"Lost" - Producer J.J. Abrams ("Alias") has found ratings gold for ABC with this new dramatic series that combines elements of "The Twilight Zone" with a dramatic interpretation of "The Gilligan's Island" concept.
Matthew Fox ("Party of Five") stars as Jack, a doctor and one of 40+ strangers stranded on a desert island after their plane crashes some 1,000 miles off course. This ensemble drama follows has 14 main characters and many other supporting characters, giving Abrams plenty of plot lines to choose from. Besides Fox, others in the cast include Dominic Monaghan ("Lord of the Rings") and Harold Perrineau ("Oz").
Early episodes have taken the time to tell the back-story of one of the main characters and give us a glimpse into their lives before and during the plane crash. Time goes by slowly with each episode spanning only a day or two of their time on the island. In typical Abrams fashion, nothing is as it seems.
"Lost" has already become one of the breakout hits of the season. If these stribg ratings continue, don't count on these people getting off their deserted island any time soon.
"Lost" airs Wednesday evenings at 8 p.m. PST on ABC. For more info on "Lost," please see the official Web site at http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/index.h...
"Jack and Bobby" - Can a drama about teen angst and politics succeed? If any show has the pedigree for this formula, "Jack and Bobby" does. It is produced by Greg Berianti and Mickey Lidell ("Everwood") and Thomas Schlame ("The West Wing").
16 year-old newcomer Matt Long stars as Jack and 13 year-old Logan Lerman stars as Bobby, two brothers coming of age with an overbearing but well-meaning single mom. Emmy-winning actress Christime Lahti plays their mom to perfection, a professor who is the most popular professor on campus.
The catch here is that one of the boys eventually grows up to be president. Each episode looks back on his life from the year 2041 to now via a brief documentary style interview. The flash back and forward effect lets viewers see how their lives eventually turn out with the bulk of each episode showing how things all got started.
If that sounds confusing, don't let it. The flash-forward segments are short and make sense in the way they are handled in each episode. They do, however, spoil some of the surprise. It is the younger brother Bobby who eventually becomes president of the United States, not Jack. Via the flash-forward segments of the show we also learn that Jack dies an early death in adulthood, though we do not yet know how.
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