h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I thought I'd bring this up since we are on the subject of Buffy/Angel illuminati's new projects. Albet this is a writer's one rather than an actor's one.

Anyone who has been watching Channel 4 recently will probably have seen the adverts for "Lost" which features the heavy involvement of one David Fury.

It's had good write ups in the states and an Emmy nomination for one of the episodes and from what I've seen they are all deserved.

Watching that particular space is highly recomended

It has a website and quite a fan base in the US. It will be good if ch4 can lose its obsession with trashy big brother style phone in programs and get back to decent drama or comedy.

C

Here in Holland they've already shown several eps, and I can vouch for it. It's excellent! Although I've read that David Fury left after the first season, there are more tie-ins with the Whedonverse. One of the regulars on the show is Daniel Dae Kim, who played evil lawyer Gavin Park on 'Angel'. There are also rumours that Emma Caulfield will guest star in several episodes. And a non-Buffy cult heroine who makes a few appearances is Mira Furlan (Delenn from 'Babylon 5').

Don't miss it if you can help it!

Well, have they started broadcasting 'Lost' already on your side of the Channel? And if so, what do you think of it?

Channel 4 have shown five episodes so far, so I think we're sufficiently grounded to offer some comments on it.

Firstly, if you're going to enjoy this show properly, I reckon you have to take more than a pinch of salt with you (perhaps a handful?) because the coincidences and unusual occurrences are frequent enough to stretch credibility. Me? I don't believe everything has to be realistic just so it can be a good show - after all, it worked with Buffy, didn't it?

So far we've had such things as a guy whose paralysis was cured because of the plane crash, the same guy tackling a wild boar and winning, a dog that managed to be brought onto the plane and even rescued, items such as the handcuffs conveniently showing up when really you'd expect them to be lost forever, a guy who sees his dead father and follows him to reveal his albeit bodyless coffin, along with a fresh water supply he just happened to be looking for.....etc. Bascially what I'm saying is that if you can suspend your disbelief at all of this, it makes for a very good drama and, as you'd expect, extremely well crafted as so many US TV shows are. There are so many characters the writers must have nightmares trying to accommodate them all in each episode, although they're doing well so far. I like the idea that we're seeing the various survivors' back stories, with questions still being left unanswered. The musical score is suitably haunting at times, and the performances are pretty decent. Oh, and there's the 'necessary' quota of attractive young people to provide the eye candy.

I certainly will be tuning in, world disasters permitting, until the end, although I'm intrigued as to just how guest stars such as Emma Caulfield will be able to turn up. I suspect there is still a lot we don't know about this island......

P.S. Hello.

The Emma Caulfield rumour was just that, an unfounded rumour. By all accounts, there is no truth in it. She has, however, been linked with the Steven Spielberg film 'Munich'. This recounts the events of the 1972 Munich Olympics when a number of athletes were killed by terrorists.

I've watched the first five episodes of 'Lost' on C4. The production values are high (I believe the pilot had a $5 million budget) and the premise is intriguing. I must admit, though, that it is already starting to irritate me a little bit. It's all a bit too knowingly cryptic. My goodness, it makes the likes of 'Twin Peaks' and 'The X Files' seem positively straight-as-an-arrow. The unseen "monster" is fast turning into a McGuffin.

There are some intriguing possibilities. It has been suggested that the survivors are actually dead and this is a kind of test or transisition as they pass over into the next world. Locke is already exhibiting signs that he might be a kind of oracle.

The problem is that there are so many cryptic possibilities being thrown into the mix that when we eventually find out more it is likely to be a crushing anti-climax. This is another problem it shares with 'The X Files', a show that eventually imploded in on itself because it left to many unanswered questions hanging in the air for too long.

I would also have to say that I have not so far found many characters in 'Lost' that I can easily respond to. Quite simply, I don't find them interesting or likeable enough.

It's early days. I will definitely stick with it for a while longer yet, but maybe it's not going to be for me in the longterm. Having said that, I appreciate that the show has a huge following (the US viewing figures are enormous) and I say good luck to all the people who follow it. There are too few good new TV shows being made these days, so I am not about to unduly criticise those that do come along.

As for David Fury, he was a producer on the show during the first season. He wrote the fourth episode, the one in which Locke went on the quest and killed the wild boar. He left the show to briefly work with Tim Minear and Jane Espenson on 'The Inside' (the Fox show that has, I think, recently been cancelled). Fury is now part of the production/writing team for the next season of '24'.

I must admit I've not been watching with a very open mind so far. I'd never even considered that this show was perhaps purposely set out to be Twin-Peaks-esque, for example. I basically just tuned in expecting some sort of survival show but, now that you mention it, maybe I'm one of the gullible people the show's makers were deliberately targeting to surprise? Locke is certainly an intriguing character. There have been quite a few occasions already where things have happened to him without other people being there to witness it, so there's that air of mystery that tends to surround him.

