not.. ummm fly to the USA and watch the episodes there…
Its odd a year or so ago, i would record shows, like heroes, prison break, whatever on seven. now this current season, it makes more sense to.. ummm fly to the states to watch the shows.
It is the best Channel Swven can do because of the tennis and I respect that, but with a show like Lost, you need do download it fast otherwise sites like Lostpedia are useless to me. I will be watching the double premiere on my computer Thursday evening. I will stop downloading if Seven get back to within 1 week of the US like last year. But I heard the show will air whole seasons with no breaks.
@Dragonchik, downloaders have not “ruined the show for everyone”. When ppl say stuff like this it makes them sound like a load of senile self-righteous technophobic old women. A lot of the ppl moaning about downloaders fail to realise that them watching the show or not watching the show doesn’t make a difference to the show’s ratings or programming schedule, its only the people with OzTam People Meters in their homes that count. I highly doubt you have one in your home, so using your logic, you are among those ppl who “ruin the show for everyone” because you don’t contribute. Pot calling kettle black much??
In the end, I reckon Ryan has the best point. Ppl will watch this show the way they want and debating over their methods is silly and tedious (I am aware I have been among those in this debate) as no one will change their stance based on text in the comments section of a blog.
Seems a lot of Lost fans fighting amongst themselves! Seriously everyone needs to grow up and just enjoy the show for what it is – an awesome show!
I will be downloading the series, as I do not want to wait (call me impatient) – however I feel there are enough reasons against waiting.
- Commercials (makes a 42min show generally over an hour)
- Start time of 10.30pm (we all know they generally start at 10:40 or 10:45)
- No guarantee it will even stay at 10:30pm
- Spoilers (as has been discussed, tough to check out websites or fan sites, without being spoiled)
But that is my decision and the decision of those to wait is fine too – however you want to watch it is the best way for you!
Just enjoy the show!!!!!!!!
Yeah, finally good news!
It’s good to see a change of pace from the frequent complaints against programmers. There are some who complain a show turned around in just a week is not fastracking, or fast enough for them. Compared to history we’ve come a long way in roughly two years.
Lost is a show that requires a speedy turnaround due to its storyline secrets and audience that skews young. Seven appears to understand this and while it doesn’t have a perfect record with Lost, this is a good start for 2009.
this is great news thank you 7, its so good to see lost so close to the US air date and in a better timeslot than it deserves, (ratingswise not quality)
gee, aren’t we a grumpy bunch. maybe if you guys didn’t download it after 7′s immense generosity to the fans it would be on at a better timeslot. seriously you downloaders have no right to complain, you have really ruined it for everyone. as if you can’t wait 2 weeks!
good to see that 7 are not too absorbed in their success and are still giving the stragglers a chance.
Well I am so happy that Lost is going to be shown after all. I’m not one of those impatient types who just wants everything now, i’m happy to wait a few weeks. (might skip the special though)
@Stevie: Its a bit rich calling someone a ‘nerd’ for simply downloading a TV show. Some could say that the nerd is the one who stays up until 11:30pm on a weeknight to watch it. I can’t speak for everyone, but I’m usually out on Thursday nights. People actually have social lives, believe it or not, and have better things to do than to watch a show until close to midnight on a weekday. My family has a 60GB download limit, there’s no reason why I shouldn’t use that bandwidth as I wish. Keep your stereotypes to yourself
RichoTB, not a 7 plant I’m afraid, my point was compared to years ago when we were months often years behind the US(still are for most US shows, or we never see them) 2 of my favorite shows, lost and 24 are actually half decent.
They still treat shows like scrubs and 30 rock like rubbish but in this instance I’m pretty happy to have those in a reasonable time period. I’m not a big fan of downloads at all, I’d rather see my shows in quality picture and sound even though that sometimes means getting DVD’s from the US or UK before FTA airs them here
On ya Patti. I’m with you. I love Lost, its one of my favorites. But I scoff at those impatient internet nerds that can’t wait two weeks. Remember we used to have to wait a few months, not that long ago. 10.30s not great, but Seven have a history of showing cult shows consistently at that time, Buffy and Angel were prime examples.