What intrigues me even more is the possibility of a second series. If this is the case, we can be pretty certain that no rescue will take place at the end of this season, unless we're going to be following their lives/deaths after their time on the island, which seems doubtful somehow......

Hi Staker Boi...

The second season of 'Lost' is in production at the moment. The complete first season is already available on DVD in America. The show is a huge hit over there. I believe the average figures for season one were something approaching 20 million viewers per episode. If you consider that 'Buffy' had viewing figures that probably didn't average much more than 3.5 million across the seven seasons, that puts it into perspective.

'Lost' is definitely a good show. I'm not sure that it's for me, but that's just my personal thing. I'm a bit more interested in seeing 'Veronica Mars', which sounds like it might be something I would really like.

Howdy, folks, good to see you're still around! I thought this thread had died a slow death (not to mention Slayerville ). For once we here in Holland are ahead of you. So far the've shown 13 eps, and they've just started again after a summer break.

Don't worry, I won't spoiler. I do agree with you that the show's writers sure do like to juggle their mysteries, but for me that's one of the joys of it. I love that kind of storytelling stuntwork. They will have to provide us with some suitably interesting answers at some point, though... The format they've chosen is really interesting, too. The island life interspersed with scenes from their lives before (but only that of one or two people per ep). A very original approach.

Two more remarks: I've read that the writers had planned this to be a six or seven season show; and that, wherever those people are, they're *not* in Limbo or something like that. Apparently, the island is 'real'. I for one am very curious to see where they'll take the show.

I don't think they're in limbo or purgatory either doesn't add to me if they are. I love all the twists and turns and riddles, am fasinated by Locke and I think all of the characters are interesting. I find Jack (the doctor guy)annoyingly sanctimous and Micheal (the dad) annoying bossy at times but then again I think you are shown why they are that way.

A lot of my friends didn't like the pilot but became gripped by the show as they continued watching it. I love it and am totally addicted to it but then again it would be a boring world if we all liked the same things. I've never got into things SG-1 and Sliders but a lot of people like them and they do appear to be well made - just not my bag baby as Austin Powers would say.

I'm still watching but not yet convinced. I think that I would need to feel a measure of sympathy for at least one of the characters in order to become hooked and so far I have no empathic feelings towards anyone. And, there are anomalies and I have a tidy mind.

Carlyle

Hello Carlyle

Been on holiday? I strongly urge you to stick with it, there are some good eps ahead, IMO anyway.

Apparently I don't need to urge you, Vampadvocate. It seems we do have more in commom, taste-wise, than just Buffy and Lost. (I didn't like SG-1 and Sliders, either.) So if you want to discuss the show, I'm game!

Hi Nite Owl,

I have been having an internet holiday courtesy of Wanadoo and British telecom who between them managed to disconnect me from dial up and fail to get me on to broadband. Neither would accept responsibility for the failure until I eventually paid an engineer to call and he decided that I was not connected at the telephone exchange. A fact that I had been telling them for ten days. All is nearly well tho I still do not have a telephone line.

C

Ouch! And here's me, thinking there was an happier reason for your unusual absence from Slayerville.

The very best of luck with sorting it all out.

I'm enjoying Lost. Iwouldn't say I love it yet, and some episodes do seem to rather go nowhere, but at the moment it's keeping me intrigued enough to keep watching (and incidentally, what a cool character Locke is - go the Colonel I say). That said I am wary of it giving so many leads but no revelations, particularly since the second season has already been commissioned. I think they definitely need to give some kind of proper ending or closure to each season they do.

vampadvocate said that one of the episodes of Lost had been nominated for an Emmy, but I didn't realise until today that it was the one that David Fury had written. Entitled "Walkabout", I assume it's the one shown the other week with Locke as the focus?

I guess we'll find out later tonight/tomorrow whether it won or not......

Yes, 'Walkabout' is the Locke episode. Haven't seen news on whether it won.

Yep, it did. Two Emmy's, including best drama series. No Emmy for Furie, though.

Here is a link to a list of the EMMY winners. Alyson Hannigan presented an award at the ceremony. Click on the photos tab and there is a picture of her (image number 14).

http://entertainment.msn.com/tv/emmys/list

Larry.

Does anyone know who did win the award David Fury was nominated from because unless it was a particularly impressive episode - he was robbed. Then again we should just be thankful the lot who consider "Everyone Loathes Raymond" to be award worthy comedy whilst ignoring the Buffy/Angel verse completely actually recognised "Lost"'s merits at all.