10.30 too late for us working folk
Downloads it is!!! But nice of 7 to deliver so close to US premier. 2 weeks is a great turn around time, considering the tennis.
i’d agree with the people calling the complainers “spoilt children” ch7 are being so generous airing such a low rating show in a prime (thursday) 10:30 position, any other show could have rated so much better (and therefore $$$ profit) but they are making a sacrifice for the fans, a move that rarely happen these days and should be applauded, and yet you guys complain.
and with only 2-3 weeks between US and Aus come february will be the most fasttracked shows on Australian television (daylies excluded). and people still complain. what will it take for you to be happy. you can’t seriously ask them to interrupt their tennis coverage for some sci-fi cult show that few watch.
this in the hands of 9 or 10 would have disappeared, foxtelled, or put at midnight or HD-only in a matter of days just like hotel babylon, weeds, damages, fringe, nip/tuck, daisies, chuck, terminator, gossip girl, 90210. i personally am extremely happy that lost fell in the hands of 7 otherwise we would have missed out on such a great show.
2 weeks behind the US is nothing. Just look at Dexter ch10 is yet to screen S2 when S3 has finished in the US. Or what ch9 did with Gossip Girl.
I know there can be issues when you follow a show closely and like chatting with people online, I’m still waiting on Gilmore Girls to finish on ch9. Thank God I didn’t wait for that and saw the final season 2 years ago.
Lets face it if a show doesn’t rate of the networks think a different show can pull in more people then it’s gone.
I’ll wait for Lost this season but if I have ADSL and a higher data limit I would probably get this and watch it at my own pace and not be bound by ch7.
So do we think it will be on Thursday nights?
It’s airing in New Zealand at 8:30 Wednesday nights…as it has since it began.
“and with none of those awful bright white diagonal now/next things you vandalise your shows with” – neonkitten
Yeah they’re pretty bad. Out of the US networks (i haven’t watched a downloaded ABC show, yet), CBS does the least annoying ‘now, next’ after the commercial break. They’re on screen for less time than the others and relatively transparent.
I’m sorry for a show that has only it’s core cultish fans left – 10.30 slot and 2 weeks behind the US is pretty damn good! What more do you want?
And if you watch it no matter what what difference does it make to you what timeslot it is in?
Nice inclusion of ‘Thursday Aus Time’. Duly noted for obvious reasons. With the way 7 screwed over Prison Break fans, not to mention not knowing whether it will start on time or not (does it ever?), i’ll stick to the trusty downloads. My first time downloading lost. How excitement. The weeks between each episode will be different than i’m used to for this show. I watched each of the earlier seasons within 2 weeks for each season through DVD.
PS, for those people calling us ‘spoiled brats’, it’s networks like channel seven that effectively pushed us to search elsewhere. We just want our favourite shows with no hassles, and their appalling track record proves that they can’t be trusted. Also, being three weeks behind with a show such as lost means that you can’t freely look online at fan sites without coming across spoilers.
yay. i love lost. and so happy it is at 10:30 thank you seven, there were people predicting 11:30 or later. now that it’s more fasttracked maybe 10:30 will serve it better. yes 10:30 is past the time i would usually like to be in bed, but a any true lost fan should be willing to do the hours. it is worth it. and if it isn’t, just tape it.
i hope there is a bit of promotion, it doesn’t have to go through the whole series maybe just a few adds in the lead up to the first episode just to raise awareness, would serve the whole season well.
I thought they might delay it or something. This is great news! Seven once again show they are great for cult shows.
Yep, agree with both R and Patty. Whilst Lost is not the ideal timeslot, atleast it is going to get played out within weeks of the US. I know I won’t be wasting my download limit on it.
Imagine if this show were on 9, it would have had 5 episodes in primetime, before being moved to another slot, saved till summer then axed from the schedule completely. Ten isn’t much better, they used to have HD as a dumping ground, now their failed shows like 90210 are just gathering dust.
I’m not saying 7 are perfect, they have made some shocking programming decisions in the past, but atleast Lost still has a timeslot, and will be played out, which is better treatment than any other FTA network would have given it.
@Patty (possible Seven plant): You don’t know what you’re talking about, Seven may be slightly more reliable than the other networks but they are by no means “streaks above the rest”. Saying they air their shows “never more than a couple of months behind and usually much better than that” only showcases your own ignorance, they annoyed fans all over the nation when they held over Heroes episodes from season 2 9 months after they aired in the US, and did the same thing with Prison Break’s final 5 season 3 eps which aired 6 months after the US in a moronic 10:30pm timeslot with little to no promotion that led to the show’s drop in ratings. Then there’s the way they chopped and screwed with other shows like The Unit (airing season 4 whilst leaving season 3 unfinished), Ugly Betty (more timeslot changes than you can shake a stick at) and other silly programming decisions like airing Criminal Minds 3 times a week. Sure, that’s nowhere near as bad as 2.5 men 10 times a week but its still shows a lack of respect for the audience. Plus, many viewers of the show are not OzTam families, so it makes no difference whether we tune into the show or not. You may as well start crying about the ppl who tape the shows and watch them later and start calling them “impatient spoilt children” as well. Plus, some people have jobs or go to uni and have the sense not to waste time waiting up until 11:30pm to watch a show they can acquire better elsewhere.
What’s with australian TV networks, they’re turning american.
10:30pm is a horribly late timeslot for a great show like Lost.
Im perfectly ok with it airing about 2 weeks after the US because of the tennis, but I just wish 7 would put it at 930 which is slightly more decent.
Anyway it won’t affect me too much cause i just tape all my shows now.
Thank you David and ch7, I can wait a few weeks to see it.
10:30pm is not that bad, given the ratings it got last time.
Completely agree with you Patty, half the people here are acting like spoilt children. Sure 10.30 isnt ideal but if im too tired to stay up/dont want to be buggered for work the next morning, i’ll just set the HD recorder. Easy. Three weeks behind isnt too bad, i’d rather wait than waste my download cpa.
Urgh. That really sucks. I have school then, and I live 30 minutes away from it so I have to sleep by 11. I guess I’ll have to either download or tape it then. I was really hoping Seven would give it another chance. It’s good that they’re bringing it on not too late though!
So, 10.30pm slot, hmm?
That means Lost this year in SD only, while repeat #23 of “Urban Legends” or similar clogs up 7HD.
Screw that, Seven, it’ll look great in crisp 720p HD (and with none of those awful bright white diagonal now/next things you vandalise your shows with) from the usual torrent sites, weeks before it airs here.
Good luck finding an audience for this one “After The Tennis (TM)”
@seanie, there isn’t really a standout tip for tuesday 10:30 so maybe the premier will be then, i’m sure 7 will be interested in airing it as fast as possible. but then again i’m sure a cult show like lost wouldn’t need a good lead, good leads are only really important for “stumbleapon” shows.
thank god it will be aired early, i wonder why it didn’t make the announcement with 24, eli and ghost whisperer.
what a bunch of impatient spoilt children alot of us have become. I can only speak for myself but I think this is pretty good, How can we expect ch 7 to treat the show any better if all the fans just download it cause they need it ‘now’ and don’t give them the ratings they want.
Good on you channel 7, I think this is quite reasonable they are streaks above the rest, Lost and 24 are 2 shows that the network has always treated quite well, never more than a couple of months behind and usually much better than that and I look forward to watching them both in February
just read on the lost message boards at channel 7 that someone rang up prime and was told lost would be airing wednesday nights.
Why bother airing the special at all if they’re going to air it at 12.30 in the morning? Would have been the perfect special to draw new viewers in or maybe entice back viewers who’ve been impatient with not getting any resolution. That’s one strong Thursday night line-up, however, except for maybe Private Practice, but with Grey’s as a lead in it could do much better this year as the sister show).
well thats a relief that they’re airing it ASAP, when it wasn’t included in that other post i was worried. i hope they air 2 eps a week for 2 weeks to catch up or something.
Good news! I can live with being three weeks behind the US, but any more than a month and I would have been downloading as I did with Survivor Gabon. Now I can put my monthly quota towards stuff we’ll never see here on FTA.
Hooray. So bloody Channel 7 will be two weeks behind. Stuff that, I’ll be downloading the premiere and watching both episodes in all their glory on Friday.
If it stays on Thursday’s at 10.30, it’s going to be an odd pairing with 7.30 Ghost Whisperer, 8.30 Grey’s Anatomy, 9.30 Private Practice – which have all been confirmed from promos over the last couple days.
what a ridiculous timeslot. what are seven doing? I’m downloading it this week, no way I’m waiting until Feb for seven to screw it up :S
i love you channel 7! why can’t 9 or 10 deliver on shows the way 7 does, expect 7 to win the year again, they aren’t perfect but they have more respect for viewers than the others and are more in touch with what we want.
Haven’t seen any ads on Channel 7 re this.